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news Google: We Know When Domain Names Change Ownership

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Omar Ashraf

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Aaseesh from the Google Webmaster Trends Analysts team said in a Google Webmaster Help thread that Google understands when a domain name changes ownership. He said if you are buying the domain name to pick up on their rankings, don't bother.

"Google understands when domains change ownership so it won't necessarily rank for the queries it used to rank pre change of ownership," Aaseesh said. He added "so if the sole purpose of buying a domain is to get search traffic from the old domain, I would suggest against doing so since there's no benefit."

Source:
https://www.seroundtable.com/google-domain-names-change-ownership-26993.html
 
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that will kill WEBSITE FLIPPING business....
 
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that will kill WEBSITE FLIPPING business....
Why? If the website stays the same then there's no change apart from the owner. Now if the site is gone and the domain is bought solely to benefit from the old backlinks and search results, then that may turn out to be a problem. And that makes sense to me.
 
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How do they know when the name has changed hands? If the details are private and the last updated date updates for events other than a change of ownership, what do they class as a change of ownership? Just because the details change, this doesn't even necessarily mean that it is in someone else's hands, a company name may have changed etc. Surely Google don't have unfettered access to every registrants details anyway...?
 
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How do they know when the name has changed hands?

Good question. If name is behind WHOIS privacy there is nothing to see.

But Google are a domain registrar and I think that gives access to extra data - does anyone know if that includes registrant identities, even when hidden by privacy or GDPR?

Google also know who owns, or claims to own, every domain listed on Sedo since that is a condition of them supplying ads to Sedo's parking program, and probably any other parking program. They make it a condition to know who displays the ads.

Hiding the ownership of sites and network of sites used for SEO support has been a concern of SEO practitioners for years - if Google works out what is going on the support site no longer gives the SEO boost its links to the target site were giving.
 
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Google also know who owns, or claims to own, every domain listed on Sedo since that is a condition of them supplying ads to Sedo's parking program, and probably any other parking program. They make it a condition to know who displays the ads.
Interesting, thanks!

But Google are a domain registrar and I think that gives access to extra data - does anyone know if that includes registrant identities, even when hidden by privacy or GDPR?
I remember it being flagged as an issue when GDPR was coming into force, people said that they couldn't possibly make WHOIS private because it would be "impossible" to transfer a domain as the companies could not communicate the registrant details to one another. I always thought this was bs... but it also says to me that no one has access to this kind of information unless they are the current registrar for that particular domain or the receiving registrar in a transfer. I would be quite alarmed if I found that Google had access to my information just because they're Google, when I haven't explicitly allowed them access to it. Would be interesting to have clarification on this though.
 
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Google is saying many thing over years, to discourage SEO'ers against certain practices, but in reality lot of such things are fake. I don't say all of them, but really a lot. And this is a perfect example of such B.S. statement.
 
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Just a guess: when people add it to their Adsense account ?
This would be too unreliable.

1. Not all site owners use Adsense. I don't know the stats but i guess less than 1/4.

2. Site owners may change Adsense acc for lot of different reasons, for example need to change tax/legal entity, or change of SEO agent, or whatever. Rare cases, but still.
 
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Google knows EVERYTHING. Google knows more about YOU than you even know about you. Why is this a surprise? They practically own the world-wide-web...
 
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Aaseesh from the Google Webmaster Trends Analysts team said in a Google Webmaster Help thread that Google understands when a domain name changes ownership. He said if you are buying the domain name to pick up on their rankings, don't bother.

"Google understands when domains change ownership so it won't necessarily rank for the queries it used to rank pre change of ownership," Aaseesh said. He added "so if the sole purpose of buying a domain is to get search traffic from the old domain, I would suggest against doing so since there's no benefit."

Source:
https://www.seroundtable.com/google-domain-names-change-ownership-26993.html
They only get knew if you add,

Just a guess: when people add it to their Adsense account ?
 
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