Learn About Domain Metrics & SEO

Getting Started

Learn the fundamentals of domain metrics and SEO basics

What is Domain Rating (DR)?

Learn everything about Ahrefs Domain Rating (DR) - how it works, why it matters, and how to use it for SEO.

What are Referring Domains (RD)?

Understanding Referring Domains (RD) and how they impact your domain's authority and SEO performance.

Domain Authority vs Domain Rating

Understanding the differences between Domain Authority (DA) and Domain Rating (DR) - which to trust and when.

Does Domain Age Matter for SEO?

Understanding how domain age affects search engine rankings and domain authority.

Domain Metrics Tools Comparison

Compare the best domain metrics tools - Ahrefs vs Moz vs SEMrush, free alternatives, and which tools to use for domain analysis.

Domain Metrics Decay: What Happens Over Time

Understanding how domain metrics change over time, link loss impact, and how to maintain domain authority.

Domain Registration Best Practices

Best practices for domain registration - privacy protection, security, registrar selection, DNS setup, and domain management.

What is URL Rating (UR)?

Learn what Ahrefs URL Rating (UR) is, how it differs from Domain Rating (DR), and how to use UR to evaluate individual pages and links.

Trust Flow & Citation Flow (Majestic) Explained

Understand Majestic's Trust Flow (TF) and Citation Flow (CF) metrics, how they differ from Ahrefs DR, and how to read the TF/CF ratio when evaluating domains.

What is Domain Traffic & Traffic Value?

Learn what organic traffic and traffic value mean, how tools estimate them, and how to use these metrics as buying signals when evaluating a domain.

Do TLDs Matter for SEO? (.com vs .net vs ccTLDs)

How top-level domains affect SEO and trust - .com vs .net vs .org, country-code TLDs (ccTLDs), and new gTLDs, plus when the TLD actually matters.

DoFollow vs NoFollow Links Explained

The difference between dofollow and nofollow links, how each affects SEO and link equity, and what a healthy dofollow/nofollow ratio looks like.

Coming Jul 13

Anchor Text Explained: Ratios & Over-Optimization

What anchor text is, the main anchor types, healthy anchor ratios, and how over-optimized anchor text becomes a red flag when buying aged domains.

Coming Jul 14

Domain & SEO Glossary: Key Terms Explained

A plain-English glossary of the domain and SEO terms every buyer should know - DR, RD, TF/CF, PBN, link equity, anchor text, and more.

Domain Evaluation

Master the art of evaluating and analyzing domains before purchase

What are Expired Domains?

Complete guide to expired domains - what they are, how to find them, and their SEO value.

How to Vet Domains for Quality

Step-by-step guide to vetting domains for quality, penalties, and SEO value before purchase.

Domain Penalties: Detection and Recovery

Complete guide to domain penalties - how to detect them, types of penalties, and how to recover.

Understanding Backlink Profiles

Learn how to analyze backlink profiles, identify quality links, and avoid toxic backlinks.

What are Authority Links?

Learn about authority links, how they differ from regular backlinks, and their role in SEO.

Domain Valuation: What Makes Domains Valuable

Complete guide to domain valuation - factors that determine domain value, pricing strategies, and how to evaluate domain worth.

Domain History: How to Check and Interpret

Learn how to check domain history using Wayback Machine, interpret ownership records, and identify red flags in domain history.

Domain Spam Score and Toxic Links

Understanding domain spam score, identifying toxic backlinks, and how to clean up spam indicators from your domain.

Domain Buying Guide: Complete Buyer's Checklist

Complete checklist for buying domains - what to check before purchase, red flags to avoid, and post-purchase steps.

Niche Relevance in Domain Selection

Why niche relevance matters when selecting domains, how to match domains to your project, and topical relevance for SEO.

Domain Auctions: How They Work (GoDaddy, NameJet & More)

Complete guide to domain auctions - how GoDaddy Auctions, NameJet, and SnapNames work, backorder process, bidding strategies, and where to buy expired domains.

Expired vs Dropped vs Backorder: Domain Terminology Explained

Clear guide to expired domains, dropped domains, and backorder—what each term means, how the lifecycle works, and where to buy each type.

