Off-topic anchor text: the sign of a spammed expired domain
A domain can show 900 referring domains and nice authority… and be worth nothing. The key lies in the backlink anchors: if inbound links talk about "cheap cbd" or "best online casino" while the site always sold jigsaw puzzles, someone bought links on that name after taking it over. Here is how to spot it in two minutes.
Test a domain now:
Three families of anchors
- Brand and URL anchors ("superpuzzle", "superpuzzle.com", "here", "website"): natural, they dominate every healthy link profile.
- Topical anchors ("online puzzles", "brain games"): normal as long as they match the content of the site.
- Commercial anchors unrelated to the site ("cbd", "casino", "payday loans", "High Quality Dofollow Backlinks"): this is the red flag. Only a link buyer could have placed them.
How DomaineScore compares anchors and content
The tool extracts the vocabulary of the current site and its archives (titles, descriptions, frequent terms), then weights each anchor by its number of referring domains. When a commercial keyword absent from the site dominates the non-brand anchors, the "link profile" criterion drops and the overall score is capped. The rule applies to every domain: a gardening site with "gardening" anchors is not affected, a gardening site with "viagra" anchors is.
The classic scenario: takeover, then spam
An old domain (created in 2006, active until 2019) expires, a reseller registers it, plugs a network of paid links into it for a few months, then drops it. Result: a recent RDAP creation date on a domain with a long history, an offline site, and thousands of unrelated links. DomaineScore flags the combination "re-registered after expiry + dead site" as a stability penalty; see re-registered domains.
What to do with a domain with toxic anchors?
Most of the time, walk away. If the price is symbolic and the original history matches your project, plan a disavow file in Google Search Console from day one and expect no SEO benefit for the first six months. For an e-commerce project or a brand, start from a fresh name: link indexes will keep track of those links for years.
Frequently asked questions
Is a domain with lots of backlinks always good?
No. The number of links only has value if the anchors and referring sites match the content of the domain. Thousands of "cbd" links to a gaming site point to paid link building, probably filtered by Google.
How can I see a domain's anchor text for free?
DomaineScore shows the main anchors (weighted by referring domains) and flags those unrelated to the topic of the site, current or past.
Should I disavow the links of an expired domain I bought?
If the anchors are off-topic or of the "link selling" kind, yes: upload a disavow file in Search Console as soon as the site goes live. Otherwise, leave the natural profile intact.