If you want to boost your website’s authority and rankings, building high-quality backlinks is a must. One smart way to do this is by using expired domains. But how do you find the right expired domains that actually help your SEO efforts? In this article, I’ll walk you through the exact process we use at Semantic Mastery to hunt for expired domains, check their quality, and make sure they fit perfectly for link building.
Whether you run a business, health, or legal website, this step-by-step guide will help you understand how to find expired domains that have strong, niche-related backlinks. I’ll also share the tools we use and why relevance matters so much in this process.
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How We Acquire Blogs for Link Building
One common question I get is whether we create blogs from scratch or buy existing ones for our Semantic Links blog network. The answer is a mix of both. We create the blogs from scratch but buy the domain names from expired domains. These are domains that were once active but are no longer registered and available for purchase.
In the past, I used to hunt for domains myself, spending evenings scanning for good expired domains while relaxing. But now, I have a dedicated team of five or six people whose full-time job is to hunt down expired domains for us. This allows us to be efficient and focused on finding only the best domains with strong backlink profiles.
Using PBN Lab to Find Expired Domains
The first tool we use is called PBN Lab. It’s a website crawler that scrapes millions of expired domains and gathers data about their backlink profiles and topical relevance. I actually have three separate subscriptions to PBN Lab, each dedicated to a major market sector:
- Business (a broad category covering many industries)
- Health (covering med spas, dentists, orthopedists, etc.)
- Legal (mainly for attorney clients)
By separating the domain searches by topic, we can focus on finding domains that have backlinks relevant to the specific niche we want to build links for. This is important because Google values relevance, and backlinks from related sites carry more weight.
When PBN Lab scrapes expired domains, it also provides metrics like topical trust flow. This helps us filter out domains that don’t fit the topic we’re targeting. For example, if we’re looking for a domain related to construction, we can set PBN Lab to only show domains with backlinks categorized under “business construction and maintenance.”
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Checking the Domain’s Backlink Profile Using Majestic
Once we have a list of potential expired domains, the next step is to analyze their backlink profiles in detail. For this, we use a tool called Majestic. Here’s what we do:
- Enter the root domain into Majestic.
- Check the anchor text cloud to see which keywords are most commonly used in backlinks pointing to the domain.
The anchor text cloud shows the most frequent anchor texts in bigger font sizes. This gives a quick visual clue about what topics the backlinks are related to. We want to see that the biggest anchor texts are relevant to the domain’s niche. Some irrelevant anchor texts are okay, but the main ones should fit the topical category we want.
For example, if the domain's backlinks mostly have anchor texts about “legal advice” or “lawyer,” and we want to use it for a legal client, that’s a good sign. But if the anchor texts are about “buy cheap shoes,” that could mean the domain was spammed, and we would avoid it.
Using Archive.org’s Wayback Machine to Check Domain History
After checking backlinks, we need to make sure the domain hasn’t been used for spam or unrelated content recently. The Wayback Machine on Archive.org helps us do this by showing snapshots of what the domain looked like in the past.
We usually use a tool called Cloud Boss that integrates with the Wayback Machine to speed up this process. We look at the most recent snapshots first and then go backward in time to find the last time the site was live with real content.
If the last published site was in the same topical category as the backlinks, that’s a green light. But if the domain was used for spam or a completely different niche, we skip it. This helps keep the backlink profile clean and relevant.
Why Relevance Matters More Than Other Metrics
Many people look at metrics like Domain Authority (DA) or Domain Rating (DR) when buying expired domains. I don’t focus on those at all. What really matters is topical relevance and the quality of backlinks.
Google values links that come from sites related to your niche. If you buy a domain with good metrics but it’s from a totally different topic, those backlinks become irrelevant and don’t help your SEO. Worse, Google might even discount those links.
So, we always make sure the domain’s backlink profile and its last website content match the topic we want to target. This way, the backlinks remain valid and valuable for improving rankings.
How We Find Domains for Geographic Relevance
Besides topical relevance, geographic relevance is important for local SEO clients. We use the same domain hunting process to find expired domains that have backlinks from the right geographic area. This helps boost local rankings by showing Google that the links are from local or regionally relevant sources.
Both topical and geographic domain hunting are covered in detail in our training courses at Semantic Mastery. These courses provide step-by-step instructions so you can follow the same process for your own link building campaigns.
Rebuilding Expired Domains with Fresh Content
Once we buy an expired domain, we don’t just copy the old content. Instead, we create new, fresh content that fits the same topical category the domain was originally in. This approach turns out to be easier and more effective than trying to reuse old content.
By publishing new content related to the domain’s previous theme, we keep the link juice flowing and maintain relevance. This strategy helps us get great results from the backlinks pointing to the domain.
Summary of the Expired Domain Hunting Process
- Buy expired domains that fit your niche and have strong backlink profiles.
- Use PBN Lab to crawl and filter domains by topical trust flow.
- Analyze anchor text clouds in Majestic to check backlink relevance.
- Check the domain’s history with the Wayback Machine to avoid spammy or unrelated sites.
- Rebuild the domain with fresh content within the same topical category.
- Apply the same process for geographic relevance when working on local SEO.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an expired domain?
An expired domain is a website domain that was previously owned but is no longer registered. These domains become available for purchase again, often carrying their existing backlink profiles.
Why does topical relevance matter when buying expired domains?
Topical relevance ensures that the backlinks pointing to the domain are related to your niche. Google values relevant backlinks more, making your link building efforts more effective.
Can I just buy any expired domain with high metrics?
No. Metrics like Domain Authority or Domain Rating don’t tell the full story. A domain might have high metrics but be unrelated to your niche or have a spammy history, which can hurt your SEO instead of helping it.
How do you check the history of an expired domain?
We use the Wayback Machine on Archive.org to see snapshots of what the domain looked like in the past. This helps identify if the domain was used for legitimate content or spam.
Do you reuse the old content from expired domains?
No, we create fresh content that fits the same topical category. This keeps the domain relevant and helps maintain the value of the backlinks.
Is this process suitable for all industries?
Yes, but we focus mainly on business, health, and legal industries because those are our core markets. The same principles apply to other niches as long as you find domains with relevant backlink profiles.
Final Thoughts
Expired domain hunting is a powerful method to build strong backlinks that help your website rank higher. The key is to focus on relevance—both in the backlink profile and the content you create. By using tools like PBN Lab, Majestic, and the Wayback Machine, you can carefully choose expired domains that boost your SEO efforts without risking penalties from Google.
Whether you’re managing a local business, a health site, or a legal practice, this approach can give you an edge in a competitive online landscape. Remember, it’s not just about buying any expired domain, but about finding the right ones that fit your niche and audience.