The latest articles on DEV Community by Samir BELABBES (@samir_belabbes_ac480c34ab). https://dev.to/samir_belabbes_ac480c34ab https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F3546653%2F4657d5ab-5b3c-4175-b9bb-ff78f47c2032.jpg https://dev.to/samir_belabbes_ac480c34ab en Samir BELABBES Thu, 02 Apr 2026 17:02:48 +0000 https://dev.to/samir_belabbes_ac480c34ab/how-i-built-catchdoms-an-expired-domain-intelligence-platform-e23 https://dev.to/samir_belabbes_ac480c34ab/how-i-built-catchdoms-an-expired-domain-intelligence-platform-e23 <h2> TL;DR </h2> <p>I built <a href="https://catchdoms.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">CatchDoms</a> to solve a problem I had as a domain investor: checking 12 different auction platforms every morning, running each domain through Majestic, then digging through the Wayback Machine. CatchDoms does all of that in one place, automatically, for 35,000+ domains every day.</p> <h2> The Problem </h2> <p>If you've ever tried to buy an expired domain with real SEO value, you know the pain:</p> <ul> <li> <strong>12 platforms to check daily.</strong> Dynadot, GoDaddy, DropCatch, Catched, Gname, SnapNames... each with its own interface, its own filters, its own data format.</li> <li> <strong>No SEO metrics on auction sites.</strong> You see a domain name and a price. That's it. No Trust Flow, no backlink count, no Wayback history.</li> <li> <strong>Manual research takes hours.</strong> For every interesting domain, you open Majestic, Ahrefs, the Wayback Machine, Google Maps, and maybe a few more tools. Multiply that by 50 domains and your morning is gone.</li> </ul> <p>I was spending 2-3 hours every day just filtering through noise to find the 5-10 domains worth bidding on.</p> <h2> The Solution </h2> <p>CatchDoms aggregates expired domains from 12 auction platforms into one interface and enriches each one with SEO metrics, backlink data, archive history, and Google Business Profile detection.</p> <p>Every morning by 9:00 AM, 35,000+ scored and filtered domains are ready to browse. One search instead of twelve.</p> <h2> 🛠️ The Stack </h2> <p><strong>Tech:</strong> Laravel 12, PHP 8.4, Tailwind CSS v4, Alpine.js, MySQL, Redis, Horizon</p> <p>Domains are enriched automatically every morning. By 9:00 AM, everything is scored and ready to browse.</p> <h2> 🔍 Key Features </h2> <p><strong>1. Saved Searches with Email Alerts</strong></p> <p>Save any filter combination. Get a daily email when new matching domains appear. "Show me .fr domains with TF &gt; 15 and GMB listing" runs automatically every morning.</p> <p><strong>2. Google Business Profile Detection</strong></p> <p>We check the top auction domains for active GMB listings. A domain with a verified Google Business Profile, reviews, and a Maps presence is gold for local SEO. No other platform flags this.</p> <p><strong>3. AI Chat Assistant</strong></p> <p>Ask in natural language: "Find me .de domains older than 10 years with Trust Flow above 20 under $100." Queries the database directly. Pro only.</p> <p><strong>4. REST API + MCP Server</strong></p> <p>Full API with 20+ filters. MCP server works with Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, and any MCP-compatible AI tool. Search expired domains from your terminal.</p> <p><strong>5. Wayback Screenshots on Hover</strong></p> <p>Hover over any domain name to see what the site looked like before it expired.</p> <h2> 🚀 Getting Started </h2> <ol> <li>Sign up at <a href="https://catchdoms.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">catchdoms.com</a> (free, no credit card)</li> <li>Browse 35,000+ domains with filters</li> <li>Star domains, save searches, set alerts</li> <li>Upgrade to Pro for full access, API, MCP, and AI assistant</li> </ol> <p>Free tier gives you a preview. Pro unlocks everything at $39/month or $468/year.</p> <h2> 📊 How It Compares </h2> <div class="table-wrapper-paragraph"><table> <thead> <tr> <th>Feature</th> <th>CatchDoms</th> <th>ExpiredDomains.net</th> <th>SpamZilla</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>Sources</td> <td>12 platforms</td> <td>1 (GoDaddy)</td> <td>Manual upload</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Trust Flow/CF</td> <td>Yes</td> <td>No</td> <td>Yes</td> </tr> <tr> <td>GMB Detection</td> <td>Yes</td> <td>No</td> <td>No</td> </tr> <tr> <td>AI Assistant</td> <td>Yes</td> <td>No</td> <td>No</td> </tr> <tr> <td>MCP Server</td> <td>Yes</td> <td>No</td> <td>No</td> </tr> <tr> <td>API</td> <td>Yes</td> <td>No</td> <td>No</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Wayback Preview</td> <td>On hover</td> <td>Link only</td> <td>No</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Quality Score</td> <td>0-100</td> <td>No</td> <td>Spam score only</td> </tr> </tbody> </table></div> <h2> Built by a Solo Dev </h2> <p>CatchDoms is a one-person project. I built it because I needed it. Every feature exists because I ran into that exact problem while buying domains.