{"id":2316,"date":"2014-04-26T04:31:51","date_gmt":"2014-04-26T04:31:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mysiteauditor.com\/blog\/\/?p=2316"},"modified":"2023-07-20T19:15:52","modified_gmt":"2023-07-20T19:15:52","slug":"how-to-perform-a-domain-name-background-check","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mysiteauditor.com\/blog\/how-to-perform-a-domain-name-background-check\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Perform a Domain Name Background Check"},"content":{"rendered":"

You may want to investigate the history of a used domain before spending big bucks on it. Getting that “perfect” domain can cost thousands of dollars, so why wouldn’t you do some investigating before you make that kind of investment. You’d look under the hood before you bought a used car, right? \u00a0Then do the same thing for a used domain, especially if it’s going to cost you a pretty penny. \u00a0Otherwise you could be pouring thousands of dollars down the drain.<\/p>\n

What are the dangers of used domains?<\/h2>\n

\"Check\"It was previously used to spam people
\n<\/strong>The last thing you want is a domain from a website that was previously used to spam people. No wonder they’re selling it. A domain used for spam could be red-flagged by Google, mkaing your SEO efforts super difficult.<\/p>\n

\"Check\"<\/strong>Is has spammy links
\n<\/strong>You don’t want a domain from a site who hired a shady SEO company who built shady links. Removing those shady links will be a nightmare, making it extremely difficult to rank for anything.<\/p>\n

\"Check\"<\/strong>It was banned or penalized in Google
\n<\/strong>Make sure you do your homework on your domain. (see below) Double check that the domain your trying to buy hasn’t been penalized or even worse banned from Google. You can’t call 1-800-google to fix the situation. You are on your own! So, it’s just not worth it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Check\"<\/strong>You have to remove links manually
\n<\/strong>Let’s say you buy that awesome premium domain only to find out that someone linked spammy websites to it in a poor SEO effort. Well, Google recommends that you contact all those spammy websites and ask them to remove your link.<\/strong>\u00a0The world is a very big place and spammy SEO people often outsource to other spammy SEO people, who outsource to more spammy SEO people.<\/p>\n

\"Check\"<\/strong>You have to disavow links
\n<\/strong>Disavowing links<\/a> can be a nightmare. Matt Cutts of Google warns that this should be the last method of removing spammy links. However, Google does have a process for this, but one you don’t want to go through.<\/p>\n

What are the benefits of used domains?<\/h2>\n

\"Check\"The age of domain
\n<\/strong>Older domains kick ass in SEO. Time after time, I have personally seen older domains do so much better with search engine rankings just because they are older domains, and therefore are more reputable in the eyes of Google.<\/p>\n

\"Check\"<\/strong>No Google sandbox
\n<\/strong>Google sandbox is the mysterious (and unverified) label your domain gets when it’s new. Sandbox indicates that your domain is very new and can’t possibly have good enough information worth ranking high, yet. Sandbox can last months, and up to a year. Therefore, your SEO efforts may be more difficult. Used domains don’t run this risk.<\/p>\n

Google sandbox is unverified, and theory amongst SEO professionals.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Check\"<\/strong>It has a great link history
\n<\/strong>Just like you could have bad links you may have the opportunity to buy a used domain with awesome links. An easy way to tell if a domain has awesome links is that the owner will tell you it has awesome links<\/strong>. It’s like selling a used car and bragging about low milage.<\/p>\n

\"Check\"<\/strong>It has a great share history
\n<\/strong>Like a good link history, the used domain your considering buying may have a great share history as well. Maybe it was shared a few thousand times, giving it more authority in Google and Bing. Test it out by running it through the website analysis tool on MySiteAuditor<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Check\"<\/strong>It has a high PageRank
\n<\/strong>The only way to get a high PageRank in Google is to have other web pages with higher PageRank link to yours. It can take years to accomplish this. But a used domain may already have a great PageRank, saving you the trouble.<\/p>\n

How to perform a background check on a domain<\/h2>\n

Matt Cutts just recently launched a Google Webmaster video about this exact topic. I highly encourage you to watch it. I took some notes, and listed them below for you as I watched this very informative video.<\/p>\n