Buying a domain

[CaffinePhil]

I'm looking for a few pointers when buying domains. I've been looking at buying aged domains with page rank if possible. I have heard that aged domains do better in search engines so that is the main reason why.

I have also noticed that you can get a .com domain for under $5, that still has almost a year left on it. This seems strange to me as it costs $10 to register one? Do some people get them for next to nothing?

Anyway, what I am looking for is a way to check whether a domain has a bad history. Bans, Blacklisted, Fake Page Rank - anything like that.

Can anyone advise?

[Bloggeries]

Buy an older domain if you can. Less chance of being "sandboxed". That's the major benefit in my opinion. Flip side is if one is free and you really want it go for it just be patient.

[CaffinePhil]

Does anyone know if DNScoop picks up fake PR? It does do a check on PR but so far all have come back OK and I'm, sure some of them I have put in are fake PR domains.

[abhbah05]

I just bought my domain. I wasn't going to do it, but I took everyones advice.

[Bloggeries]

Originally Posted by CaffinePhil

Does anyone know if DNScoop picks up fake PR? It does do a check on PR but so far all have come back OK and I'm, sure some of them I have put in are fake PR domains.

I don't know for sure. But as many saw here if you build a good site 2 months out before an update you'll get included anyways so who cares about the PR it had. Also PR is just like there way of saying "We trust what you have". If you use domain for a different nichethose links don't matter anyways. Buy a domain for the name. If you just want to make a few $$$ off search engine traffic / referrals and affiliate accounts fine.

IF NOT -> Think BRANDING. Get a BRANDABLE domain

[mintblogger]

Originally Posted by Bloggeries

I don't know for sure. But as many saw here if you build a good site 2 months out before an update you'll get included anyways so who cares about the PR it had. Also PR is just like there way of saying "We trust what you have". If you use domain for a different nichethose links don't matter anyways. Buy a domain for the name. If you just want to make a few $$$ off search engine traffic / referrals and affiliate accounts fine.

IF NOT -> Think BRANDING. Get a BRANDABLE domain

I would also advice the same. Look for domain name that will match your niche and business. If you manage to get the right one, it doesn't matter whether it has any PR associated with it or not.

[Ehsan]

I think its a good idea to just register one yourself that way you have perfect name you want but if you are looking to buy an aged one make sure you really like it and can easily start off something on it ! make sure its related to your niche !

[tylergraffam]

I think when buying a domain, you shouldn't settle on a domain name that has been registered just because its cheaper or it has a better pagerank. You should register a domain that YOU chose and that you want. Plus making it popular is half the fun.