It is a link to a domain that nobody holds, or whose registration has lapsed, so anyone can register it. It is worse than a broken link, because a broken link is a page that returns an error, while here there is nothing behind the name at all and the next owner chooses what appears.
What the registry says
For every destination Link Signals asks the domain’s registry whether the domain is registered, when it was registered, when it expires and what state it is in.
| What the registry shows | What it means | What a scan reports |
|---|---|---|
| No record of the domain | Nobody holds it. | Needs review, with a Not registered badge, when the link also failed to load |
| Expired and stopped, or in redemption or pending delete | The owner did not renew. | Needs review, with an Expired badge |
| Expiry date passed, still listed as active | Probably a grace period or a late renewal. | No flag. Listed with domains about to expire |
| Registered and current | Nothing to report. | No flag |
A destination that loads is trusted over an odd registry answer, so a working site is never flagged as unregistered. If a date has passed by about three months and the registry still says active, it is treated as expired.
Why it is the second priority
Other findings can wait a day. A domain that anyone can register can change hands in minutes, and people look for lapsed names that established sites still link to. Not registered and expired findings are priority 2 by default. See how findings are prioritised.
Related questions
- Is a newly registered domain the same? No. A domain registered in the last 30 days is a separate note, and it may be perfectly fine. The flag clears on its own after that. See new domains.
- Does nofollow make it safe? It limits what the link passes. Visitors who click it still land on whoever owns the domain, so replace or remove the link.
- Will I be told when a domain expires? Where the registry allows a lookup, yes. Domains expiring within 90 days are listed in the report, and monitoring emails once when one comes within 30 days and again within 7 days.
- Does it say who owns a domain? No. It reads registration dates and states, and judges what the destination page shows.
- Why was one I know has expired not flagged? Not every extension offers a public lookup,
.defor one. Where the registry gives no date, nothing is flagged on registration grounds.
What to do
- Replace or remove the linkLink to the source’s new address or an archived copy, or take the link out.
- Think before registering itOnly register the domain if it was yours or a partner’s and you want to hold it.
- Re-check, then let monitoring watchUse re-check after the fix. On a monitored site these findings are checked again every time, not reused.
Your own domain is reported separately, with its own warning period of 60 days. It is flagged whether or not auto-renew is on, because the scan only sees the date, and the flag clears once the renewal moves it. See check your domain and certificate.
These links have their own row in your LinkSignal, which is Link Signals’ own metric, based only on this tool’s findings and not connected to any search engine or third-party score.
Questions
Why must the link have failed to load?
A page that loads has a real site behind it, whatever an odd registry answer says. The Not registered badge appears only when the link is unreachable, broken or returning errors and the registry agrees nobody holds the name.
How long are registry answers kept?
A few hours for unregistered domains, a day for expired ones and a week for stable ones, so a change is picked up quickly where it matters.
How soon would I find out if someone registers it?
On a monitored site, at the next check. The finding changes as soon as the domain is registered and has a page.
Run a scan and see which linked domains have lapsed.
