When it comes to OffPage SEOand link building, you can use the link profile of another domain to increase and strengthen the link and domain popularity of your own website using 301 redirects.
The domain popularity is a strongly weighted factor among the Google Ranking Factors.
301 Redirections do not have a high damping factor
According to a statement by Matt Cutts, head of Google’s webspam team, there is no difference in the damping factor between a link and a redirect with the a HTTP-Status Code 301 (Moved Permanently). This makes using 301 redirects a good choice.
- The video interview with Matt Cutts on the subject can be found right here: What percentage of PageRank is lost through a 301 redirect?
Strengthening your own backlink profile
If you adhere to some important measures and prerequisites, you can use the backlinks of an existing domain to strengthen the backlink profile of your own website.
In order for you to make an informed decision, you should run a detailed evaluation of the link profile of the domain to want to buy:
- Does the link profile meet your own expectations and quality standards?
- Is the domain and its content relevant to the topic of your website?
- Are the backlinks of the domain also relevant for the topic or your website and are they “valuable” links for the target site (your website)?
- Is the domain popularity at an acceptable (high) level?
- How about the nofollow-ratio?
We have put together a number of comprehensive tutorials on how you can identify inferior links of a domain, as well as an unnatural link-profile, using the SISTRIX Toolbox:
- Tips for detecting a natural link profile
- Finding Poor Links Through Filters
- Can my website be punished by the Google Penguin Update? Do I have an unnatural link profile?
Information on link building with expired domains
This approach should not and must not be your only method of link building. You should also work deliberately and with the necessary sensitivity. Always keep in mind that the motto of sustainability is “quality before quantity”.
In addition to that, it is not guaranteed that the existing links of the purchased domain will remain active after being redirected to your own website. If a webmaster notices that the content to which they linked suddenly redirects to different content on another domain, they may simply remove the link. This case would apply for example, when the new content does not meet the quality standards of the link provider.
Analyzing the link profile of a domain
Use SISTRIX LinkRating to automatically run a risk-evaluation of your domain’s backlink profile. Use this risk-analysis to decide on whether it is worth redirecting this domain to your own.
