The complete guide to flipping sites and making money
Making money flipping websites is one of the most consistently profitable things you can do online. Savvy buyers are always looking for ways to invest their money to have the best possible return on their investment. If you’re able to create profitable websites, selling them is a piece of cake. Flipping websites is an excellent way to make money. It takes a lot of hard work and time and can be frustrating, but the results can be very rewarding.
What is site flipping?
Site flipping is the process of buying a website to resell it at a higher price. The goal is to buy websites at an affordable price and sell them for more. When you’re able to flip websites, you can make quick money that you can use to reinvest into other types of businesses.
Is it possible to make money with site flipping?
Yes, it is possible. It takes a lot of hard work in order to be able to flip websites for a profit. You’ll need to be willing to invest your time and money into the process, but it’s possible. It just takes a lot of trial and error to be able to buy and sell profitable websites. There is no quick way to do it.
Can you build websites from the ground up and flip them?
Yes, you can. However, it’s a lot more realistic to buy sites and fix them up. It’s much more challenging to start from scratch. The profits are much higher when you create a site from scratch, but the amount of work involved is significantly higher. The goal with site flipping is to take something that is underperforming and turn it around so that you can make significant progress while also making a profit.
Let’s talk about what you should keep an eye out for when spotting sites worth flipping
Sites with technical problems may offer a quick flip opportunity
Let’s say that you spot a site that is a great deal, but there’s something wrong with it. Maybe Google isn’t spidering the site properly because it can’t get to all the pages to index them. A problem like this might take you less than an hour to fix it. After you solve the problem that stops Google from spidering all the pages, it’s only a matter of time before the pages get indexed and traffic begins to flow. You would only need to wait a few months for the issue to resolve itself, and then you could put the site back on the market at a considerably higher price.
Sometimes a site owner needs to make cash fast, and they sell their website cheap
There are a million different reasons why a site owner might need to make some money quickly. Sometimes they might have financial problems and need to sell their site. Let’s say the site was launched and is performing great, but then the owner suffers an injury that stops him from being able to work on the site. Maybe he’s about to go on a long vacation and wants to sell the site before he leaves. Perhaps he has some debt that needs to be paid off, and the only way to do it is to sell the site. You get the drift; the important thing here is, he wants to sell at a price that no one can refuse.
The site owner may undervalue their website without knowing it
Sometimes people don’t know a diamond when they have one in their hand. It’s entirely possible that the site is worth much more than the seller realizes, and they aren’t asking enough money for it. This is one of the things you want to be on the lookout for so that you can swoop in and make a great deal.
Starter sites are inexpensive, but they require you to do most of the work
A starter site is a site that is pretty much barebones and is what the name implies. You can’t expect that a starter site is going to be making much money if any at all. It’s going to need a lot of work to get it off the ground. When you buy a starter site, you’ll have to do all the work and then sell it for a profit. Sometimes this can be a good option if you’re looking to make money with site flipping but don’t want to put up a lot of your own cash.
Here are the things that you should consider when buying a site to flip:
How old is the site?
The age of the site is crucial because it’s a factor that you can put into your projections when you figure out how much profits you might be able to make. If the site is new and has no rankings, it will take a lot of work to get it ranked. You can expect to put in many hours and maybe even a little money, depending on how deep the work you need to do is. On the other hand, you can buy an older site and get it to rank more quickly.
Has the domain ever been spammed?
If the domain has been spammed, it could be a problem. If Google or another major search engine has blacklisted the domain, it might take more work than you can handle. If the site was ever spammed, you should consider hiring someone to clean up so that you can start fresh. It might cost a little bit of money, but it can save you a lot more in the long run. Domains that were heavily spammed in the past are more work than they’re worth, and it’s best to avoid them at all costs.
How much traffic does the site get every month?
The amount of traffic the site gets is essential when judging its overall value. If you buy a site and it barely gets any traffic, then it’s not going to sell for much or get ranked easily.
Here are a couple of things to consider:
Is the traffic mostly from Google? If so, it’s probably a very valuable site. If its traffic is mainly from Facebook or another social site, then you might not want to pay too much for it.
What keywords and phrases are the visitors using to find the site? If they’re not using your keywords, then you won’t get any of that traffic. It’s a good idea to do some keyword research to see what kind of traffic your “flip” could generate.
What is the bounce rate?
The bounce rate is the percentage of visitors that leave the site without visiting any other pages on the site. A high bounce rate means that the site isn’t very valuable, and it’s going to be hard to make money. If the bounce rate is low, then you probably have a better quality site. However, high bounce rates can still be good. Sites that get a lot of traffic usually have a lower bounce rate.
