Buying an Existing Domain – A Checklist
Make sure you do the following, or else you could find your purchase was not a smart move!
1. Visit the domain. If you have an up-to-date browser like Chrome, it will let you know if the domain currently or recently has been host to a virus or malware. If this is the case, then getting the domain to rank in Google will require you to convince Google that the threat has been removed. If there is no threat, you can see what is currently there, such as nothing, an ad-filled landing page, or content belonging to the current or previous owner. That’s right, some people continue hosting content for a domain they don’t realize they have lost control of.
2. Archive.org. Look at the content history of the site. If there is no history, it could be due to the content just not being found (ie no backlinks), or too recent (archives start at six months ago). See how many times the overall content and design has changed (usually indicating change of ownership). Could the content be revived? Does it look like a site that would have had natural backlinks? (Also, try screenshots.com, they might have the site archived as well).
3. DomainTools.com. For free you can check the current WHOIS for the site and see if it matches the person selling it. Paid accounts can also see the historical information.
4. Search for the domain name in Google. For example:
“example.com”
If the domain does not come up as the first result, Google may have penalized it. This search is also useful for finding some backlinks that other services do not list.
Also run this search:
site:example.*
This will return all the sites with the same name, but a different extension like .net or .org or .ru. For a keyword domain it can give you an idea of its value. It also lets you about other sites that might think you are infringing on their intellectual property. Or they might even want to buy it from you one day.
5. Search for the domain at a registrar like NameCheap. See if other extensions are available – perhaps instead of paying $500 for a .com you could pay $8 for the .net version?
6. Is the domain name also a trademark? If it is, that company who own the trademark might be able to sue you. For an obvious example, I once owned YahooYippee.com. Yahoo took me to court and I obviously couldn’t afford to defend my right to own it against such a large corporation. Search for US trademarks or International trademarks.
7. Blacklist.org. Check that domain hasn’t been blacklisted for spam. If it has, any emails you send that use that domain will be treated as spam. Search engines might also use this for ranking purposes.
8. Compete.com, Alexa and Quantcast can all provide information about the traffic the domain has been receiving, including demographics and other sites those people visit.
9. Estibot.com. I use the paid service, and I highly recommend it for serious domainers. It gives a really good estimate of the domain’s value, by looking at such things as keywords, bid prices and similar sales. It also will tell you the PageRank. Another place to check PageRank is PRChecker.info. Or just use the Google Toolbar.
10. Check for backlinks. Google won’t list them all, Yahoo’s service closed in 2011, so you need a third party service like SEOMoz’s Open Site Explorer or Ahrefs. Both are paid services, but for free they can give you a good idea of the domain’s backlink profile.
11. Where is it for sale? Before you make an offer, see if it is listed for sale anywhere. Popular services are Afternic.com, Sedo.com, Go Daddy Auctions, Fabulousdomains.com and Snapnames.com.