Grab aged domains with high quality backlinks and Domain Authority

Ian Howell, Traffic Think Tank

Whenever I'm looking for a domain with some link history, DomCop is my go-to tool. Their option for filtering by TF/CF ratio in particular helps quickly weed out the stuff that has a high likelihood of having been spammed to death already - it's a huge time saver.

Ian Howell, Traffic Think Tank, United States

Grab aged domains with high quality backlinks and Domain Authority

Domain Moz DA Moz Ref Domains Majestic TF Majestic CF Majestic Ref Domains Majestic Ref Subnets Expires In DA Trend
radiokrka.com 39/100 1242 28/100 21/100 260 165 13h 48m
39,39,39,39,39,39,39,39,39,39,39,39,39,39,39,39,40,40,40,40,39,39,39,39,39,39,39,38,38,38,38,38,38,38,39,39,39
breckfilmfest.com 35/100 350 27/100 16/100 112 98 1d 09h
33,33,33,33,33,33,33,33,33,33,33,34,34,34,34,34,35,35,35,35,35,35,35,35,34,35,35,35,34,35,35,35,35,35,35,35,35
chilhowee.net 31/100 906 26/100 22/100 176 119 1d 10h
30,30,30,30,30,30,30,30,30,31,30,31,31,31,31,30,30,30,31,31,31,31,31,32,31,32,31,31,31,31,31,31,32,31,31,31,31
eofficedirect.com 33/100 1584 23/100 23/100 314 186 1d 12h
24,24,24,24,24,24,24,24,25,29,29,29,31,31,30,31,28,29,29,29,28,28,28,28,28,38,34,33,34,33,35,35,32,32,32,33,33
cedarcreekinn.com 33/100 296 26/100 15/100 75 63 1d 13h
39,39,39,39,39,39,39,39,39,39,37,34,34,34,33,33,33,33,33,33,33,33,33,32,32,33,33,33,33,32,32,32,32,33,33,33,33
vtfarms.org 32/100 183 26/100 16/100 52 47 1d 14h
33,33,33,33,33,33,33,33,33,32,32,32,32,32,32,32,31,31,32,32,32,32,32,32,32,32,32,32,32,32,32,32,32,32,32,32,32
bulmalug.net 36/100 457 30/100 22/100 170 153 1d 14h
36,36,36,36,36,36,36,36,36,36,36,36,36,36,36,36,37,37,37,37,36,36,36,36,36,36,36,36,36,36,36,36,36,36,36,36,36
poolmag.com 37/100 1453 29/100 21/100 367 211 2d 10h
35,35,35,35,35,35,35,35,36,36,36,36,36,36,36,36,36,36,36,35,35,35,35,35,35,35,35,35,35,35,35,35,35,35,35,35,37
tenonline.org 34/100 986 24/100 16/100 170 110 2d 10h
37,37,37,37,37,37,37,37,37,37,36,36,37,37,37,37,37,37,37,35,35,35,35,34,34,34,34,34,34,34,34,35,35,35,35,35,34
frosina.org 36/100 774 28/100 19/100 1184 190 2d 11h
34,34,34,34,34,34,34,34,34,34,34,35,35,35,35,34,35,35,35,35,35,35,34,34,34,35,35,35,34,35,35,35,35,35,35,35,36
blakestreettavern.com 40/100 532 27/100 18/100 160 120 2d 12h
39,39,39,39,39,39,42,42,42,42,42,41,40,40,40,42,42,42,42,41,41,41,41,40,39,39,39,39,39,39,39,39,39,39,40,40,40
d21.me 40/100 551 20/100 23/100 248 185 2d 13h
41,41,41,41,41,41,41,41,41,41,41,41,41,41,41,41,41,41,41,41,41,41,41,40,40,40,40,40,40,40,40,40,40,40,40,40,40
novenyhatarozo.info 35/100 224 24/100 11/100 70 61 2d 13h
34,34,34,34,34,34,33,34,34,34,34,34,34,34,34,34,34,34,34,34,34,34,34,34,34,34,34,34,34,34,34,34,34,34,34,34,35
sqdi.org 41/100 633 23/100 24/100 229 191 3d 13h
41,41,41,41,41,41,41,41,41,42,42,42,42,41,41,40,40,40,40,40,40,40,40,40,40,40,40,40,40,40,40,40,40,40,40,40,41
talkzimbabwe.com 43/100 795 19/100 18/100 670 197 3d 13h
42,42,42,42,42,42,42,42,42,42,42,42,42,42,42,42,42,42,42,43,42,42,42,42,42,42,42,42,42,42,42,42,42,43,43,43,43
spinabifidamoms.com 33/100 317 24/100 16/100 219 73 4d 10h
34,34,34,34,34,34,34,34,34,34,34,34,32,31,31,34,34,34,34,34,34,34,33,33,32,33,33,33,33,34,34,34,34,33,33,33,33
kazeno.info 31/100 481 24/100 21/100 104 84 5d 09h
31,31,31,31,31,31,31,31,31,31,31,31,31,31,31,31,31,32,31,31,31,31,31,31,31,31,31,31,31,31,31,30,30,31,31,31,31
icsatoday.org 36/100 355 26/100 18/100 140 113 5d 11h
36,36,36,36,36,36,36,36,37,37,36,36,36,37,37,37,37,37,37,36,36,37,36,36,36,36,36,36,36,36,36,36,36,35,35,35,36

What is a Domain Auction?

