Building and then flipping (re-selling) a domain / website can be an extremely lucrative business. Did you know that some websites have been resold for astronomically high figures? Websites have been listed at prices that stretch into the millions.
Of course, there are lots of conditions that need to be met before you can command those prices. On a more realistic level though, you can still build reasonably good websites and put them on sale for tens of thousands.
These Sites Are Valued at Over $100,000
Today we’re going to look at some examples of sites that have been sold for solid numbers. We’re also going to consider why, and show you how you can do the same.
1. PetBoutique
Almost the whole world loves its furry friends and the owner of PetBoutique is bow-wow-wowing all the way to the bank. The eCommerce site is less than a year old and already turning over an annual revenue of more than $2 million in sales.
What’s amazing is that it doesn’t even sell any particularly niche products. However, you can see that whoever built the site put a lot of thought into what was listed on it. Obviously a real pet lover at the core.
PerBoutique is a great example of what you can turn a pet (pardon the pun) passion into. Best of all, it was built on the Shopify website builder platform. This means it was quick and easy to build, even for non-tech savvy folks.
2. PersonalityMax
PersonalityMax is a relatively simple site that is built around a personality test tool. In fact, the premise is so simple that the value of the site far surpasses the initial effort put in to build something like this.
The key to success for PersonalityMax lies in its simplicity, usefulness to users, and sheer determination over time. It’s a site that hasn’t changed in principle (only in design) since it was created around ten years ago.
Today, the site ranks for 20,000 keywords but has a massive number of backlinks and referring domains. This places it firmly on Google’s radar, drawing in an estimated 30,000 visitors a month and over $3,000 in ad revenue with them.
PersonalityMax is a prime example of what you can do with careful thought, a little work, and lots of determination.
Read more: Keyword Research – How to look for profitable keywords.
3. ArtCove
ArtCove is as simple as it gets – a digital art supply store that earns money as an online retailer. Selling everything from acrylic paints to crochet needles, the site is an amazing resource for anyone working the creative crafts.
While it does look attractive enough, there’s nothing really outstanding about it. In fact the navigation is kind of poor as well – but it works. Still, the concept must work fantastically well since it’s survived for over two decades.
Today ArtCove nets a profit of over $11,000 each month and has a loyal stream of followers flooding it daily with over 20,000 pageviews a month. The site is currently run on Shopify, making it easy for everything from site maintenance to payments handling.
4. OutdoorMancave
In general, many categories of retailers hate men and that simply because we only buy either what we need or a small number of toys.
Outdoor Mancave is an exception, catering to men's inner bear.
From outdoor furniture to everything you need to burn meat under an open sky, this site tantalizes, guides, and sells everything the modern caveman needs. At the same time it makes a hefty profit by sending us into Amazon’s arms.
Outdoor Mancave doesn’t have a massive number of links but does well in organic keywords – and hence, traffic. That leads it to a comfortable affiliate income of almost $5,000 per month, even if it has to be updated regularly.
If you have a spark of interest in a niche like this, it could be your next gold mine if put into action.
5. GarageGymPro
GarageGymPro is a site that is seriously niche since not many of us are really bodybuilders. However, recent events have led to such a huge spike in homebound folks that the traffic (and affiliate sales) here have gone through the roof.
It’s a site which has changed hands a couple of times and managed to survive as its value increases. Compared to some of the other top sellers, this is an enthusiast’s site and needs more work to keep it going.
Still, the content-heavy site does sit on the WordPress platform which makes it easy to further build on for whomever bought it. Traffic flow at current is high and that brings in a strong monthly revenue of over $3,000 despite Amazon slashing affiliate fees.
Read more: 10 ways to generate more traffic to your website
So How Do You Build and Flip Your Own Sites?
When it comes to hosting websites, many beginners often get stuck simply because there are various moving parts that go into the mix. For example, you need a domain name, web hosting, and typically, some form of web application.
1. Niche Really Means Niche
When the term niche is used, there is a common misconception that it applies to an industry. In the past this might have been true, but with competition the way it is today, niche means really niche – a subset or even sub-subset within an industry.