Now let’s focus on how much money the site is making
How much money does the site earn every month?
How much money does the site earn from Adsense, affiliate marketing, or another source? If the site makes less than $50 a month in revenue, then you probably shouldn’t be buying it. A good site will get at least several hundred dollars in monthly income.
How long has the site been earning money?
If the site has been earning money for a long time, then it’s probably worth more than if it’s only recently started making money. If it’s only been earning a few months, it has a far less track record and may not be a stable earner.
Are the earnings seasonal, or are they consistent?
Some sites make more money during certain seasons than others. It makes sense that a site about skiing would make more money during the winter than in the summer. Some areas make a lot of money during certain holidays like Christmas and don’t make anything during other times of the year.
The seasonality of the earnings of the site is something that you may want to factor in. However, don’t overlook sites that make the bulk of their money during a certain season because they offer great potential for high profits during their peak seasons.
How many pages does the site have?
The more pages a site has, the more potential it has to have relevant content. A high-quality site should have at least several hundred pages, though this isn’t necessarily a hard and fast rule.
What is the ratio of ads to “real” content?
There are a few ways that you can tell what percentage of the site is the actual content and what percentage is ads.
First, check the site’s source code. It will have a “short description” of the site that will tell you what kind of site it is and its type of content. You can also count the number of words in the “short description” and compare it to the site’s word count.
Another way to tell is by looking at a page on the site. While you are browsing any site, click the “Tools” menu and select “View Source.” That will display the source code for the current page. Use the “Find” feature to look for keywords like “Minecraft,” “game,” or “online.” If you find that any of these words are on a page, you’re probably looking at a site that promotes the game. If you find nothing, then it probably isn’t.
Now let’s talk about how long you should hold onto the site before flipping it
If the site you’re flipping just has some technical issues that need to be addressed, holding the site for a few months is a good idea before flipping it. A buyer might be leery of buying a site from you if you recently bought it from someone else. It seems fishy that a person would buy a site and then flip it in a matter of days or weeks.
It’s probably best to hold onto the site for a year or two before flipping it
A year is a good amount of time that you can use to build up the site. During this time, you can add more content, build backlinks, and work hard to monetize the site to the best of your ability. When you have a site that has been around for a number of years and has had time to generate a decent amount of traffic, then you’re in the best position to sell it.
The goal is the make the site better than when you bought it
Improving the site is what will make it more valuable in the long run. You add value to the site, and in turn, it grows in value. The more work you do, the more likely it is that you’ll be able to sell it for a decent profit. Work hard to improve the user’s experience and to get more traffic from Google. The whole point is to improve the site to the point that people are willing to spend more money on it than you do.
Let’s talk about where you can sell your site for a profit
There are quite a few places where you can sell your site. Selling the site is as easy as listing it on a site and allowing potential buyers to kick the tires and see if they’re willing to plunk down their hard-earned money for the site.
Here are a few places where you can list your site for sale:
Trademysite
Trademysite is one of the best places to list your site for sale. It’s a well-known site that has been selling websites for a long time. Their site design is pretty decent, and it’s not as cluttered as some sites. The process is quick and easy; you can list your site and then start getting offers within a day or two. It’s free to list your site, but you’ll have to pay a small fee if you want Trademysite to sell it for you.
Website Broker
Website Broker is another site that has been around for a while and has proven itself to be an excellent marketplace for selling sites. It has everything you would expect from a site like this, and it’s free to join. You can sell both sites and domains.
Afternic
Afternic is a popular site that specializes in domains and websites. It has a huge database of sites that you can either sell or buy from. Their site is pretty good, but it’s more complicated than other sites like this. You’ll have to pay $99 a year to list your sites, but you can get them sold pretty quickly, so the fee is worth it if you’re impatient.
Flippa
Let’s be honest and say that almost all of you will buy and sell your sites at Flippa. It’s one of the largest marketplaces for buying and selling websites and has been around for a long time. Their site is very user-friendly and easy to use. The site is free to use if you want to sell the site yourself. However, if you want them to sell it for you, they’ll charge you a fee based on a percentage of the site’s selling price.
Flipping sites on your own might be more hassle than it’s worth
The one thing all of these sites have in common is they will charge you to sell your site. You can avoid the fees by selling the site yourself. A word of caution about selling a site on your own; you have far fewer ways to protect yourself. Flippa offers protection for both buyers and sellers, and it may be worth the extra money for the protection.
