Site Selling 101: Revenue Based design

Selling a site can be one of the easiest things you’ve ever done or one of the hardest – it all depends on what kind of site you’re selling, whether or not it makes any money, and how you go about presenting the sale. If you’ve never sold an established site before, this guide is for you. If you have, you should still probably read this.

“You see to most potential buyers when a seller tries to unload a revenue based site that doesn’t seem to require all that much work, a smell hits them right in the face – the smell of bullshit.”

Revenue Based

For the most part when you attempt to sell a site that makes very little or no revenue, it is not all too difficult so long as you provide enough information to entice the buyer. On the other hand when it comes time to sell your first established, revenue based site, it can be extremely difficult. You see to most potential buyers when a seller tries to unload a revenue based site that doesn’t seem to require all that much work, a smell hits them right in the face – the smell of bullshit.

Buyers will literally spend hours looking in to what you – the seller – might know that you’re not letting anyone else on to. To the buyers, it just doesn’t make sense that anyone would consider selling a site that is earning them money. Regardless of what you list for reasons for are selling, it will take a whole lot more to get people to believe you. I’ve found with the Market Theme sale that even people who have contacted me with deep interest in the site have been very skeptical as to why I’m selling. It is up to you to convince the buyer that you’re not here to play games with them, you’re here to make a fair, accurate, and professional sale.

Making the Sale

Tip 1: Write a very detailed for sale post
When you’re selling a site with revenue, the longer and more detailed the for sale post is, the better results you will have. This isn’t like selling a little one page design. Simply saying “Site for sale, looking for $1K OBO” isn’t going to cut it here. I like to break down my for sale posts into a couple main categories. I usually start off with an introduction paragraph or two explaining the site for sale, how it got started, and etc. Next I go into the key to producing the sale – explaining why you want to sell. From there I go onto what the buyer would be getting, the revenue details (where the money comes from, proof of revenue, etc), and finally traffic details. Don’t worry so much about how wordy your post is becoming – any serious buyer is going to take the time to read the whole thing, regardless of how long it might take them.

Tip 2 – Be honest and straightforward to interested buyers
When buyers contact you with inquiries, it means they are pretty damn interested. It’s in your best interest not to lose them and to get them to submit an offer. Many times the first thing they are going to ask about is for a better clarification as to why you’re selling your site. Don’t bullshit them. If they don’t believe your original explanation it means you’re going to need to go a lot further and do a lot more explaining to get them to see the light. Assure them that you are professional and you are not trying to dump faulty goods off with them. If you were in their position, you wouldn’t want to make a big investment only to see it tank because the seller wanted to play games with you. Honesty goes a long way, so be sure to explain to them as detailed as you can as to why you are selling the site. Answer any questions they may have, and be sure to continually ask if they have any other questions that still haven’t been resolved. Be as polite and helpful as possible and you’ll close in on that offer.

Tip 3 – Set a firm price and stick with it
Be sure to ask around and get a ballpark figure as to what your site would be worth. Everyone says something different when it comes to evaluating revenue based sites – some will multiple revenue by 2 times, some up to 5. There really is no perfect formula because everyone’s attitude is different. The key for you is to set that price, whether its on paper or in your mind, and stick to it. There are plenty of sellers out there aiming just to screw buyers over, and there are buyers out there who are out to screw the seller as well. Don’t accept the first offer you get if it isn’t in the range you were looking for. It’s unfair to yourself to sell yourself short like that. Figure out how much it would cost to build your site, add in the total revenue you’ve earned, and how long you’re site has been around for.