How to Vet Domains for Quality

What is Domain Vetting?

Domain vetting is the comprehensive process of analyzing and evaluating a domain before purchase to ensure it's safe, valuable, and suitable for your SEO goals.

Buying a domain without proper vetting is like buying a car without checking its history - you might end up with hidden problems that cost you time and money. Domain vetting helps you avoid penalties, spam issues, and wasted investments by thoroughly analyzing a domain's metrics, history, and backlink profile.

At Brutal Domains, we understand the importance of thorough domain vetting. Every domain we source and sell goes through our comprehensive vetting process, checking Domain Rating, referring domains, backlink profile quality, penalty status, and domain history before listing in our marketplace.

Why Domain Vetting Matters

Proper domain vetting is essential because:

• Avoid penalties: Domains with Google penalties can harm your SEO efforts
• Prevent spam issues: Domains with spam history can be flagged by search engines
• Ensure value: Verify the domain actually has the Domain Rating and referring domains you expect
• Protect investment: Ensure you're getting value for your money
• Maintain reputation: Avoid associating your brand with domains that have negative history

Step-by-Step Vetting Process

Follow this comprehensive vetting process before purchasing any domain:

Step 1: Check Domain Metrics

• Domain Rating (DR): Verify the DR score is accurate and meaningful (aim for DR 20+). Cross-reference DR across multiple tools - Ahrefs, Moz, and SEMrush should show similar authority levels. A domain with DR 30+ in Ahrefs but DA 5 in Moz may indicate inflated metrics. For SEO value, prioritize DR 20+ domains; for competitive niches, aim for DR 40+.
• Referring Domains (RD): Check the number and quality of referring domains. Calculate the average DR of referring domains - healthy domains have an average referring domain DR of 25-35. If the average is below 15, the domain likely has too many low-quality links. Also check for diversity - avoid domains where 30%+ of links come from just 5-10 domains.
• Traffic: If available, check historical traffic data. Use SimilarWeb or Ahrefs to see if the domain had consistent organic traffic. Domains with steady traffic history (even if low) are often safer than domains with zero historical traffic. Sudden traffic drops can indicate penalties or issues.
• Domain age: Verify registration date and history. Domains registered 5+ years ago are generally safer. Check for registration gaps - domains that expired and were re-registered may have lost their authority. Use Whois history tools to see ownership changes, as frequent transfers can be a red flag.
• Organic keywords: Check if the domain ranks for any keywords. A domain ranking for 100+ keywords (even low-volume) shows it has some authority. Domains with zero keyword rankings despite high DR may have artificial metrics or penalties.

Step 2: Analyze Backlink Profile

Thoroughly review the domain's backlink profile using these specific checks:

• Quality of backlinks: Check if backlinks come from reputable sources. Export the backlink profile and calculate: (1) Average DR of referring domains (target: 25-35), (2) Percentage of links from DR 40+ domains (target: 20-30%), (3) Link distribution - avoid domains where top 5 referring domains provide 40%+ of links. A healthy profile shows diverse, quality sources.
• Authority links: Identify links from high-DR domains. Count links from DR 50+ domains - these are your most valuable assets. A domain with 10-20 authority links from DR 50+ sites is often more valuable than one with 200 links from DR 10-20 sites. Check if these authority links are still active and pointing to the domain.
• Toxic links: Look for spam, PBN, or low-quality backlinks. Use Ahrefs' toxic backlink score - domains with scores above 60% should be avoided. Check for links from known PBNs, link farms, or spam directories. A healthy domain should have less than 10% toxic links. If toxic links exceed 20%, the domain is risky.
• Link diversity: Ensure diverse referring domains. Check for natural distribution: 60-70% editorial/content links, 15-20% directory/resource links, 10-15% social/sharing links. Avoid domains with 50%+ directory links or 30%+ comment links, as these signal manipulation. Also check industry diversity - links from 5+ different industries are healthier than links from just 1-2 industries.
• Anchor text: Check for over-optimized or spammy anchor text. Healthy anchor text distribution: 40-50% brand/URL, 30-40% generic, 10-20% partial match, less than 5% exact match. If exact-match anchors exceed 10%, the domain risks over-optimization penalties. Also check for foreign language anchors or irrelevant keywords, which can indicate spam.
• Link velocity: Check how quickly links were acquired. Sudden spikes (100+ links in a month) can indicate link buying or manipulation. Natural link growth is gradual - expect 10-30 new referring domains per month for established sites. Use Ahrefs' backlink history to see link acquisition patterns over time.

