Programmatic SEO or Expired Domain Strategies Are Nothing New in the World of SEO.
I happened to discover that Vidby might be using both of these strategies simultaneously. So, I decided to highlight how these two strategies are playing out for Vidby.
The History of Vidby
The Vidby domain was originally registered in 2011 but remained dormant for over a decade. It wasn’t until 2022 that the domain was reactivated, leading to the birth of Vidby as a company.

This Practice Might Be Familiar to Many—Buying Expired Domains to Leverage Their Accumulated Search Engine Authority.While this approach is somewhat controversial, it has certainly helped Vidby gain significant traffic in a short period.
It’s worth noting that Vidby’s founders do not appear to be seasoned experts in the video translation industry. Instead, they identified a market need and developed this project accordingly.
Current State of Vidby’s Business
According to statistics, Vidby currently receives over 112,000 monthly website visits, with approximately 39,000 coming from organic traffic. SEMrush reports that 1.64% of this traffic eventually flows to Stripe. Assuming these conversions are all for the lowest-priced subscription package ($35/month), the website’s monthly revenue would exceed $60,000—while not staggering, it’s a very solid start.

Vidby is Positioned as a SaaS (Software as a Service) Tool Website, Primarily Offering Video Translation Services.However, they also provide document and audio translation services.
In their video-related translation services, they offer additional value-added services such as subtitle creation, lip-syncing, and voiceovers. This comprehensive service system allows Vidby to cater to the diverse needs of different clients.
The Secret to Vidby’s Success
Vidby’s remarkable achievements in such a short period can be attributed mainly to two factors: programmatic SEO and the use of expired domains. Both of these strategies fall under somewhat controversial SEO techniques. Despite the controversy, they have undeniably brought significant traffic to Vidby.
- Programmatic SEO
Programmatic SEO is a technique that involves generating related articles in bulk. Vidby has utilized this technique to publish a large number of articles centered around a series of related keywords. For example:The content on these pages is mostly auto-generated, and aside from the “Get Started” button, the other content may not hold much practical value. However, this approach increases the chances of the website being indexed by search engines, thereby boosting overall traffic.

2. Use of Expired Domains
The domain used by Vidby is 13 years old, which brings several distinct advantages to the company:
- Domain Age Trust: Google tends to be cautious with new domains, while older domains are more likely to gain trust more quickly.
- SEO Authority Transfer: An old domain may have accumulated some authority and backlinks, which can be inherited by the new website.
- Faster Exit from the Sandbox Period: Using an old domain can help a website achieve better rankings in search results more quickly.
However, using expired domains also comes with risks, such as potential Google penalties. But for Vidby, this domain seems to be a great fit, with no apparent negative impacts.
3. Link Strategy
In addition to using an expired domain, Vidby has also employed other link acquisition strategies. For example, Vidby’s founder is a member of the Forbes Council, which has helped them obtain some high-quality backlinks from Forbes. Additionally, they have published press releases on some well-known media websites.
However, the Vidby website also contains many links that could be considered spammy, such as directory reviews, forum posts, and non-English links. This further suggests that Vidby may have leaned toward using some gray hat SEO techniques in its early days, resulting in a fluctuating trend in its organic traffic.

Vidby’s Accolades and Funding
In 2023, Vidby became a YouTube-recommended AI content localization provider. This certification significantly enhanced Vidby’s authority and credibility in the video translation field. In the same year, Vidby also partnered with Microsoft, launching its services on Microsoft’s marketplace platform. These collaborations have opened up broader markets for Vidby.
On the funding front, Vidby has shown impressive performance since its inception. The company was registered in September 2021 with an initial capital of 1.5 million Swiss francs. As of 2023, the company has raised 17.5 million Swiss francs in seed funding, bringing the total funding to nearly 20 million Swiss francs. This demonstrates investors’ confidence in Vidby’s technology and business model.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I highly recommend SEO professionals to deeply explore programmatic SEO. If your business does not have suitable content ideas for programmatic SEO, I suggest considering other characteristics of your user base. Although this may initially attract broad rather than targeted traffic, it at least provides an opportunity to boost your website’s traffic.