Now let’s talk about the mindset of a site flipper
You must view the sites that you buy as investments. Think of the domain and site exactly like you would a piece of real estate that you want to rent out. The longer you hold it, the more money you’ll make. If you flip it too soon, then you’ll end up missing out on profits that could be substantial.
You have to be patient, and you have to plan ahead. You can’t just buy a site, throw it up on a hosting account, and hope that money will just start coming in. It doesn’t work like that. You have to put a lot of work into the site in order to get it to make money. Don’t be afraid to spend a few bucks until you get it up and running.
Never forget that you’re building value that will enable you to sell the site for more money
Every dollar that you invest in the site today will hopefully reap you more money down the road when you sell it. Any investment you make now will grow over time just like it would if you were to invest your money into a piece of land. When you look at your sites this way, it makes it easier to decide to invest in them.
Think long term when it comes to investing and building your site
We’re talking months and years, and that’s how you should see it. It’s the same as building a business in a way. You need a plan, you need to spend time and money investing in your sites, and then you need to be patient. Get the site profitable and make sure it has a long track history of making money. That, in essence, is what will enable you to flip sites and consistently make a profit successfully.
Let’s talk about the brass tax when it comes to making money
How much should you pay for a site that you want to flip?
There are plenty of opinions on the web regarding how much you should spend on a site before flipping it. The golden rule tends to be 24 to 36 months of revenue combined is what the site is worth. So, if a site makes $100 a month, it’s worth about $2400 to $3600. That is the ballpark figure that you should consider paying when buying a site.
How much should you sell your site for?
The same formula applies when selling your site as it does when you’re buying one. You multiply the monthly earnings by 24 to 36. That’s what you can expect a buyer to pay if they make you an offer for your site. It’s also reasonable that you would put a price tag as such on your site if you were to set a price on it.
Hopefully, now you can see the value of increasing the revenue of a site
So, let’s say that you bought a site for $3000 that was making $100 a month. You spend six months working on the site, and now it’s earning $300 per month. Now it’s worth $7200 to $9600. You could easily flip this site for less than 24 months of revenue and still, make a decent amount of profit.
It’s all about how much money the site earns when you flip it
It’s not about how much you paid for the site or how much time you put into it. It’s about how much money the site makes when you sell it. That is the bottom line and what will enable you to make money from site flipping. Your job isn’t only to get traffic to the site; you must also find ways to make it profitable. That is what enables you to flip the site for a profit.
It’s exceptionally rare that anyone would want to buy a site that doesn’t make any money. If you’re going to spend the time, energy, and money on a site, then make sure that it has a history of making money. Your ability to turn a site that is making less than it should and turning it into a cash cow is what you’re trying to do here. Discipline is the one word that will help you succeed with site flipping.
To summarize, this is the process of flipping a site in a nutshell
- The first thing you do is find a site that has plenty of earning potential
- You must develop skills that you’ll use to take a site that is earning less than it should and turn it into a site that makes a decent amount of money.
- You need to learn how to create content that drives traffic organically to a site
- If you’re paying for traffic, that’s a sign that bad things will happen down the line. The traffic that flows to your site must come organically. If it doesn’t, the buyer won’t have a solid income when buying the site from you.
- You must learn the art of selling a site to potential buyers
- It’s all about marketing. Your ability to sell the site and create interest in the site will determine whether or not you can flip it for a profit.
- Seal the deal for 24 to 36 times your monthly earnings
The only thing left for you to do is sell the site. If you can’t get the price you want right away, sit on the site and work on it, so it earns more money. If your site is making money every month, there’s no need to hurry and sell it. The longer you wait, the more money it generates, the more you’ll be able to get out of your site later on.
Site flipping is a consistent way to earn a living online
Now you know how to flip sites the right way. When you combine a little patience, some discipline, and hard work, site flipping can bring you a consistent income that will provide you with the money you need to pay the bills and live your life in style. Site flipping is a fantastic way to earn a living online, and it’s not as complicated as some like to make you think it is. If you’re willing to put in the time and effort, then you will be successful with your site flipping ventures.
The critical thing to remember is, you’re creating value and passing it onto the buyer. However, you must be smart about it and not squander your opportunity to make money from the site. By adding value to the site and making it more profitable than when you bought it, you’ll be able to make a profit from your work.
Always seek out new opportunities to buy undervalued sites
You should comb through Flippa, the other sites, and even forums to find sites that are currently being undervalued. Unless you’re working on a so-time-intensive project, you should be looking for new opportunities to invest your money. The right opportunity doesn’t come around very often, and that’s why you need to make it a habit to look for them continually.