Step 3: Check for Penalties

Verify the domain hasn't been penalized using these specific checks:

• Google Search Console: Check if the domain has manual penalties. If you have access, review the Manual Actions report. Manual penalties are rare (affect less than 0.1% of sites) but severe - they require removal requests. Algorithmic penalties are more common and harder to detect - look for sudden ranking drops in Google's algorithm update history.
• Search rankings: See if the domain ranks for its brand name. Search "[domain.com]" in Google - if it doesn't appear in the top 10, that's a red flag. Also search the domain name without TLD. A penalized domain typically won't rank for its own brand name, even with exact-match searches.
• Index status: Verify pages are indexed in Google. Use "site:domain.com" search - a healthy domain should have multiple pages indexed. If only the homepage is indexed or zero pages are indexed, the domain may be penalized or sandboxed. Expect 10-100+ indexed pages for established domains.
• Sandbox indicators: Check for signs of being in Google's sandbox. New domains (under 6 months) may be in a sandbox period where they rank poorly regardless of quality. However, aged domains shouldn't be sandboxed. If an aged domain has zero rankings despite good metrics, it may have issues.
• Algorithm update correlation: Check if the domain lost rankings during known Google algorithm updates. Use tools like SEMrush's Position History to see ranking changes. If rankings dropped 50%+ during a specific update (like Penguin, Panda, or Core Updates), the domain may have been penalized for that update's focus (e.g., low-quality links, thin content).
• Traffic history: Review historical traffic data if available. Sudden traffic drops of 50%+ that don't recover within 3-6 months often indicate penalties. Use SimilarWeb or Ahrefs to check traffic trends over the past 12-24 months.

Step 4: Review Domain History

Investigate the domain's past:

• Previous content: Use Wayback Machine to see previous website content
• Ownership history: Check who previously owned the domain
• Content quality: Ensure previous content wasn't spam or low-quality
• Brand associations: Check if domain was associated with negative brands

Step 5: Verify Current Status

Check the domain's current state:

• Active backlinks: Verify backlinks are still active and pointing to the domain
• Current content: Check what's currently on the domain
• Expired status: If expired domain, verify expiration details
• Transfer readiness: Ensure domain can be transferred smoothly

Red Flags to Avoid

Watch out for these warning signs that indicate a risky domain:

• Google penalties: Manual or algorithmic penalties from search engines. Signs include: domain doesn't rank for its brand name, zero indexed pages, sudden traffic drops of 50%+ that don't recover, or manual action notifications in Search Console. Penalized domains can take 6-12 months to recover, if at all.
• Spam backlinks: Majority of backlinks from spam or low-quality sites. Red flags: 30%+ of links from DR 0-10 domains, links from known PBNs or link farms, 50%+ directory links, or links from unrelated niches (adult, gambling, etc.). A healthy domain should have less than 10% spam links.
• Toxic referring domains: Links from penalized or spam domains. Use Ahrefs' toxic backlink score - domains with scores above 60% are risky. Check if referring domains themselves have penalties by searching "site:referringdomain.com" - if they have zero indexed pages, they're likely penalized and passing negative signals.
• Suspicious history: Previous use for spam, adult content, or illegal activities. Use Wayback Machine to check historical content. Domains previously used for spam, adult content, or black hat SEO can retain negative associations even after content changes. Check the past 2-3 years of content history.
• Over-optimization: Excessive exact-match anchor text or keyword stuffing. If exact-match anchor text exceeds 10% of total anchors, the domain risks over-optimization penalties. Also watch for unnatural patterns like 50+ links with identical anchor text, which signals manipulation.
• Low Domain Rating: DR below 10 with no quality backlinks. While low DR isn't always bad, domains with DR below 10 and no authority links (DR 40+) have minimal SEO value. For meaningful impact, prioritize DR 20+ domains, or DR 15+ with at least 5-10 authority links.
• Link velocity spikes: Sudden acquisition of 100+ links in a month can trigger spam filters. Natural link growth is gradual - expect 10-30 new referring domains per month. Use Ahrefs' backlink history to identify unnatural spikes that may indicate link buying or manipulation.

Quality Indicators

Look for these positive signs:

• High Domain Rating: DR 20+ for meaningful SEO value
• Diverse backlinks: Quality referring domains from various sources
• Authority links: Links from high-DR, trusted domains
• Clean history: No penalties, spam, or negative associations
• Relevant backlinks: Backlinks from domains in your niche or related industries
• Natural anchor text: Diverse, natural anchor text distribution

Tools for Domain Vetting

Use these tools to thoroughly vet domains:

• Ahrefs: Check DR, RD, and backlink profile
• Google Search Console: Check for penalties and index status
• Wayback Machine: Review historical content and usage
• Whois databases: Check registration history and ownership
• Google Search: Search for the domain to see current status