Penguin/Panda/Domain Purchase

[dbuckles]

If I move forward with the acquisition:

1. Should I, if there is a way, just acquire the domain and then attempt to unlink existing links?

2. Can I just buy the domain, completely kill the site, and then build again from scratch? Even if I do that, the links to the domain will still be out there.

3. Should I even move forward with the purchase if I know these tactics have been used?

Thanks!

[Highland]

Run a report on open site explorer. See what links they have. Look for things that could be harmful. There's no easy way to undo links but many webmasters will gladly unlink you if you ask.

That having been said, if the domain name was really that good, I'd find a way to make it work (especially if the domain is easy to remember). A good domain name is hard to come by these days and there are major reasons beyond SEO to buy one.

[DanielFreedman]

I think you need to do more fact-finding to make an informed decision.

How spammy are the links? How many are there?

You need a detailed analysis of the link profile.

More questions:

What has happened to the site since Penguin ?

Why is the owner selling now ?

OTOH, the purchase could still make sense.

But what are you planning to do with site? Put your content on it? Or plant a bunch of links on it that point to your site?

[dbuckles]

I ran a report and nothing really jumps out at me as spammy or horrific. A principal at their organization tweeted a few weeks ago about his "hatred for penguins". He even tweeted yesterday stating that he is "always the 1%" referring to the recent Panda update that only affected 1%.

While Open Site Explorer didn't produce many negative things I am definitely concerned. I guess the solution is to just simply ask him what is going on. He tweeted it for God's sake....i'm sure he realizes that Twitter is public.

[matbennett]

Run another report using something like ahrefs or majestic.  OSE concentrates on the "better" links.  A tool with a larger crawl might find more of the junk that can cause problems.

I'd particularly look for for sitewide keyword links. I've seen those causing quite a lot of problems. They are also easier to fix, which might be nice post-sale.

Check a few sites like alexa that estimate traffic volume as well. Whilst the numbers given them all are next to useless the trend data can be useful.

[matbennett]

Run another report using something like ahrefs or majestic.  OSE concentrates on the "better" links.  A tool with a larger crawl might find more of the junk that can cause problems.

I'd particularly look for for sitewide keyword links. I've seen those causing quite a lot of problems. They are also easier to fix, which might be nice post-sale.

Check a few sites like alexa that estimate traffic volume as well. Whilst the numbers given them all are next to useless the trend data can be useful.

[DanielFreedman]

Great advice.

[bronxpad]

If the domain name is a solid one that has the ability to stick in your clients head then it might make sense to buy the domain and spend a few months rehabbing the quality of links. If you have the financial ability then I would buy it, use google webmasters to identify the bad links, reach out to the site owners and request they remove the links, send a report to google showing the work you've done. Then I would work on getting positive links for your site by getting mentions in online news sites, edu sites and others. You can accomplish this by hosting a small charity event. Also have your customers write reviews on Yelp and similar sites. Yahoo Directory link and BBB link. Time heals all wounds including bad links.