Are you considering to buy a used domain name? It could be a great move if you know how to avoid common pitfalls. There are many domain names available already registered but you must be very careful in choosing only those who can truly benefit your business.
If you are unsure how to best buy a used domain name, we have spotted 4 all-important factors to scrutinize.
Domain Name – An Important Decision
No matter your business’s size and scale, choosing a domain name is crucial for it to prosper. Domain names represent your brand name on the internet as it is the first thing that people will type in the address bar.
Furthermore, domain names impact your search engine results, which is something that even SEO consultancy services will tell you. This makes them essential from an SEO perspective as well.
A domain name is also important from a digital marketing point of view, as they will be responsible for the first impression that visitors will get about your online.
Thousands of domain names are sold every day, including used domain names, which shows how important they are.
If you have your eyes set on a used domain name but aren’t sure about buying it because you don’t know what factors to look at, do not fret, we have you covered. Here are 4 important factors to consider before buying a used domain name.
4 Things to Check Before Buying a Used Domain Name
1. Copyright and Trademark
Before buying a used domain name, you should check if the domain has not been trademarked or copyrighted by another company.
If you overlook this fact and the name is in use by another company, there is a potential you may be sued and may have to pay the penalty. A problem like this may lead to you needing a lawyer, which means more and more fees and a lot of hassle, which we’re sure you don’t want to deal with.
You can check this in various ways by simply googling the domain name and seeing if it is in use by any other company. You can also check if there is any DMCA fine against it by using some tools provided by Google.
If your domain name is not registered, you should register the domain name immediately do so before someone else does it. Thousands of websites register domain names, so be sure to do it as soon as possible.
2. Domain Authority
Domain Authority is a metric provided by Moz that is used to show a site’s ranking potential. It does this by measuring how many and how useful the backlinks on your website are.
When considering if to buy a used domain name, you must know the DA score.
From an SEO perspective, having a high domain authority can be pretty useful as this will mean you will have a higher chance of appearing in the top search results, which will help boost your Site’s traffic.
You should especially take care of this if you’re migrating your website to another used domain, as it may have a domain authority score that is lower than yours. This does not mean you should completely give up on it but means you will have to make an effort to improve this score.
3. Security Issues
Checking if there are no pre-existing security issues is another crucial step for those who want to buy a used domain name. Security issues can can become a problem later on.
One way to check if any security issue is present is by requesting Google Search Console access from the domain owner so that you can check security issues out.
Simply click on Search Traffic > Manual Actions > Security Issues to check if Google has any suspicions about the domain name.
Another thing to check about a used domain is if the domain has been blacklisted. You can check this by using Site Sucuri that will tell you the website status and any critical problems that it may have.
You should check if the domain has been misused too to create spam by using SEO tools like Screaming Frog to see external linking through the domain name. Link spam can be a potential issue for your domain name, so it is something that you must check.
4. Uniqueness
There are some criteria that your used domain name should fulfill so that it is worth getting it.
The domain name should be short and unique so that it is memorable for visitors. Short domain names are also easier to remember, making sure visitors can find your website again with ease.
You should also make sure the used domain name you choose can compete in a better way with your competitor. Being SEO-Friendly will help a lot in this aspect.
Conclusion
As you can see, domain names are significant for your online business. You must choose a used domain name that adds as much value as possible. If you carefully consider the factors that we have mentioned above, it will be easier to decide if to buy a used domain name or not. We hope these 4 crucial factors prove to be useful for you!