DN&P I am experiencing an issue with indexing an expired domain.

[Bigan]

Hello,

Have you encountered an issue where the pages of your expired domain have been crawled but not indexed, despite there being old URLs already indexed on Google? I am experiencing the same problem with my expired domain - it is frequently crawled, yet the main page is not being indexed by Google. I am certain that the issue is not due to poor quality content, as the website has been live for three weeks and contains 34 pages.

 

[Comitia]

Perhaps you have acquired a domain that has been subject to penalties.

 

[RomanceLinkin]

Is the domain you purchased potentially affected by being placed in a sandbox, having a previous history as a private blog network (PBN), or being used for low-quality purposes? Have you verified whether it has been listed as a failed or blacklisted domain?

 

[BlikiPony]

Obtaining expired domains increases the likelihood of triggering a penalty known as the "site domain on Google only shows 1 2 3 4 5 7 9 11, etc." This penalty was implemented by Google as a response to spamming activities associated with expired domains, as well as the presence of low-quality content such as AI-generated or poorly translated material.

It's important to note that not all expired domains will necessarily be penalized; it somewhat depends on chance or luck.

To assess the current status of a domain, you can perform a Google search using the query "site:domain.com" and observe the number of results returned. For further information, you can refer to the thread provided.

Indeed, it's possible that not every case will result in a penalty, and instead, it could simply be a temporary fluctuation for your domain. When launching a new website, it typically takes a considerable amount of time, often several months, for it to establish its presence and stabilize in search engine rankings.

 

[Talkst]

It is crucial to verify whether the domain has been repurposed previously by checking its history in the internet archive. Additionally, ensure that you have all the necessary legal pages, such as privacy policy, terms of service, and disclaimer, in place.

Furthermore, it is important to examine the redirection and 404 error handling of the domain. If there are old backlinks pointing to 404 pages, it is advisable to set up appropriate redirects.

Keep in mind that it may take up to 3 months, or even longer in rare cases, for the website to start geting noticeable results. If a significant period of time passes without any positive outcomes, it might be prudent to consider acquiring a new domain.

 

[Cookenso]

I'm starting to discern a recurring pattern here. It appears that what you're experiencing is not a penalty, but rather a filter or sandbox implemented by Google to observe the performance of those specific four pages when using the "site:" operator. These four pages consistently receive impressions and clicks, albeit in low numbers. It seems like some form of testing is being conducted.

I had a similar experience with a six-page domain that underwent a similar "penalty." It is worth noting that this phenomenon is not related to the velocity of content or backlink additions, as I didn't add any backlinks. In my understanding, Google imposes this measure when the topic of your website deviates too significantly from the original content previously associated with the expired domain.

I will continue to monitor the situation closely.

 

[DarthCanyons]

In my personal view, this algorithmic penalty seems to target websites with low-quality content, including those that use translated or mass-generated material. Additionally, it appears to affect those who attempt to leverage the power of expired domains. The probability of encountering this penalty increases in such cases. This penalty mechanism was first introduced around 2019 or possibly even earlier, although the exact timeline escapes my memory.

 

[BuggyTeenz]

Interestingly, when using the "site:" operator, the number of pages displayed has now increased from 11 to 12 for one domain, which is quite amusing. On the other hand, for another domain, the number of pages has decreased from 4 to 3. These fluctuations in the displayed page count add an element of unpredictability to the situation.