This is the first of a series of posts that I am going to write about on uncovering the hidden gems of expired domain names.
I have found over the past few years that there is very little information on the internet regarding expired domains and how to properly utilize their potential.
I must admit I had seriously considered putting this material into a report and selling it, but after some thought I’ve decided to post it on my blog so it can be of benefit to everyone who reads it.
Here is what you can expect in the next upcoming posts:
Part 1: Introducing Expired Domain Names
Part 2: Uncovering Hidden Gems – My Personal Method
Part 3: How to Purchase Expired Domain Names
Part 4: Warning! Don’t Get Scammed By Expired Domain Names
Today we are going to look at Part 1: Introducing Expiring Domain Names
Introduction:
For those of you who know me, before I got into internet marketing I was involved in the domain industry – principally I was buying and selling domain names for a profit.
One area in domaining that particularly interested me was expired domains.
What I quickly discovered was that thousands of expired domains become available every day and in most cases it is because the registered owners have failed to renew them for any number of reasons.
Some reasons could be:
- The owner has simply forgotten to re-register the domain
- The owner does not want the domain any longer and has let it expire.
- The domain once belonged to a business that has recently closed down and let the domain expire.
- The owner of the domain name has died.
So what happens to the expired domain?
Everyday lists of expiring domains are posted on various sites. Domainers will scour these lists looking for potential domains which they can either develop, or resell for a profit.
But before this happens the person interested in the domain has to purchase it at auction through Godaddy’s TDNAM (The Domain Name After Market).
The Domain Name After market (or TDAM as it is referred to) holds auctions of thousands of expiring domain names every day.
To be able to bid for a domain name at auction you need to be a TDNAM member, this membership will only cost you a few dollars and is well worth the money in my opinion.
Research:
It is important to remember before you get into buying expired domain names to conduct thorough research beforehand. My advice would be to have a close look at the backlinks, page rank and existing site traffic which can help you make an informed decision.
Thankfully, there is a handy free tool which displays all this information right beside each expired domain name.
Let me introduce you to FreshDrop – a place you will become very familiar with if you are looking for expired domains because Freshdrop contains a wealth of information, and is one of my main places where I conduct research into expired domain names.
You can either sign up for a free account, OR get access to a free 10 days membership of the pro version of Freshdrop. I recommend you sign up for a 10 day FREE pro membership as you are very limited to the data feeds you receive if you are just on the FREE membership.
In my next post (Part: 2) I will reveal my step by step strategies on how I use Freshdrop, along with a combination of other free tools to uncover profitable expired domain names. It will be a large and informative post packed full of information – so keep a look out!
Fox Marketer
