How To Find Expired Domains With Ahrefs ?

Finding expired domains is a powerful strategy for building backlinks, improving SEO, and launching new websites with authority. Ahrefs, one of the most trusted SEO tools, makes it possible to discover high-quality expired domains that still hold SEO value.

If you’ve asked, “How to find expired domains with Ahrefs?”, this guide will walk you through everything step by step, including strategies, metrics to look for, and practical tips to avoid low-quality domains.

What Are Expired Domains?

An expired domain is a domain name that was previously registered but has not been renewed by its owner. Once the registration period ends, the domain becomes available for purchase again.

Why Expired Domains Are Valuable:

• Existing backlinks: They often retain links from other websites, which can boost SEO.
• Authority: Domains with a history of content can have high domain authority (DA) and trust flow.
• Branding opportunities: Short, memorable, or keyword-rich expired domains are easier to market.

Step 1: Access Ahrefs and Understand Its Tools

Ahrefs is a comprehensive SEO platform that includes:

• Site Explorer: Analyze backlinks and domain authority
• Domain Rating (DR): A score from 0–100 indicating domain strength
• Organic Traffic Reports: See estimated traffic for domains
• Backlink Profiles: Check referring domains and link quality

You’ll use Ahrefs Site Explorer and Backlink Checker primarily to evaluate expired domains.

Step 2: Identify Potential Expired Domains

Ahrefs does not directly list expired domains, but you can find them by:

1. Using a Drop List Provider
   • Services like ExpiredDomains.net or DomCop list domains that recently expired.
   • Export the list of domains and then use Ahrefs to analyze them.
2. Checking Competitor Domains
   • Identify competitor domains that are no longer active.
   • Enter them into Ahrefs to check backlink profiles and domain authority.
3. Manual Discovery
   • Look for domains with expired content or parked pages.
   • Check their history on Wayback Machine (archive.org).

Pro Tip: Focus on domains with a clean history and relevant niche links.

Step 3: Analyze Expired Domains Using Ahrefs

Once you have a list of potential expired domains, use Ahrefs to check key SEO metrics:

1. Domain Rating (DR)

• Indicates the overall strength of a domain’s backlink profile
• Prefer domains with DR 20+ for better SEO potential

2. Referring Domains (RD)

• Number of unique domains linking to the expired domain
• High-quality backlinks from authoritative sites are more valuable than a large number of spammy links

3. Organic Traffic

• Check estimated monthly traffic in Ahrefs
• Domains with existing traffic may indicate continued interest in content

4. Anchors and Link Quality

• Review anchor text to ensure backlinks are relevant
• Avoid domains with spammy or adult-oriented anchor text

5. Historical Overview

• Use Ahrefs Site Explorer → History to see backlink trends
• Ensure the domain wasn’t previously penalized or dropped suddenly

Step 4: Check for Spam and Penalties

Before purchasing:

1. Check Google Index
   • Search site:expired-domain.com
   • If few or no pages are indexed, investigate why
2. Look for Google penalties
   • Domains with unnatural link patterns may be penalized
3. Review Content History
   • Use Wayback Machine to see past website content
   • Avoid domains previously used for spam or adult content

Step 5: Filter by Niche Relevance

Expired domains in your niche are more effective for:

• Building niche authority websites
• Redirecting to your main site for SEO boost
• Launching new projects with an existing audience

Even if a domain has high DR, irrelevant content or backlinks may reduce its value.

Step 6: Purchase and Register the Expired Domain

Once you’ve identified a high-quality expired domain:

1. Purchase it from a domain registrar or auction platform
2. Set up DNS and hosting if building a new site
3. Optional: Redirect domain to your main site for link equity transfer

Tip: Avoid dropping domains too cheaply—invest in domains with real backlink authority.

Step 7: Monitor and Maintain SEO Value

After acquiring the domain:

• Build quality content relevant to previous backlinks
• Use Ahrefs Site Explorer to monitor backlinks and domain health
• Avoid spammy redirects that can trigger penalties
• Keep the domain renewed and avoid dropping it again

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake	Solution
Buying spammy domains	Always check backlink quality and anchor text
Ignoring niche relevance	Choose expired domains aligned with your niche or content
Overvaluing Domain Rating	Consider referring domains, organic traffic, and link quality too
Forgetting historical penalties	Check Google Index and Wayback Machine for prior issues
Not monitoring after purchase	Regularly use Ahrefs to track links and SEO metrics

Bonus Tip: Use Ahrefs Alerts

• Set Ahrefs Alerts for your newly acquired domain
• Monitor new backlinks, lost links, and keyword rankings
• This helps protect and maximize the SEO value of your expired domain

Conclusion

Finding expired domains with Ahrefs is strategic and data-driven, not random. By following these steps:

1. Gather potential expired domains from lists or competitor research
2. Analyze them in Ahrefs for Domain Rating, backlinks, and organic traffic
3. Filter out spammy or irrelevant domains
4. Purchase, register, and monitor your new domain carefully