AGED DOMAINS DUE DILIGENCE: WHY IT’S IMPORTANT

Aged domains can be a great asset to your website investment strategy.

But, although aged domains can benefit your business, they can also harm it if not handled correctly.

In this article, we will break down the importance of performing the due diligence process correctly.

The aged domain due diligence process is the most crucial step in order for you to use an aged domain to help take your online business to the next level.

WHAT IS A GOOD AGED DOMAIN?

When it comes to the aged domain due diligence process, there are several things you need to look out for to ensure that an aged domain is of good quality, here they are:

• The domain has a  clean anchor text profile (nothing spammy or something that shouldn’t be there)
• The domain has remained in the same niche throughout its lifetime
• The domain hasn’t had google penalties or has been hit by any Google algorithm updates
• The domain has a clean backlink profile
• The domain’s metrics haven’t been manipulated in any way (compare the referring domains the domain has to its DR (an ahref metric) If for example the domain has a DR of 50, but only has 40 referring domains, then something is not right. Common sense is key here.
• The domain hasn’t got any trademarks
• Relevancy to your business

What’s really important is the relevancy that this domain has to your business. If you have a pet site and want to 301 redirect an aged domain to your main site, you will need to find a good quality pet site. Relevance is extremely important.

This also applies if you want to build a site on an aged domain. Let’s say a pet site, the aged domain you obtain would need to be a pet site as well.

Building a pet site on an aged domain that used to be about tennis, just won’t help your SEO at all, in fact, it can even harm it.

It’s imperative that before you buy and use an aged domain for your business, it has to be of good quality. Cutting corners, and trying to save money by buying a cheap domain that has something shady going on with it will do nothing but harm your business.

Finding a good aged domain can be extremely time-consuming, but it’s something you will need to do, in order to find the best quality aged domains to serve your business.

Alternatively, if you do not have the time, Niche Website Builders are experts in the industry, we will find the best quality aged domains for you. Get in touch with us – or check our aged domain inventor here.

HOW CAN A BAD AGED DOMAIN IMPACT YOUR ONLINE BUSINESS?

The first thing that may happen is that you buy an aged domain (typically spent anywhere between $100-$2000 or more), and it turns out that the domain isn’t relevant to your business.

By relevance, we mean niche relevance. Remember the pet example above, if you want to build a site on an aged domain for pets, you will need that aged domain to have been a pet site before.

So what you have just done is waste money. You won’t get any SEO benefits, and you risk the chance of getting hit by a Google Algorithm Update as well if you do try to use that domain.

The worst of it can be if you purchased an aged domain that has spammy things going on.

Even if the domain is relevant to your business, but has been previously used for spammy purposes, you will need to skip it and move to the next one.

Using an aged domain that has been used previously for spammy dodgy stuff will not only not help your SEO, but it may also result once again in being hit by a Google Algorithm Update.

BENEFITS OF USING AN AGED DOMAIN THAT HAS BEEN VETTED PROPERLY

The vetting process is a long and tedious process, but is it worth it? Absolutely.
Here are some of the benefits that an aged domain can bring to your online business.

• A Head Start – no Google sandbox period, no waiting to get indexed, not waiting to get trust from Google – a quality aged domain already has all that!
• Start Ranking Instantly & Getting Traffic – registering a fresh domain will take time to rank. Even if you are publishing quality content, it will take you a lot longer to rank than if you use a quality aged domain.
  I mean, even with an aged domain you would need quality keyword research and content, but the ranking occurs a lot sooner than if you had used a fresh domain.
• Backlinks! – Aka authority – backlinks are hard to get, not to mention expensive. You get a start with an instant authority and backlink profile, making it easier for you to rank and outrank competitors.
• Age – as mentioned above, the age of the domain plays an important role when it comes to gaining the trust of search engines such as Google. Not to mention it also helps you get fast indexation.

301 REDIRECTIONS – HOW TO GET THEM RIGHT

If you are familiar with the 301 redirections, then perhaps instead of building a site on an aged domain, you are thinking of 301 redirecting an aged domain to your main site?

If that’s the case, then it’s imperative that you get the 301 redirection done correctly.

Most people get this wrong.

How?

Well, most people think that when you acquire an aged domain, you should just 301 redirect it to the homepage.

That’s not the case though!

In fact, you shouldn’t redirect aged domains to the homepage.

The reason for this is, that it just doesn’t look natural. When a business acquires a business, they wouldn’t just redirect it to the homepage and call it a day.

There are 2 things that need to be done when you acquire and 301 redirect an aged domain:

• Issue a Press Release
• Redirect To An Acquisition Page (Watch this video here to watch Mark Mars & Adam Smith Talking about Acquisition pages)

Let’s break these 2 things down.

ISSUING A PRESS RELEASE

Why is it important? Well, think of aged domains and websites in general as a business. When you acquire an aged domain, this is basically someone’s business that you are acquiring.

This is where issuing a press release plays an important role in letting the world know that you have acquired this business,

and that you are now the owner of this business.

301 REDIRECTING TO AN ACQUISITION PAGE INSTEAD OF THE HOMEPAGE

Likewise to the press release, redirecting the aged domain to an acquisition page gives you the opportunity to tell the world who you are, what you do, and that you have acquired this business. It is just so much more natural than just redirecting to the homepage and just leaving it at that.

As I mentioned earlier, relevancy is also key. If you are 301 redirecting an aged domain to your main site, they both need to be in the exact niche.

Even if you do everything correctly, you issue a press release, 301 the domain to an acquisition page, but the niche of that aged domain isn’t the same as your main site, then this will all still look very unnatural.

Why would a pet business buy a tennis business for example – and merge them together? Doesn’t make sense.

So, if you get the relevancy right, you issue a press release, and 301 redirect to an acquisition page, you might just be in for a winner!

SUMMARY

Aged domains can be an incredible asset to your online business.
However, it’s imperative that the due diligence process is done correctly.

Although the process can be quite time-consuming, it’s so worth it. Because using an aged domain that is not right for your business will not only make you lose money, but it can also endanger your online presence.

Niche Website Builders are experts in the field of aged domains, vetting them, and 301 redirections. Get in touch with us, if you are interested in quality aged domains!