Valuing a domain with strong editorial backlinks and real history (3.Viewing)

For the past few weeks I see TBR auctions selling domains with strong backlinks for ridiculous amounts. Clearly not all backlinks are created equal and I doubt someone will be dropping 10-15k, or more, on domains with fluffy history.

It got me thinking about one of my domains specifically because I am not sure even the most popular appraisal tools take into account the quality of the backlinks. So, I wanted to gather some opinions.

I picked up the domain a few months ago. It is was in the entertainment space and once upon a time (10+ years ago) it used to be one of the more deeply loved media outlets in Canada. It had a 30-year operational history, consistently ranking 1st and 2nd in its category in Google while in operation. It has its own Wikipedia page, and today over 4K current backlinks remain (100K+ all-time high), and close to 500 referring domains, many of which include top-tier sources, anything from Wikipedia (dozens of them) to Global News, from Financial Post to Bell Media, from La Presse to CBC, etc.

I just added it to DomainEasy a day ago and it shows 175 uniques (not sure if that's a full 24 hours though, but I can update this number later).

Very curious to learn what you think a domain with such history may be worth.

HI, Artashes

What’s interesting here isn’t raw backlink volume, but the institutional footprint behind them.

And appraisal tools usually miss that distinction, yet buyers paying up are betting on whether this kind of legacy credibility can still be activated.

NiceNIC said:

What’s interesting here isn’t raw backlink volume, but the institutional footprint behind them.

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Interesting, I didn't think of that angle before.

Maybe it would be a good idea to post the backlink history on your landing page, since that's its primary selling feature and one that is not easily noticed by the average person visiting the site.

rlm said:

Maybe it would be a good idea to post the backlink history on your landing page, since that's its primary selling feature and one that is not easily noticed by the average person visiting the site.

Click to expand...

I am realizing that perhaps having a dedicated landing page (actual domain running live) would be the best way to feature its strengths. I read Frank's guide on best practices and it appears this is something he suggests doing, but then I won't have an organizational backing to process the transaction if the day comes.

Update. The domain received about 300 unique visitors yesterday. Never had a case like this before.

I have a few like that, it's a shame we can't put the traffic to use without risk.