This is actually a post I did in October of 2006, but it is a useful tool that many of us often forget to use or don’t know exists.
While catching up on some good blogging info at MomGadget, I came across a post by Katelyn. It was about Wayback Machine and checking domains for skeletons in their closets.
The Wayback Machine is actually a very cool tool. You enter a domain name and you can go back through its archives and see what the site looked like in 1996, 1997, and every year thereafter. Archive.org also has tools for finding old music, videos and other media too.
Katelyn was lamenting her difficulty in getting a certain site of hers indexed on Google. She did everything right, from what she could tell, but still no success. She checked her site on Wayback Machine and suddenly it all made sense! The entity that had the domain before her was in a totally different market from her and let’s just say, the content wasn’t rated G, PG, or even R.
In the event that something like this happens to you, you can contact Google directly and plead your case, but I doubt there are any guarantees you’ll be able to convince them.
Tip of the Day - Check Wayback Machine before you buy your domain! You might uncover some skeletons.
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6 Comments»
The Griffin
30. October 2006 | 19:42 hYour site is da bomb! WOW!
Char
30. October 2006 | 19:47 hThanks! I try to make techie fun.
Stéphanie
30. October 2006 | 23:13 hHey, I remember this site from way back. It’s a great tool. It gave me a chance to take a look at what my site used to look like.
Thanks for sharing this link with us, it’s fun and useful too.
DW Web Solutions » Buyer Beware
31. October 2006 | 20:17 h[...] Ever stop and wonder who owned your domains before you? Honestly, I hadn’t until I ran across Does Your Domain Have Skeletons in Its Closet from Char at Essential Keystrokes. [...]
Make Money Online | David Elefant
1. November 2007 | 11:37 hNot only should you check with wayback machine what content a domain may have hosted but also all the spam blacklists. A domain could have good content but was used for spamming.
Blog Housekeeping - Should You Recycle or Purge Old Posts?
1. November 2007 | 13:00 h[...] I recycled a post called Does Your Domain Have Skeletons in its Closet. I recycled it because it had a really cool Halloween graphic on it and yesterday was Halloween, [...]