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Last Update August 29, 2026
Expired domains are becoming more increasingly used for SEO, because you can do many things with these domains, such as building a private network of blogs or PBN. You can also use them as redirects to your money sites.
One of the main advantages of expired domains is that you really don’t have to do much to build them since they already have authority and inbound links to them. In the Post-Penguin era this is essential.
So pay close attention to this tutorial.
There are mainly 4 types of expired domains. Some are cheaper than others of course, but the truth is that the domain industry is quite large and there are always really good domains available at auctions for any budget.
We can buy expensive or cheap domains from different broker sites. At auctions some domains can go upward of$ 10,000.
Logically, these are very good domains, but these are irrelevant to most marketers. Most of the time, we look for great domains at a great price we can use to make PBN’s.
Below are the different types of domains and where you can buy them.
PRE-RELEASE
Whatever domain you end up with, the link profile is what carries the value. Dofollow and nofollow links covers what actually counts.
A domain tagged under “Pre Release” is when the owner does not renew before the date of expiration. These domains come into auction and the highest bidder takes it in case the owner does not renew.
Some characteristics of these domains:
- Quality: Normal / good / very good
- Cost: Very High
- How to buy: To purchase a domain that is “Pre Release” you must do it in a public auction.
These are the major auction sites are made public domains:
SnappNames
NameJet
Dynadot
Sedo
Afternic
PureVPN review
Goddady TDNAM
CLOSEOUT (DOMAINS IN LIQUIDATION)
A closeout domain name is a domain that is unsold at auction or pre-release. These domains are usually offered at a lower price than the original “Buy it Now”
- Quality: Normal / good
- Cost: High
- How to buy: This type of domains can only be achieved in a BIN dedicated service. As of today GoDaddy TDNAM is the only merchant that sells these domains.
PENDING DELETE
A domain enters this period after going through the grace renewal period. This is the period when it is scheduled for deletion.
- Quality: Normal / good
- Cost: High
- How to buy: This kind of domains can be purchased in any way after the record is deleted. But if you want to get ASAP, you can use some of these services:
NameJet
SnapNames
Pool
GoDaddy Auctions
DELETED DOMAINS
It is called a deleted domain, when it has already been deregistered. These domains are the cheapest of all and is hat you want to look for if you have a low budget.
To register you just have to pay the normal cost of a domain.
- Quality: Normal
- Cost: Very low (between $ 2 and $ 10)
- How to buy: To buy them, you can do it as if it were a normal domain. Just make sure it is free and that it has not already been registered by someone else. The most recommended domain registrars are these:
LWS.fr (domains to 0.99 Euros)
GoDaddy (25% off any purchase)
BigRock (Dominos with Indian fare, but very good)
Namecheap (domains at a good price)
What tactics do you use to find expired domains?
Expired domains are one route to authority. For the rest, see our guide to how to build backlinks.
Want done-for-you SEO? See our SEO management services.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is buying expired domains good for SEO?
Buying expired domains can be good for SEO, and it carries real risk. A domain with genuine topical links can be redirected or rebuilt to inherit some authority.
Many expired domains have spam histories, manual actions, or links that no longer exist. Check the backlink profile and the archived content before buying, because most cheap expired domains are cheap for a reason.
How do you evaluate an expired domain?
Look at the referring domains and whether they are relevant and real, check the Wayback Machine to see what the site used to be, and confirm the links pointing at it still exist. A domain that changed topic several times or ran a link scheme is not worth having.
Authority metrics alone tell you almost nothing.
Is redirecting an expired domain risky?
Redirecting an unrelated expired domain to your site is treated as a link scheme and can trigger a manual action. Where the topics genuinely match and the links are legitimate, a redirect is defensible.
Where they do not, the risk outweighs the benefit, and rebuilding the domain as a real site is the safer route.
