How to Build Your Own Portfolio of Authoritative Websites to Rank Your Clients, Part 1:...

Introduction

Building a portfolio of authoritative websites is essential for ranking your clients effectively in search engine results. This tutorial outlines the steps to find and purchase authoritative domains, providing actionable insights based on industry experience. By following these steps, you can enhance the authority of your clients' websites and improve their search rankings.

Step 1: Understand the Importance of Authoritative Domains

• Authoritative domains provide more link juice, which directly influences a website's ability to rank higher in search results.
• The higher the authority of a domain, the more powerful the backlinks sourced from it.
• Focus on acquiring domains with established authority rather than starting with brand-new domains that lack history and backlinks.

Step 2: Research Domain History

• Before purchasing any domain, check its history to ensure it has not been associated with spam or malicious activity.
• Use a historical WHOIS lookup to see past ownership and any related issues.
• Look for domains that have a clean history with no spammy usage.

Step 3: Find Authoritative Domains

1. Visit expiredomains.net to browse available expired domains.
2. Filter the list to focus on domains with:
   • A high number of backlinks from different domains (referring domains).
   • An appropriate domain name that is not overly specific.
3. Sort the list by the number of backlinks to identify potentially valuable domains.

Step 4: Verify Domain Metrics

• Use tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Majestic to assess the authority of the domains.
• Check for:
  • Domain Rating (DR) or Authority Score between 10 and 40.
  • Trust Flow (TF) and Citation Flow (CF) also between 10 and 40.
• Make a spreadsheet to compare metrics from different tools for consistency.

Step 5: Analyze Backlink Profile

• Assess the number and quality of backlinks:
  • Look for a high number of referring domains.
  • Avoid domains with spammy backlinks originating from suspicious regions (e.g., India, Philippines).
• Check anchor text of the backlinks to ensure:
  • No spammy keywords related to pharmacy, gambling, or adult content.
  • Avoid over-optimization (more than 10% of the same keywords).

Step 6: Check Domain Indexing

• Verify if the domain is indexed by searching "site:[domain]" in Google.
• Domains that are indexed indicate they are in good standing with search engines.

Step 7: Review the Domain's Archive

• Use archive.org (Wayback Machine) to check historical versions of the site.
• Ensure the previous content was legitimate and did not involve spammy practices.

Step 8: Participate in Auctions

• If a domain meets your criteria, participate in auctions, particularly through GoDaddy:
  • Be aware that auctions extend by five minutes with each new bid.
  • Set a budget to avoid overspending.

Step 9: Secure Your Domains

• After winning an auction, register the domain and set up private registration to protect your personal information.
• Renew the domain annually to maintain ownership.

Conclusion

Acquiring authoritative domains is a fundamental step in building a successful SEO strategy for your clients. By carefully researching domain history, verifying metrics, and analyzing backlinks, you can establish a portfolio of sites that significantly enhance your clients' rankings. As you move forward, keep an eye out for the next steps on hosting and managing content for these domains to maximize their effectiveness.