</p> <p>If you buy expired domains for redirects, local SEO, affiliate sites, or niche projects, give it a try and let me know what you think.</p> <p>👉 <a href="https://catchdoms.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">catchdoms.com</a></p> <p>No credit card required. Free tier available.</p> <p><em>P.S. If you want to chat about expired domains, SEO, or building SaaS tools, find me on <a href="https://x.com/samirbelabbes" rel="noopener noreferrer">X @samirbelabbes</a>.</em></p> seo domains ai saas Samir BELABBES Sun, 05 Oct 2025 12:57:55 +0000 https://dev.to/samir_belabbes_ac480c34ab/how-i-built-pageradar-the-seo-alert-tracker-54ef https://dev.to/samir_belabbes_ac480c34ab/how-i-built-pageradar-the-seo-alert-tracker-54ef <h2> TL;DR </h2> <p>I created <a href="https://pageradar.io" rel="noopener noreferrer">PageRadar</a> because I was tired of discovering SEO issues only after my rankings had already dropped. It's a monitoring tool that alerts you instantly when critical changes happen on your website - before they impact your search visibility.</p> <h2> The Problem That Led Me Here </h2> <p>As a developer and founder, I've experienced the nightmare scenario too many times: You deploy a seemingly innocent update, everything looks fine in staging, but two weeks later you notice your organic traffic has tanked. After hours of investigation, you discover that:</p> <ul> <li>Someone accidentally changed the robots.txt and blocked important pages</li> <li>A deployment broke your Core Web Vitals scores</li> <li>Your sitemap stopped updating properly</li> <li>Meta descriptions got truncated during a CMS migration</li> <li>Affiliate links started returning 404s in certain countries</li> </ul> <p>The worst part? Google had already noticed these issues and adjusted your rankings accordingly. You're now playing catch-up, trying to recover lost positions.</p> <h2> Enter PageRadar: Prevention Over Recovery </h2> <p>Instead of discovering issues through ranking drops, PageRadar monitors your website 24/7 and alerts you the moment something changes. Think of it as continuous integration testing, but for SEO.</p> <h3> 🎯 Key Features That Developers Will Love </h3> <h4> 1. <strong>Core Web Vitals Monitoring</strong> </h4> <div class="highlight js-code-highlight"> <pre class="highlight plaintext"><code>What it tracks: - LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) - INP (Interaction to Next Paint) - CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) - TTFB (Time to First Byte) - PageSpeed scores Why it matters: These are actual Google ranking factors. One bad deployment can tank your scores. </code></pre> </div> <h4> 2. <strong>HTML Element Monitoring</strong> </h4> <p>Ever had someone "optimize" your title tags and accidentally delete half of them? PageRadar tracks changes to:</p> <ul> <li>Title tags</li> <li>Meta descriptions</li> <li>H1-H6 headings</li> <li>Canonical URLs</li> <li>Schema markup</li> <li>Open Graph tags</li> </ul> <p>You get instant alerts when any of these elements change, with a before/after comparison.</p> <h4> 3. <strong>Robots.txt &amp; Sitemap Monitoring</strong> </h4> <div class="highlight js-code-highlight"> <pre class="highlight javascript"><code><span class="c1">// Example alert:</span> <span class="dl">"</span><span class="s2">Your robots.txt was modified: - Added: Disallow: /api/* - Removed: Allow: /products/ Impact: 2,341 product pages may become inaccessible to search engines</span><span class="dl">"</span> </code></pre> </div> <h4> 4. <strong>HTTP Status Monitoring</strong> </h4> <p>Monitor critical pages for status code changes. Perfect for:</p> <ul> <li>Catching accidental 404s after deployments</li> <li>Detecting 500 errors before users complain</li> <li>Tracking redirect chains that slow down your site</li> </ul> <h4> 5. <strong>Affiliate Link Checker (167 Countries!)