There are several ways to improve the natural referencing of a web page, but some are more effective than others. The SEO potential of an expired domain name can help you save time in your SEO strategy.
ON-Site vs. OFF-Site Optimization:
A good SEO consists of two types of optimizations that are complementary: ON-site and OFF-site optimizations.
ON-site optimization consists in improving your main site’s content and structure. This can be done by making a smart use of the right keywords, taking care of all pages’ metatags and title or description tags, and improving not only the URLs (also known as URL Rewriting), but also the ergonomy, loading time and internal links of your website. There are many other ON-site optimizations, and all of them are inherent to the site itself.
The second type of optimization is the OFF-site one, which relies on elements that are external to your web page or website in order to improve its position in the results of search engines. This work is largely based on building external links (netlinking), listing your site on various directories (although this technique is starting to be obsolete and quite inefficient), or creating official pages for your brand on social networks. You can also use the linkbuilding or linkbaiting techniques we mentioned in our previous article on SEO netlinking.
Linkbuilding and PBNs (Private Blog Networks) are very powerful off-site techniques that rely on the use of expired domain names, their history and their SEO potential.
How can I use expired domain names in my off-site optimization strategy?
1 – Choose high-potential SEO domain names
The fact a domain name is expiring doesn’t mean it should be abandoned! Unlike a blank domain name, expired domain names benefit from the SEO experience it has acquired and will keep until they are released.
As domain names don’t have the same intrinsic SEO value, it is necessary to take a look at various indicators / metrics before choosing and purchasing an expired domain name.
On Youdot.io, we make your job easier by detecting and analyzing domain names with quality metrics, starting at €20.
2 – Configure redirects
A 301 redirect is a relatively effective solution when used properly. It consists of indicating to search engines that the former URL has changed permanently. In doing so, this redirection will transfer about 90 to 99% of the SEO potential to the new page thanks to the link. Do not confuse it with a 302 redirect, which can only be used temporarily since it indicates that the address is temporarily unavailable. If this a 302 redirect lasts over time, it may send a negative signal to Google and other search engines, who will stop taking the link into account and will eventually remove it from its index.
When it comes to a 301 redirect, the winning strategy is to distribute the SEO juice of a domain name to several sites, notably through the optimization of anchor links.
To do so, the Google Search Console tool allows you to identify what the keywords of your domain name are, the nature of its backlinks, etc.
Pour ce faire, l’outil Google Search Console permet d’identifier quels sont les mots clés du nom de domaine, la nature des backlinks, etc…
3 – Build a PBN (Private Blog Network)
Ths use of PBNs is probably the most misunderstood technique due to the fact that it is wrongly considered complex. This technique can however give you the best long-lasting results. This technique must be incorporated into a real multi-domain strategy that takes advantage of expired domain names, in order to create a network of mico-blogs with original content filled with links that will ultimately transmit their SEO juice to your money site. This transmission however should not be done in a linear way. If you are unfamiliar with this technique, it is better to read up on it beforehand or ask an SEO expert for advice.
The creation of a Private Blog Network brings powerful, consistent and lasting results, but requires time and the deployment of resources.