Before registering a domain it is important to make sure that it has not been used in a controversial way in the past as this could negatively impact your business and future developments. How to check if the domain has had a problematic history? By conducting due diligence.
Registering an existing domain name can present two different problems:
- Black hat SEO : Google in the past may have penalized the positioning of the domain in the search pages in the case of black hat activities, i.e. all those activities that try to manipulate search engines.
- Unpleasant Uses : If the domain has been associated with adult / betting sites in the past, this could also affect your site because the domain name may be filtered into block lists.
How to do domain due diligence?
Before registering the domain you need to review its history to make sure everything is in order and no problems arise in the future. Here are the tools you can use to help you understand the history of a domain :
Wayback Machine
Wayback Machine is one of the best known and most used tools to see exactly how the domain name has been used over time: just enter the domain name to see the history of the reference web page. By scrolling through the images of the site you can make sure that the domain name has been used improperly.
DomainIQ
DomainIQ is a tool that offers several tools for analyzing the history and status of a domain name, although some functions require a paywall. By typing in a domain name, DomanIQ searches its history. Among the data it provides:
- Whois History : Whois records show the owner of the domain, and Whois history provides a snapshot of this record at different points in the domain’s history to know who owned it. It can also be used to check the “title history” of the domain: in essence, odd records could indicate possible thefts.
- Hosting History : This feature allows you to see the IP address the domain pointed to during its history. The function also captures screenshots of the histories, albeit not as complete as those of Wayback Machine.
- Flags – The tool flags domains that have been the subject of a dispute. Do not automatically delete a domain just because you see the mark but analyze the situation in detail case by case.
Google itself is a valuable resource to check before registering a domain name. Try searching for your domain like:
Site: nomesito.it
This will show all the pages of the domain name that are indexed on Google: if the domain points to a web page of any type, it should be displayed in the results. It will be necessary to investigate if zero results are obtained.
After that, look for the domain name in quotes like:
“Mysite.it”
This will show all references to the domain name, including news related to the domain name – an advantage if the links are positive but you need to watch out for news about scams, lawsuits and other inconveniences.
Basically, you can’t be 100% sure that the domain you want to register is safe but these tools will help you uncover and investigate any problems.
Performing proper due diligence is important, and if you are undecided about the name or extensions to use we recommend that you take a look at our section with over 1,300 extensions to choose from, broken down by category.