</strong> </h4> <p>This one's unique - test your affiliate links from 167 different countries. Essential if you're running:</p> <ul> <li>Amazon affiliate programs (different stores per country)</li> <li>Geo-targeted campaigns</li> <li>International e-commerce sites</li> </ul> <h4> 6. <strong>AI Overview Tracking</strong> </h4> <p>With Google's AI Overviews taking over SERPs, PageRadar tracks:</p> <ul> <li>When AI Overviews appear/disappear for your keywords</li> <li>How they impact your visibility</li> <li>Changes in SERP features over time</li> </ul> <h3> 🛠️ Technical Implementation </h3> <p>PageRadar runs distributed checks from multiple locations to ensure accuracy. Here's what happens under the hood:</p> <ol> <li> <strong>Scheduled Monitoring</strong>: Checks run at intervals you define (hourly, daily, weekly)</li> <li> <strong>Smart Diffing</strong>: We use intelligent algorithms to detect meaningful changes, not just any change</li> <li> <strong>Instant Alerts</strong>: Notifications via email, Slack, or webhook when issues are detected</li> <li> <strong>Historical Data</strong>: Track changes over time with full history retention</li> </ol> <h3> 🚀 Getting Started </h3> <p>Setting up PageRadar takes less than 5 minutes:</p> <ol> <li>Sign up for a <a href="https://pageradar.io" rel="noopener noreferrer">free trial</a> (15 days, no credit card)</li> <li>Add your domains</li> <li>Configure what you want to monitor</li> <li>Set up alert preferences</li> <li>Sleep better knowing your SEO is protected</li> </ol> <h3> 🎁 Free Tools for the Dev Community </h3> <p>I believe in giving back to the developer community, so I've built several free tools:</p> <ul> <li> <strong><a href="https://pageradar.io/free-tools/llms-txt-generator" rel="noopener noreferrer">LLMs.txt Generator</a></strong>: Help AI understand your site structure</li> <li> <strong><a href="https://pageradar.io/free-tools/ai-user-agents-list" rel="noopener noreferrer">AI User Agents List</a></strong>: Complete list of ChatGPT, Claude, and other AI bot user agents</li> <li> <strong><a href="https://pageradar.io/free-tools/redirect-checker" rel="noopener noreferrer">Redirect Checker</a></strong>: Test redirect chains and HTTP status codes</li> <li> <strong><a href="https://pageradar.io/free-tools/cloaking-checker" rel="noopener noreferrer">Cloaking Checker</a></strong>: Detect if sites are showing different content to users vs. search engines</li> <li> <strong><a href="https://pageradar.io/free-tools/sitemap-audit" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sitemap Audit Tool</a></strong>: Validate XML sitemaps for errors</li> </ul> <h3> 📊 Why PageRadar vs. Alternatives? </h3> <p>Unlike traditional rank trackers that only tell you <em>after</em> you've lost positions, PageRadar is proactive:</p> <p><strong>PageRadar:</strong></p> <ul> <li>✅ Alerts before ranking drops</li> <li>✅ Real-time monitoring</li> <li>✅ Technical SEO focus</li> <li>✅ 167 countries geo-testing</li> <li>✅ Real user Core Web Vitals data</li> <li>✅ From $29/month</li> </ul> <p><strong>Traditional SEO Tools:</strong></p> <ul> <li>❌ Alerts after ranking drops</li> <li>❌ Daily/Weekly checks only</li> <li>❌ Content focus mainly</li> <li>❌ Limited geo-testing</li> <li>❌ Lab data only</li> <li>❌ $99-500/month</li> </ul> <h3> 🤝 Built by Developers, for Developers </h3> <p>As a founder who's been in the trenches, I built PageRadar to solve my own problems. Every feature comes from real pain points I've experienced. The tool integrates seamlessly with your existing workflow:</p> <ul> <li> <strong>Webhook support</strong> for custom integrations</li> <li> <strong>API access</strong> for automated monitoring</li> <li> <strong>Slack notifications</strong> for team alerts</li> <li> <strong>Clean, actionable reports</strong> (no SEO jargon)</li> </ul> <h3> 💬 Join the Conversation </h3> <p>I'm actively developing new features based on user feedback. Current roadmap includes:</p> <ul> <li>GitHub integration for deployment-triggered checks</li> <li>Custom JavaScript monitoring</li> <li>Performance budget alerts</li> <li>Competition monitoring</li> <li>API rate limit tracking</li> </ul> <p>Check out our <a href="https://pageradar.io/roadmap" rel="noopener noreferrer">public roadmap</a> and vote for features you need!</p> <h3> 🎯 Start Monitoring Today </h3> <p>Don't wait for Google to penalize you before discovering SEO issues. Try PageRadar free for 15 days and see the difference proactive monitoring makes.</p> <p>👉 <strong><a href="https://pageradar.io" rel="noopener noreferrer">Start your free trial</a></strong> (no credit card required)</p> <p><strong>About the Author</strong>: I'm Samir, the founder of PageRadar. After losing significant traffic due to preventable technical SEO issues, I decided to build the monitoring tool I wished existed. Feel free to reach out with questions or feature requests!</p> <p><em>P.S. - If you're interested in the technical architecture behind PageRadar or want to discuss SEO monitoring strategies, drop a comment below. Always happy to chat with fellow developers!</em></p> saas monitoring startup showdev