Bill Hartzer is a name that resonates across both the domain name industry and the SEO world. A veteran with over two decades of experience, Hartzer has built a reputation as a trusted voice in technical SEO, digital strategy, and domain name consulting. He’s perhaps best known for his deep expertise in diagnosing SEO issues, recovering penalized sites, and leveraging expired or premium domain names for strategic online visibility. In addition to his consulting work, Bill actively shares his insights at conferences, on his blog, and across social platforms, helping countless businesses navigate the ever-changing digital landscape.
Beyond search optimization, Bill Hartzer is a seasoned domainer who understands the intrinsic and strategic value of digital real estate. He has brokered domain deals, launched innovative tools, and consulted with startups and global brands. His ability to blend SEO tactics with domain investment strategy provides a unique perspective on how brands can build authority and long-term equity online.
Mike: Can you share how you first got involved in domain names, and what initially drew you to this space?
Bill: Back in the late 1990s, I was hand-coding websites in Notepad. There weren’t all the tools and CMS platforms we have today, so if you wanted a site, you learned HTML and built it line by line. As I started creating affiliate sites, I quickly realized the domain name mattered just as much as the content—it was the front door to everything. In 1998, I sold my first domain name for five figures, and that really showed me the business potential of domains. From there, I kept building, buying, and selling, while also sharpening my SEO skills on every site I touched.
Mike: What do you look for when evaluating a domain name’s value — beyond just keywords and length?
Bill: I’ve always believed that value comes from more than a catchy keyword or short length. It’s about context, branding potential, and history. A good domain should be easy to remember, pass the “radio test” where someone can hear it once and type it in correctly, and ideally tie directly into a commercial market. I also consider backlink history, past usage, and whether the name has trust signals that make it viable for SEO. Having run everything from affiliate sites to international corporate websites, I know how important it is that a name works in the real world, not just on paper.
Mike: How important is the domain name to a site’s long-term SEO success?
Bill: A strong domain name sets the stage. It doesn’t guarantee rankings, but it provides trust, credibility, and a better chance at clicks. Over the years, I’ve seen firsthand how a memorable domain can improve brand recognition and make link building easier. At the same time, SEO success still depends on execution—technical SEO, content, and authority building. A great domain is like a good piece of land for real estate: you still need to build the house right.
Mike: What are some of the most common SEO mistakes you see on premium or aged domains?
Bill: The biggest mistake is ignoring the past. I’ve worked on plenty of sites where someone buys a great domain but doesn’t check its backlink history. If it’s been spammed or had a penalty, you inherit those problems. Another mistake is letting a valuable domain sit parked for years with no development—it loses momentum, and when you finally build, you’re starting from scratch. I’ve also seen people use exact match domains and rely solely on that for rankings without building any real content or authority. That doesn’t work anymore.
Mike: What tools or signals do you use to determine if a domain has a clean SEO profile?
Bill: I use Majestic, Ahrefs, and SEMrush to dig into backlink data and anchor text. I check referring IPs and subnets to make sure links aren’t coming from the same small network. I also rely on the Wayback Machine to see how the domain was used in the past—was it a legitimate business, or was it repurposed for spam? Metrics like Trust Flow and Citation Flow give me a quick read, but I always take the time to manually review, because no tool replaces human analysis. Running Verified.Domains years ago taught me how much due diligence matters, especially when companies are investing real money.
Mike: In your experience, how can domainers use SEO to increase the value of their portfolio?
Bill: A parked domain is like an empty lot—it has potential, but showing what can be built on it makes it far more valuable. I’ve seen domainers increase value by putting up real content, attracting organic traffic, and proving the domain can rank. Even a simple site that generates leads or revenue demonstrates viability. Having worked across local, national, and international sites, I can say that end-users often want proof, not just potential. If you can show rankings or traffic, your domain sells faster and for more money.
Mike: How is AI, especially tools like ChatGPT, impacting SEO strategy as well as domaining?
Bill: AI is changing the landscape faster than anything I’ve seen since Google first became dominant. For SEO, it means optimizing for AI-driven search results and answer engines, not just ten blue links. For domainers, it’s both an opportunity and a challenge. AI tools can help with valuations, outreach, and even generating content for domain development. But it also changes demand. Some keyword-driven names may lose value as search becomes more conversational and AI-powered, while strong brandable names may become even more important. The key is to stay ahead of the curve, which is something I’ve had to do consistently throughout my career.
Mike: Tell us about your journey building an online consulting business — what were the early challenges?
Bill: Before I launched Hartzer Consulting in 2016, I spent years working in-house as an SEO and webmaster, then at agencies doing both SEO and PPC for clients. By the time I went out on my own, I’d seen almost every kind of business model, from small local companies to global brands. The early challenge was shifting from being “the SEO guy” inside a company or agency to running a full business myself. I had to handle not just client work, but also sales, operations, and positioning my own brand. Having already run Verified.Domains and a domain protection business, I knew how tough building credibility can be. But once I established Hartzer Consulting, referrals and reputation started to carry me forward.
Mike: What have been the biggest lessons you’ve learned running a service-based business in this space?
Bill: Three lessons stand out. First, transparency is non-negotiable. Clients respect honesty, even if the news isn’t great. Second, staying ahead of industry changes is critical. I’ve been doing SEO since before Google existed, and the only constant has been change. Third, reputation is your most valuable asset. Running services like Verified.Domains and now DNAccess taught me how quickly trust can make or break deals. Whether it’s recovering a stolen domain name or running an SEO campaign, the long-term relationships I’ve built have been worth far more than any single transaction.
Thank you, Bill, for your time, experience and information.
