Expired domains: are they still worth buying?

I used to buy expired domains all the time to build out my network, but lately, it feels like a waste of money. You pay $50 or $100 for a domain with a few backlinks, and as soon as you rebuild it, Google deindexes it. Are expired domains with existing backlinks still a viable strategy, or is it better to just buy new domains and build them from scratch now?

It depends on the domain. If it dropped recently and had a clean history in the same niche, it's still gold. But if it's been parked for two years or has a sketchy history with foreign language spam links, Google will flag it instantly. You have to do way more due diligence now than you did five years ago. Use Ahrefs to check the backlink profile before you waste your cash.

I stopped buying expired domains completely. It's too much hassle. I'd rather take that $100 and spend it on a good hardlink trade or a premium article. Building a brand on a fresh domain takes longer, but it's way more stable in the long run. Chasing old backlinks is a headache.