A domain can be list at an auction because either the owner list it, or the domain is going to expire and the registrar lists the expired domain for sale because they believe the domain to be valuable.

Why buy at domain auctions?

Why buy at a Domain Auction?

A domain auction can be a great way to find good deals on premium domains that would have otherwise been unavailable. You can use them to find domains that already have got some traffic.

For someone who has time and is flexible with domain name options, auctions are a great way to potentially get better deals. Asking prices at auction can vary, so they represent a good alternative to what might be available elsewhere and to going through domain sale websites.

Since people previously owned these valuable domain names, it is likely that they are indexed and so could be currently getting traffic from search engines.

Benefits of Domain Auctions

Benefits of Domain Auctions

Buying through an auction can be a great option, depending on who is selling. The domain buyer might get a unique deal if the seller does not know the value of their premium domain name.

Bidding auctions for simple, short and catchy names are always useful and will likely cost more, while random sets of characters go for lesser values. The latter is great for someone starting a new website and online brand. For instance, websites that contain non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are becoming increasingly popular. A few years ago, many considered them as a string of letters.

Big companies may have algorithms or experts to assess value, but buying at an auction can provide more flexibility for domain buyers. Shopping at an auction or getting a broker involved could produce better results in the future with organic traffic, associated links and search engine optimization (SEO), but they will also likely take more time to acquire, depending on one's flexibility.

Starting with a New Website Domain

Starting with a New Website Domain

If a developer has a website that already gets more traffic than an unregistered domain, the increased views can vastly increase the site's popularity, especially in the beginning.

This potential benefit is lost with a new website, and the owner would have to start with other ways of getting organic traffic to the site like paid advertising, investing in SEO, or redirecting through other links. They could save this effort by going through the domain auctions and finding a domain that already had traffic, domain authority and backlinks.

Selling at Domain Auctions

Domain auctions can be a place for individuals to list upcoming domains for potential profit, not just the big companies. The open nature of auctions can be good for someone whose site would have expired if a hosting platform did not renew it. Of course, one can easily flip a domain they just bought.

As with any auction, there is always the risk that potential buyers will not bid on a domain as the seller hoped, but they can be a great way to make money by selling domains that may soon expire anyway.

How to Pick a Domain?

How to Pick a Domain?

Thankfully, there are many metrics one can look at to assess the best domains and approach bidding on them. Some of these factors will be more transparent, such as the time it has been up, the amount of traffic, its associated links and how it has fared in prior ads or through previous SEO.

Many large companies provide these services to analyze domains, making the process even simpler. However, for someone without much experience, it may be worthwhile to shop via a broker. Even businesses that list statistics on web domains may use complex metrics.

Moreover, lots of sites are dedicated as platforms for domain auctions that will help to sift through the useless spam names. Considering how many thousands of sites are up for auction, this can save lots of time and provide a sense of certainty.

Should I Use a Broker?

Buyers should always consider the benefits and costs of using a broker.

Benefits:

A brokerage firm will contact sellers directly and be able to negotiate a price. This may mean an agent will pick up the phone and work it out with the domain owner on behalf of the client.

Websites that offer premium domain names will use this method, often in addition to having many domains that developers hold in waiting and then sell through a middleman. This is also how sites dedicated to domain sales work.

Brokerage Costs:

Like brokerage fees for other types of sales, brokerage for a domain will usually take a cut of the profits that the brokers themselves determine. Each person has to assess whether the amount of potential savings, not to mention added expertise and amount of time saved, outweigh the expenses.

Still, they may come across unforeseen or downright impossible deals otherwise in some cases. Individuals who purchase sites through an auction find that they tend to perform better in SEO results. Plus, the domains have that quality from the minute the broker sells them, which a buyer can factor into the cost analysis. There are many perks to buying through a domain auction for a savvy buyer.

Fixed Price:

Some online services sell expired domains for a fixed price. The benefit here is that you don't have to deal with placing bids in a bidding war with the highest bidder, and worry about the reserve price (minimum price). You find the domain, see the price, whip out your credit card and are done! Remember to use an escrow service if you don't have a broker.

Find Amazing Domains

DomCop lists all domains currently under auction along with 90+ metrics for every domain. It makes sure not a single valuable domain auction slips you by.

Find Domains at DomCop
Sean Markey, Rank Theory

Every single day since 2014 I log onto DomCop.com and look for valuable expiring domain names. Literally. I've found so many great domains there that I've either put into my domain investing portfolio, built on and created a revenue generating site that I later sold, or used in my efforts to create other valuable websites. I cannot recommend this tool enough--it is robust and powerful, and I easily filter out the thousands of terrible expiring names to consistently find the diamonds.

Sean Markey, Rank Theory United States