For example, if you were to choose the food industry – that would be overly broad.
What you need to do is drill much deeper.
Let’s consider a site that’s doing food reviews – you might like to specialize within that to something like “Thai Food” or “Street Food”.
Read more: Key points to consider when finding a niche.
2. Choose Your Platform Wisely
No matter how you decide to build your website, keep in mind a couple of things. It needs to be not just quick and easy to build but also maintain. You also need to be clear that the requirements for building a typical website will differ from an eCommerce site.
For regular websites, choose a form that fits your site. If you want to build a blog-style website then a content management system (CMS) like WordPress is ideal. For eCommerce sites, try using a dedicated platform like Shopify.
Part of your choice for the type of site to build may depend on how you intend to monetize. For instance, if you’re going to earn money off affiliate links, then a blog-style site will help you build lots of content more easily to draw in the traffic.
Read more: WordPress vs Website Builders – Which one should you use?
3. Show Them the Money
Almost any website can be sold – the key to getting a good price is how profitable a site is. If you can build a website that rakes in a steady flow of cash (no matter how much) then it becomes more desirable immediately.
The best part about this is you don’t even have to wait till it grows big in order to sell it. As long as you demonstrate the potential for income based on your concept – that’s half the battle already won.
4. Build True Value
Money may cross your mind at many times when building a site to flip.
Resist the tendency to focus overly much on this word and instead, turn towards traffic. The real value of a website lies in its capacity to attract a steady, large flow of visitors.
Without this, there is almost no possibility of your site being successful. It’s mainly a numbers game. More traffic equals a larger number of sales (typically). At the very least, there is monetization in ad revenue.
5. Lower the Focus Off Design
Website owners often spend excessive amounts of time building their sites to look the best they can. While design is important, the content plays a far greater role in bringing in a steady flow of traffic.
6. Sell on a Reputable Service Provider
There are a ton of places where you can sell websites online these days. Not all are equal. Look towards reputable service providers like Flippa who are experts in the commercial sales of websites.
They offer comprehensive listings that are very powerful for both buyers and sellers.
The end result is a happy deal at both ends of the spectrum.
7. Don’t Rush the Sale
For new sellers, it can be tempting to try and push through a deal and get cash in hand just to prove to yourself that you can do it. At all costs resist this urge. The life of a website is long and if you’ve built on a solid concept, its value will only increase.
Pay attention to market factors and time your efforts for maximum value. Take the case of GarageGymPro above – their value shot up during the Coronavirus pandemic when stay-at-home became a big deal – and it paid off in spades.
Final Thoughts
Don’t be discouraged if you fail to get a buyer with your initial efforts. Learn from the experiences and refine your building (and listing) techniques. Also remember, keep unsold sites updated to grow and maintain their value over time.
It doesn’t take that much effort and who knows what may happen in the future.
Recap
- Select a niche for your new website
With competition the way it is today, niche means really niche – a subset or even sub-subset within an industry. For example, if you were to choose the food industry – that would be overly broad. What you need to do is drill much deeper. Let’s consider a site that’s doing food reviews – you might like to specialize within that to something like “Thai Food” or “Street Food”.
- Build on a popular platform
For regular websites, choose a form that fits your site. If you want to build a info-style website then WordPress is ideal; for eCommerce sites, try using a popular dedicated platform is supported by a large developer community like Shopify.
- Show them the money
Almost any website can be sold – the key to getting a good price is how profitable a site is. The best part about this is you don’t even have to wait till it grows big in order to sell it. As long as you demonstrate the potential for income based on your concept – that’s half the battle already won.
- Build content and traffic
Focus on building your content and traffic. Typically, more traffic equals a larger number of sales. At the very least, there is monetization in ad revenue.
- Lower the focus on design
Website owners often spend excessive amounts of time building their sites to look the best they can. While design is important, the content plays a far greater role in bringing in a steady flow of traffic.
- Sell on reputable platforms
There are a ton of places where you can sell websites online these days. Not all are equal. Look towards reputable service providers like Flippa who are experts in the commercial sales of websites.
