Purchasing a high Domain Rating domain for a 301 redirect

Question

I'm considering purchasing a domain that has a high Domain Rating (78) by ahrefs (https://ahrefs.com/website-authority-checker)

The domain is a good domain in terms of not just its domain rating but also its name. It's short, and has good keywords in it.

The domain was owned by a company which does essentially what my company does. The competitor's company went out of business a few months ago.They were a much larger and much more successful company than mine at this point. I'm just starting out with sales.

I am considering purchasing the domain but it is quite expensive. If I were to purchase the domain, I would want to make sure I could turn the positive aspects of this domain into something positive for my business.

My intention was to do a 301 redirect, but I'm not sure how that will help me. I don't want to assume the other company's name, I just want to point potential visitors to MY company's domain and also am hoping to catch a bump in authority or rating myself. That said, I'm not sure that is how that works.

Is it possible to do what I mentioned above and have it be of significant value to my company?

Do you have any other suggestions or alternative angles to best benefit from the purchase of a domain like I've described above.

Answer 1

redirecting an hold domain doesn't work everytime. It sometimes work if the topical of the 2websites are closed. If not google may detect it and your redirection won't send any authority. (It will appear in tools like ahrefs but ahrefs is not what google credit in real life)

My advice is to create a website on this domain and insert on the home page a link to your website. So you'll be sure to recover the power of this domain.

You should also take care of the legal part of using this name if it's recorded in any brand registrar (copyright for example)

PS: if you want to know more about this kind of seo tricks : look at expired domain information on web.

Answer 2

The domain was owned by a company which does essentially what my company does.

The competitor's company went out of business a few months ago.They were a much larger and much more successful company than mine at this point. I'm just starting out with sales.

So does that mean that the domain was picked up by a another party unrelated to the previous owner, or that it is for sale by the company owners, or part of a liquidation process perhaps ?

I am considering purchasing the domain but it is quite expensive.

Personally I would consider the legal risk (UDRP, ACPA or otherwise) if the domain name is not "generic", but say a brand name of some sort. Exploiting domain names previously owned by a competitor might be construed as bad faith in some circumstances.

Sure, the company may no longer exists but that doesn't mean nobody could go after you. Trademarks and derived rights are IP assets that can be transferred to another entity, as would happen in a merger or liquidation, so they do not necessarily go extinct along with the original company.

That's why I am wondering who is selling it and what is the history behind it. If you are going to part with a big chunk of money, then maybe I would consult with a lawyer, but an IP lawyer who actually understands this stuff. For example one who has experience defending UDRP cases.

I don't know what you call expensive, for some people paying more than $20 for a domain name is expensive, but good domains are routinely selling for 4-figures amounts and much more. However, there is no guarantee that you will make up your investment through increased sales. I would ask for traffic stats from the seller. That could help decision but still does not guarantee success.

Disclaimer: this is not qualified legal advice.