Is reacquiring my old domain worthwhile?

[edaindia]

I had registered a domain a few years back and did not renew it in time and it went to a cyber squatter. Recently it had reexpired and I snapped it up again as I the name was appropriate for the company I am launching. Now after reading in a few threads that such domain names are penalised by google I am wondering wether it was a wise move? What is the duration for which the penalty lasts? How does one go about getting the penalty lifted?

Regards
Ajay J

[treeline]

It all depends. Try putting up a test site and see how it works.

If the domain name is really good for what you're doing, that may make it worthwhile even if some sort of penalty exists. There may not be one.

[oneguy]

What is the duration for which the penalty lasts?

I'm not sure it's really a penalty. I have heard that the backlinks get dusted.

How does one go about getting the penalty lifted?

I'm wondering this, myself, since I may find myself in the exact same situation.

[pageoneresults]

What was that domain used for during the period you hadn't owned it? That would be a major factor in how it performs. I'd do a check at archive.org and investigate the history before making any decisions on purchasing and/or developing the domain.

[larryhatch]

Pageone has a good point.
Until you take a good look, there's no telling what the squatter did with the domain.

[edaindia]

I went through archive.org it showed pages only during 2001 when I held the page. The curious thing is when I try to see the content on that day it shows my most recent content. There is only one page which says that the page is for sale, has a search box and has links to gambling, travel and mortage sites. I have been seeing similar content on the page for the past few years.