Search Engine Optimization (SEO) relies heavily on understanding how Google indexes and ranks websites.
One way to help your indexing is by using an expired domain.
An expired domain is a domain that someone owned but didn’t renew. Once it expires, it becomes available for others to register. These domains might have a history, like old websites or backlinks, making them valuable SEO resources.
When a domain expires, it can lead to a series of events that affect its presence in Google’s search index. In this article, we’ll explore when Google removes expired domains from its index and shed light on the factors that influence the indexing status of these domains.
What Keeps Expired Domains in Google’s Index
Once a domain has expired and no longer hosts an active website, Google eventually stops to index it.
However, in our experience, we have observed several instances where expired domains continue to be indexed by Google, even when they lack a functioning website. Here they are:
- Expired domains with active direct traffic – these refer to websites associated with popular brands that continue to receive visitors who directly type in the URL of the domain in their browser
- Parked expired domains with ad monetization – if these domains attract user interest and ad clicks, they are more likely to remain indexed. After all, you can monetize your parked domains with Google AdSense, so it makes perfect sense for them to keep your domain indexed 🙂
- Expired domains from respected sites with valuable content – If the site was popular or authoritative and provided useful content, the domain may remain indexed even when the site is no longer active.
- Expired domains still receiving traffic from external links – the presence of incoming traffic signals ongoing interest, resulting in a more extended indexing period. At quirk.biz, we’ve observed that Google retains within its index even aged 404 error pages on strong domains.
Why Google Don’t Index Expired Domains
- Expired domains with manual penalties – if an expired domain has a manual penalty, it may not be indexed on Google, and its search engine rankings may be negatively affected.
- Expired domain with a DNS error (HTTP 502 status code) – when Google encounters a DNS error while crawling a website, it may not be able to access the site’s content and, therefore, may not index it.
- Spammy activities in the past – expired domains with a history of spammy activities can negatively impact their indexing on Google.
- A website with low-quality content that never ranked for anything and had no traffic is a prime example of why Google is not indexing expired domains.
Do Expired Domains Get Faster Indexing?
The short answer is YES – websites built on expired domains get to index faster. Based on our work with thousands of domains, we have noticed several trends.
Restoring old content with the original URLs, especially on a domain with a clean history (no niche change or used as PBN or redirected), leads to extremely fast indexing, sometimes reaching several hundred pages in just 2 to 3 weeks. This level of speed is hard to achieve in a new domain with fresh content. We believe this is happening because search engines are still “familiar” with this content and URLs from the past. They once indexed and evaluated/ranked them, so it makes sense to index them again quickly.
This momentum can be used to advantage by publishing new, high-quality content in the same niche as the restored material, leading to faster indexing and improved results.
Even without restoring the old content, posting new content in a similar niche to the old one often results in faster indexing compared to a brand-new domain with fresh content.
While there may be exceptions, in general, a strong, established domain with valuable links, combined with either content restoration or publishing new content in the same niche, leads to expedited indexing.
Conclusion
Understanding the factors influencing when Google removes expired domains from its index is essential for anyone engaged in SEO and digital marketing. Expired domains can present opportunities for those looking to harness their history, backlinks, and domain authority. However, the fate of an expired domain in Google’s index depends on various reasons, including the renewal grace period, content quality, backlink profile, and any previous penalties. While some expired domains can remain indexed, others may be swiftly removed.
To maintain a presence, prioritize quality content, monitor renewals, and consider that an expired domain’s history doesn’t guarantee faster indexing. Stay informed to make strategic decisions for long-term success in search results.
