A site’s external LinkSignal is a score out of 100 for its outbound (external) links, and for the link-related health of the site itself, right now. This page covers one row of it: links that point to a domain that is not registered, or whose registration has expired. It is the costliest row after hidden links, because whoever registers the name next receives your visitors. The full list of rows is on the hub.
This row is based only on Link Signals’ own checks of each linked domain. It is not linked to any search engine or third-party score, and it says nothing about how a search engine sees the site.
What this part of your LinkSignal measures
It counts links whose destination domain can be registered by someone else. There are two cases. A domain is not registered when its registry has no record of it and the name does not exist in DNS either, so anyone can buy it now. A domain is expired when its registration has run out and the registry shows it has stopped, or it has been past its date for longer than a renewal grace period lasts.
The distinction between expired and past due matters. A date in the past is not proof that a domain has lapsed. Registries often keep a domain active for a while after the date, and some record a renewal late. So a domain is only called expired when its registry status also shows it has stopped working (for example redemption, pending delete or on hold), or when the date is more than 92 days old. A domain that is past its date but still active is shown as past due. It is a note worth watching, not a finding, and it costs no points.
How it is counted
The rule is published: 5 points each, up to 20. Each link counts 5 points, and the row cannot take more than 20 points however many are found. The report’s reason: “Anyone can register the domain and take your visitors and credit.”
| Case | Registry says | Counted here? |
|---|---|---|
| Not registered | No record, and the name does not exist in DNS | Yes |
| Expired | Date passed and status shows it stopped, or more than 92 days past the date | Yes |
| Past due | Date passed, still active, within 92 days | No, shown as a note |
| No answer | The extension publishes no record, or the lookup failed | No, nothing is guessed |
A link belongs to exactly one row, so one to an unregistered domain is never charged again as broken.
A worked example
A site with one link to an unregistered domain and one link to an expired domain loses 10 points on this row and nothing else, so it scores 90, which is Strong. A site with six such links would reach the limit of 20 points on this row (6 × 5 would be 30), and scores 80, which is Good.
How it appears in your report
- In the score card at the top, under How this is worked out, the row reads “Links to domains that aren’t registered or have expired”, with how many were found and the points taken. Selecting it opens the links behind it.
- In the Findings tab, the Not registered tab lists the same links. Each one shows the domain, the page it was found on and the anchor text.
- Past due domains are not in this row. They show as “Renewal overdue since” followed by the date.
How to get the points back
- Open the Not registered tabEach row names the page that carries the link.
- Remove the link, or point it at a live pageIf the page that was linked to has moved to another address, link to that. If it is gone, remove the link or link to a page that serves the same purpose.
- Re-check, do not rescanA re-check reads only the pages that carried the flagged links, uses fewer link checks, and makes its own report. A full rescan is compared with the original.
- Keep an eye on itMonitoring rescans on a schedule and catches the next lapse.
A link that is genuinely fine to keep can be marked reviewed, as described in mark a finding reviewed. It does not change the score.
What it does not mean
- It is not a warning that the domain has already been taken over. It says the name is free, or about to be.
- It is not proof of a lapse where the registry is silent. Some extensions publish no registry record or no expiry date, and where there is no answer, nothing is flagged. See accuracy and limits.
Questions
Does it matter if the link is nofollow?
Not for this row: visitors who click it still arrive at whoever owns the name. A marker only changes ranking credit.
Why was a domain I know has expired not flagged?
The registry may not publish dates for that extension, or it answered with no usable date.
A scan lists every link to an unregistered or expired domain, and what each costs your LinkSignal.
