Expired Domain Evaluation Checklist: 12 Metrics for 2026
Expired Domain Evaluation Checklist: 12 Metrics for 2026
Every expired domain purchase reduces to the same 12 data points. This checklist covers all of them in order of importance, with the thresholds that distinguish deployable domains from ones requiring more investigation or a hard reject.
DR and Referring Domains
DR ≥ 30 for tier 2, DR ≥ 40 for tier 1. Check both DR and referring domain count together — DR 45 with only 8 referring domains means concentrated link equity that evaporates if one source removes the link.
Healthy profile: DR 40, RD 30+. Check the referring domains trend chart in Ahrefs for the past 2–3 years. Flat or gradual growth is natural. A sudden spike indicates manipulation.
Trust Flow and Topical Trust Flow
TF ≥ 15 minimum. Open Majestic Site Explorer → Trust Flow → Topical Trust Flow tab. Top-2 categories should align with your deployment niche. Mixed or irrelevant category distributions dilute equity transfer.
Anchor Text History
In Ahrefs Anchors tab: no single exact-match anchor should exceed 40% of the full profile. Anchors to investigate immediately: pharmaceutical keywords, payday loan terms, adult content anchors, or mass foreign-language keyword anchors.
Good signs: branded anchors, URL anchors, and topically natural anchor phrases as the dominant types.
Wayback Machine History
The domain should show a real site with regular snapshots for at least 2 years. No content gaps over 12 months. Content should match the historical niche. Red flag: sudden content change across multiple snapshots suggests the domain was sold multiple times and likely abused.
Spam Score
Moz Spam Score: < 5% acceptable, 5–10% requires investigation, > 10% is a hard reject. Check at Moz Link Explorer or through SpamZilla.
Index Status
Run site:domain.com in Google. The domain should return indexed pages. A completely de-indexed domain means Google has taken action against it. Do not purchase a de-indexed domain without understanding the cause.
Outbound Link Profile
In Ahrefs Linked Domains: review what the domain currently links to. Heavy outbound links to spam directories, adult sites, or unrelated foreign-language content indicates the domain may be currently used as a link-passing intermediary.
Language and Geo History
Check Wayback content language and the geographic distribution of inbound links. A domain with 80%+ links from sources outside your target market will not produce strong authority for that market.
Brand Risk
Search the domain name in Google. Check for trademark associations, negative news coverage, or brand associations that could create confusion. Generic descriptive domains carry minimal brand risk.
Link Velocity
In Ahrefs: referring domains chart over 12 months. Flat or slight natural decay is normal for an aged domain no longer building links. A loss of 50%+ of referring domains in the past 12 months indicates a link removal event — possibly from a prior manual action cleanup.
Price Fit
Fair market value: DR 35–40 in a competitive niche: $300–$700. DR 40–50: $600–$1,500. DR 50+: $1,200–$3,000+. Any domain priced above these benchmarks requires extraordinary TF alignment and topical fit.
Deployment Fit
The domain's historical topic must be compatible with the planned PBN site content. A former sports review site rebuilt as a sports PBN achieves strong topical alignment. A former technology site rebuilt for a sports campaign carries weak topical TF transfer.