Aged Domains: A Digital Asset That Can Kickstart Your Startup

Starting a business is an exciting yet challenging endeavor. Rolling out products and services, managing employees, and optimizing your brand are just a few of the many jobs you'll have as you take your company from "barely there" to "everywhere".

Aged Domains: A Business Hack To Consider

Digital aspects of your business start with a quality website. What good is a website, though, that your customers can't find? Many startup owners make the unfortunate mistake of choosing a low-budget domain name to keep costs low, failing to realize that the invisibility of their new web home just may be the final nail in the startup coffin. Between constantly trying to build credibility, building backlinks, and getting search engines to recognize you, you may find yourself dropping the ball in other areas that will ultimately cost you your dream.

What is an aged domain?

An aged domain is a previously used website address that has either established credibility with search engines or accumulated backlinks that make them visible to potential customers. At times, these domain names are floating out in cyberspace because a business went bust or the owner simply abandoned it. Beware of purchasing domains with this status, as you may find yourself running from vendors and creditors that are looking for a piece of the action after being wronged by a previous owner.

Buying an aged domain, while more expensive than a lesser-known combination of words and symbols, could potentially save you thousands as you attract more customers to your site while saving valuable time and money on marketing and link building.

Benefits of buying an aged domain

Your time and energy are best spent elsewhere; the benefits of buying an aged domain will get you to the next level of growth and success as you implement additional strategies for attracting and retaining customers.

Here are a few more reasons to consider spending a little more on an aged domain:

1. Aged domains have links

SEO is the name of the game when it comes to internet visibility. Being listed on the first few pages of search engines is an important part of being found by potential customers. Backlinks play an important role in ranking well in search engines.

Aged domains typically acquired quite a few natural backlinks over the span of their history. These links will help immensely in ranking well for relevant keywords in big search engines like Google.

You may find an aged domain with authority links from big outlets such as The Guardian, BBC, Wikipedia, etc. which all help to add 'authority' to the domain and make ranking your site quite a bit easier.

In addition, the inherent 'trust' factor of an aged domain can't be overlooked.

Old domains have likely been active for quite some time, so they have a history of being used for a real brand and website. Google loves this.

All of this groundwork has already been laid; all you need to do is establish ownership and kickstart your marketing efforts into high gear.

2. Aged domains get referral traffic

An aged domain can often provide you with referring traffic from other sites that have links built to the domain; these are valuable sources of traffic should you choose to continue using them.

This is a great way to get some incoming traffic to your website right from the start. Obviously, you want to analyze the links that are pointed to the domain to see if they are actually of value and can provide some passive traffic.

Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/shr_Xn8S8QU

3. Aged domains tend to be more concise

We all gravitate toward websites that have brief, catchy presentations. Purchasing an aged domain can ensure that you can capitalize on brief and catchy, rather than being subjected to long and lengthy new domains that struggle to remain relevant.

4. Aged domains can target sub-niches

Purchasing an aged domain that directly targets a sub-group of customers can provide you with additional sources of revenue. If you run an auto repair shop, for instance, you may consider adding an aged domain that directly targets specialized services such as brakes, tire rotations, or diagnostic testing that will bring new clients through your doors.

5. Aged domains establish credibility

Choosing a new domain does little for establishing yourself as a formidable presence in your industry. An aged domain, however, provides you with established authority with both clients and search engines, giving you an edge over your competitors that will put your products and services in front of people who are already looking for them.

Choosing the right domain for your business

A domain name will soon be a lifeline for your business; consider these points as you purchase one that will integrate with your brand and make your business visible to millions of potential customers.

Go for your niche

Regardless of your product or service, a domain name must relate in some way to what you are offering. As your audience looks for you, they'll use keywords that Google will recognize as it steers traffic directly to your site.

Do some research on domain success

Using tools like Ahrefs or Semrush, you'll be able to see what kind of ranking and traffic was attributed to the website when it was active. You can also analyze the link profile of the domain to ensure that you are getting the most bang for your buck as you blend the domain with your brand.

Make sure it assimilates with your brand

A domain that doesn't easily assimilate and integrate with the brand you've worked so hard to build will be positively worthless in the long run. Your business brand is the face of your company, while your website is a digital address that they visit to learn more about the brand that intrigues them. Aspects of your brand name should be present in your purchased domain to ensure that you present a thoughtful, well-integrated package to your customer.

Where to get aged domains

The best way to get an aged domain is at so-called domain auctions. These are held by big domain registrars, such as GoDaddy, and allow users to bid on certain domain names.

In addition, there are certain marketplaces that already did the due diligence and analyzed the domains in detail to gauge their authority. A quick Google search will give you quite a few vendors that may be worth checking out for aged domains, for example, The Domain Works.

Thoughtful planning, long-term success

Building your business is building your future. Careful consideration, planning, and execution of your brand and domain will be an integral part of your future success. Do your research, integrate your brand, and look forward to the consistent gains you'll see as a result of purchasing an aged domain to improve visibility faster and more efficiently.

(Devdiscourse's journalists were not involved in the production of this article. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of Devdiscourse and Devdiscourse does not claim any responsibility for the same.)