Disavow File: When and How to Use It

When to use Google's Disavow Tool after buying an aged domain, how to identify toxic backlinks, and step-by-step disavow file creation and submission.

Coming Jul 15

How to Check if a Domain is Deindexed or Banned by Google

The most important pre-purchase check - how to tell if a domain is deindexed or banned by Google, the methods to verify it, and what to do if it is.

Coming Jul 16

Trademark & Legal Risks When Buying Expired Domains

How to avoid trademark and legal trouble when buying expired or brandable domains - UDRP, cybersquatting, and how to check a name before you buy.

Coming Jul 17

Domain Blacklist Check: Spamhaus & Email Blacklists

How to check whether a domain is on Spamhaus or email blacklists before you buy, why it matters for email and outreach, and how to request delisting.

Coming Jul 18

How to Estimate an Expired Domain's Traffic Potential

Turn metrics into ROI - how to estimate the real traffic and ranking potential of an expired domain using historical data, keywords, and backlinks.

Coming Jul 19

How to Spot a Manipulated or Spammy Domain

Red flags of an artificially inflated domain - unnatural link velocity, anchor over-optimization, and fake metrics - and how to tell real authority from manipulation.

Coming Jul 25

How to Buy Domains with Crypto

A guide to buying domains with cryptocurrency - how crypto payments work, which coins are accepted, privacy benefits, and what to expect at checkout.

Coming Jul 26

Where to Buy Expired Domains: Marketplace vs Auction vs Broker

Compare the ways to buy expired domains - marketplaces, auctions, backorders, and brokers - with the pros, cons, and costs of each.

Coming Jul 27

Best Places to Buy Aged Domains (Comparison)

A comparison of the best places to buy aged domains - marketplaces and auction sites - covering inventory, vetting, pricing, and buyer protection.

Advanced Strategies

Advanced techniques for using domains to boost your SEO

What is Link Equity (Link Juice)?

Complete guide to link equity - how it works, why it matters, and how to build link equity for better SEO.

301 Redirects for Domain Authority

How 301 redirects pass domain authority, best practices, and how to use redirects effectively for SEO.

Domain Transfer Process Explained

Complete guide to domain transfers - how long they take, what to expect, and how to ensure smooth transfers.

PBN Domains Explained

What are PBN domains, how private blog networks work, best practices, and when to use PBN domains.

Domain Investment: Building a Domain Portfolio

Strategies for building a domain portfolio, diversification, ROI considerations, and long-term domain investment.

Domain Selling Guide: How to Sell Domains Effectively

Complete guide to selling domains - pricing strategies, listing optimization, negotiation tips, and choosing the right marketplace.

How to Use Expired Domains: Rebuild vs Redirect vs PBN

Decision framework for using expired domains - when to rebuild content, when to 301 redirect, and when to use as a PBN. Practical guide for buyers.

Site Migration: Moving to a New Domain Without Losing SEO

Step-by-step guide to migrating your site to a new domain - 301 redirects, timing, Google Search Console, and how to preserve rankings and link equity.

Money Site vs PBN: When to Use a Domain Where

Decision guide: when to use a domain as your main money site versus as a PBN property. Factors, trade-offs, and how to choose based on DR, niche, and goals.

Coming Jul 20

301 vs 302 Redirects: Which to Use for SEO

The difference between 301 and 302 redirects, how each affects link equity and rankings, and which to use when pointing an aged domain at your site.

Coming Jul 21

Using Aged Domains for Cold Email & Deliverability

Why aged domains can help cold email deliverability, the risks of prior spam history, and how to vet and warm up a domain before sending.

Coming Jul 22

Drop Catching Explained: How to Catch Dropped Domains

How drop catching works, why dropped domains are hard to grab, the services that catch them, and how it compares to buying from a marketplace.

Coming Jul 23

Domain Flipping: Buying Domains to Resell

How domain flipping works as a business - sourcing undervalued domains, adding value, pricing, and where to resell for a profit.

Coming Jul 24

Escrow & Safe Domain Transactions

How domain escrow protects both buyer and seller, when to use it, how the process works, and how to avoid common domain-transaction scams.