Scrape Expired Domains

Scraping expired domains is a powerful tactic for SEOs & affiliate marketers. These domains often come with existing backlinks, authority, and traffic potential — if you know how to find the right ones. In this guide, we'll walk you through the process of scraping expired domains using tools like Scrapebox, filtering for quality, and best practices to avoid wasting resources on spammy assets.

Introduction to Scraping Expired Domains

Expired domains are domain names that were previously registered but were not renewed by their owners. These domains can retain significant SEO value — such as backlinks, indexed content, and even residual traffic — making them attractive for building private blog networks (PBNs), 301 redirects, or new websites.

Scraping expired domains refers to the process of using tools or software to find these domains based on specific criteria, such as keywords, domain authority, and link profile. The goal is to identify quality domains before competitors do.

What is Scrapebox?

Scrapebox is a versatile SEO tool commonly used for harvesting URLs, checking backlinks, scraping search engines, and most importantly — finding expired domains. It allows you to set custom filters, integrate APIs, and automate domain discovery at scale.

While originally known as a black-hat SEO tool, it has evolved into a legitimate suite of white-hat functionalities when used ethically and strategically.

How to Use Scrapebox for Finding Expired Domains

Scrapebox includes an addon called the "Scrapebox Expired Domain Finder." Here's how to use it effectively:

1. Open Scrapebox and install the Expired Domain Finder addon.
2. Enter your seed keywords — These should be relevant to your niche or topic of interest.
3. Scrape URLs related to those keywords from search engines or site-specific platforms.
4. Check the scraped URLs for broken or expired outbound links.
5. Harvest domain names that are available for registration.

Setting Up Keyword Filters for Targeted Domain Scraping

Keyword filters allow you to target domains within your niche. For instance, if you're looking for expired domains in the fitness industry, you'd use keywords like:

• Weight loss
• Yoga
• Personal training
• Workout routine

Using keyword filters ensures that the expired domains you discover are contextually relevant to your site or project. This helps preserve content alignment and improves SEO outcomes when reusing or redirecting the domain.

Using Metric Filters to Refine Your Expired Domain Search

Quality is everything when scraping expired domains. Here are essential metric filters to use:

• Domain Authority (DA): Prefer domains with DA 15+
• Page Authority (PA): High PA can suggest strong backlink profiles
• Referring Domains: Look for 10+ unique referring domains
• Spam Score: Avoid domains with high spam indicators
• Backlink Profile: Use tools like Ahrefs, Moz, or Majestic to evaluate link quality

These filters help you weed out spammy or penalized domains and zero in on high-quality ones.

Finding Expired Domains for a Private Blog Network (PBN)

PBNs are used to pass link juice to your money sites. When building a PBN, the quality and relevance of expired domains are critical.

Tips for building a PBN with expired domains:

• Choose domains with clean, natural backlinks
• Avoid domains with histories of gambling, adult content, or foreign language spam
• Use Archive.org to verify previous content and branding
• Host each PBN site on a unique IP to avoid footprint
• Recreate old content or write relevant new content to match its link profile

Exploring Plugin Options for Enhanced Functionality

Scrapebox isn’t the only option. Consider plugins or tools that integrate or offer similar functionality:

• Domain Hunter Gatherer: Great for bulk expired domain search
• Xenu Link Sleuth: Good for checking broken links on competitor sites
• Screaming Frog SEO Spider: Can crawl competitor sites to find outbound 404 links

These tools offer extra features like automatic WHOIS lookups, link history, and content snapshots.

Exporting Your Expired Domain Results

Once you have your list of expired domains, export them for review. Scrapebox allows you to export in multiple formats:

• CSV or Excel for manual review
• TXT for importing into backlink checkers
• Bulk WHOIS or registration status reports

Organize your domains by metrics like DA, backlinks, or topic so you can prioritize the best ones for your projects.

Best Practices for Using an Expired Domain Finder

To maximize your results and avoid penalties:

• Always verify historical content on Archive.org
• Check if the domain was used for black-hat SEO
• Ensure backlink profile is natural and niche-relevant
• Avoid domains flagged by Google Safe Browsing
• Consider rebuilding the site as a branded asset instead of just a PBN