The term “dropped domains” is used a lot in domain investing circles. But what does it mean and how can you use them in your domain strategy? Read on to find out!
A dropped domain is a domain that has expired, been returned to the registry, and then released back to the public for registration. Dropped domains are typically purchased by new owners through the backorder process.
Dropped domain and expired domain are not interchangeable terms, though they are similar. When a domain registration expires, the owner doesn’t lose it right away. “Expired domain” could refer to a domain at any stage in this timeline. “Dropped domain” only refers to a domain at the end of the process.
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Days After Expiration |
Domain Name Status |
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1 - 29 |
The day a domain expires, it enters the Expired Renewal Grace Period. During this time, the owner can still renew the domain. The length of the grace period varies depending on the domain registrar but at Sav it lasts 30 days. |
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30 - 43 |
The next step when Expired Renewal Grace Period ends is a 10-day expired auction. |
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44 - 74 |
If the domain doesn’t sell at auction, it will be deleted, returned to its registry, and will automatically enter the Redemption Period. During this time, the previous owner can redeem the domain for a fee. |
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74 - 79 |
If the previous owner doesn’t redeem the domain within the Redemption Period, it will be labeled Pending Delete on Day 74. |
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79 + |
On day 79 or later depending on the TLD, the following may occur:
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Backordering domains is often associated with people who have a dream domain for their website that has been taken by someone else. That’s not the only reason someone might opt for a dropped domain name over a new domain registration. Whether you’re a site builder, a domain investor, or both you can benefit from buying dropped domain names in ways like these.
Establishing yourself as an authority online as a new website is hard. Using a domain that has popular, relevant keywords in it and a history of bringing traffic can give you a search engine optimization boost right off the bat that you wouldn’t get by registering a new domain.
Dropped domains are perfect for making passive income through cash parking. Cash parking is placing advertisements on parked domain names to earn passive income from the ad revenue.
Domain parking services choose advertisements based on words in the domain name or traffic that it’s drawn in the past. The more traffic it’s had in the past and the better the SEO profile, the higher your earning potential. This is an example from Sedo's website:
This SEO boost from dropped domains is also helpful for affiliate marketers. Redirecting a dropped domain with a traffic history to a relevant affiliate site can boost your earnings like you’ve never seen before.
Dropped domains are usually less expensive than domains purchased from other methods. This makes them great material for domain flipping.
Domain name valuation may seem arbitrary to some, but there are factors that contribute to their value, including:
Older domains are often more valuable than newer domains. This isn’t a hard and fast rule, but if a domain has been around for a long time and is still in use, that’s often for a reason.
The shorter the domain, the higher the value. Three letter domains are especially sought after. Domains with just letters are also much more valuable than ones with numbers and punctuation. Both of these traits make domains easier to remember.
The same SLD registered with multiple TLDs is a sign that it’s an in-demand domain. Lots of people buy matching sets like this, either for investment portfolios or to redirect to their main site and get more traffic. This is good news if you plan on selling the domain later on.
Domains that match popular search terms are valuable because they get a lot of traffic. This is helpful whether you plan to build a website on it, sell it, or use it for cash parking.
When you look into a domain’s history, what exactly are you looking for? These are the metrics that tell you if you’ve found a high quality domain.
First, check if the domain has ever been used for spam. You can check this on The Wayback Machine, Ahrefs, or Majestic SEO. Here are a few signs of previous spammy use:
Backlinks from reputable sources are an important search engine ranking ingredient. Any SEO research tool can tell you how many backlinks a domain has and how reputable the sources are. Trust flow measures the quality of backlinks. The higher the trust flow score, the better. You can check this metric on Majestic SEO.
Do a Google search on the domain to see if it’s indexed by them. If something comes up, it’s probably indexed. That’s a good sign for future traffic.
Checking if there are any trademarks on a dropped domain before you backorder it will save you legal trouble later on if it turns out that the domain has a trademark on it. Search the US Trademark Database to find out.
A higher domain authority and page authority will help you rank better in search engines. You can check these on many SEO research tools including Moz and Ahrefs.
Finding dropped domains to purchase takes a little more work than using your registrar’s domain search bar. Whether you have a specific domain in mind or are just browsing, these techniques will help you find and buy expired domain names.
Performing a WHOIS lookup is the quickest and easiest way to find out if a specific domain is expired or will expire soon. The first thing to look for is the Registry Expiration Date. Add 79 days to that date to find an approximate drop date.
Next, look at the Domain Status. The one you want to see if you’re hoping to snag the domain is pendingDelete. That means that the domain can no longer be redeemed by the previous owner and it should be released within 5 days, give or take.
Most registrars that offer domain backordering services have a list of all of the domains they will attempt to catch when they’re released from their registries. This is called a Pending Delete Domains list or a Drop List. These lists are updated daily from official registry lists.
It helps to have some idea of what you’re looking for when you browse a Pending Delete list since thousands of domain names expire every day. That could be specific TLDs, length, specific keywords, or anything else you can see in the domain name itself. If you want to really narrow down your search. ExpiredDomains.net is a great place to go. They collect domain auction lists and offer a wide variety of search filters.
When a registrar catches a backorder, one of three things could happen next:
If you’re the only person who backordered this domain, you will receive the domain. If multiple people did, an auction will start. You can view public dropped domain auctions by navigating to the Auctions tab and selecting "Dropped" from the dropdown menu labeled Type.
Once you’ve found the dropped domains you have your eye on, it’s time to backorder them. A backorder is the process of attempting to register a dropped domain name as your own. Backorder and drop catch are used interchangeably.
Backordering a domain has two parts: placing the request and catching it. The first part is done by you, the second part is done by the backorder service provider.
Follow these step by step instructions to place a backorder with Sav. The process is similar on other registrars and backorder services as well, but some details may vary.
When a registrar catches a backorder, one of three things could happen next:
If you’re the only person who backordered this domain, you will receive the domain. If multiple people did, an auction will start.
Sav catches backorders with the best of them. But no matter who catches your domains, you can always transfer them here to take advantage of our low renewal fees, free SSL, world-class website builder, and other great features. Create an account today to find out how.