One of the biggest goals for all web site and blog owners is to be able to sell their site for a boat load of cash. This was usually done privately and it would be very rare for someone to come out of the blue and ask if you wanted to see your site.
A few years ago Flippa.com came in and completely changed the industry with how we buy and sell web sites. Before being Flippa.com, the buying and selling process was actually done through the SitePoint forums. I had personally bought and sold a few sites through their forum back then, but absolutely love what they have done with their Flippa site and the massive growth it’s had over the past few years. I already have over $100,000 in transactions through my account on Flippa.
Let’s quickly take a look at some of the powerful numbers behind Flippa today.
As you can see, Flippa is pushing some serious numbers… well over $100 MILLION in sales!
You will also notice that 60% of all listings end up in a sale. Why do some sell and others don’t?
This is mainly due to the type of web sites or blogs that are being listed for sale, but a huge contribution to the amount of money a site will sell for also lies within how well they did with their auction listing. That is exactly what we are going to talk about in this post. How to get the most money from your web site through Flippa!
Follow these simple steps and you are destined to find better results, more bids and even higher payout for your next web site or blog auction.
Provide as Much Info as Possible
As with anything in life, the more information you can provide, the better. As much as we all would like to think that our web sites are the greatest and that they deserve top dollar, it will be a completely different view from the person who is buying your site. The more information you can provide, the less likely the buyer is going to feel like they are getting scammed.
What do buyers want to see in site descriptions? EVERYTHING! You should specifically be focusing on how the site was created, why you are selling, did the site earn any money, what type of job and investment is required to continue to run the site, all advertising/management costs and anything else that the new buyer of the site would need to know.
Google Analytics Access
There are lots of ways to track a web site and the traffic that it receives, but at the end of the day Google Analytics is the standard that all buyers want to see. Flippa already has a system in place for you to connect to your Google Analytics account and upload the latest information and reports on your site. If you like to use another outside tracking method besides Google Analytics, that is fine… but if you want to get the most money out of your site, you better have full Analytics to report to your potential buyers.
Monetized Sites Sell Best
If you have a web site or blog that is earning a few thousand a month in sales versus a blog that isn’t making money at all… which do you think is going to sell for more money? Obviously the one that is generating money! This means you should always try to list web sites that are making money. If you have a web site that isn’t making money and you want to get rid of it, throw it on Flippa and see what type of attention it gets. If you don’t see the sales numbers you would like, pull the site down and try to monetize it, then list it again after you’ve made some money with the site.
Reserve or Not to Reserve
The “Reserve” price is a feature available on all Flippa auctions. This means you can set a price for your web site and if it doesn’t meet that price, then you don’t have to sell. Reserve prices are good and bad. The good thing is that it protects your web site from selling for a very low price. The bad thing is that it will usually scare bidders away and they will always contact you asking what the reserve is.
Respond to All Comments Fast
Selling your web site is a serious business. If someone is going to a real bid to buy your web site or blog and they have a question, you better be there to answer it for them. Don’t let questions and comments build up on your site auction without any responses. Be active on your auction page as much as you can, and always respond to all comments and answer questions in the most detail as possible. If you come across trolls or people that are bad mouthing your listing, contact Flippa and they will take care of it.
Due Diligence Report
If you have a really large and advanced web site or blog for sale, you can order a Flippa Due Diligence Report which costs $199. In short… “A full, hands-off Due Diligence solution that gives an in-depth overview of any potential problems, or any misrepresentation in the information provided by the seller.” – Though I would not think this service is necessary for anyone looking to sell a web site for less than $20,000.
Accept Payments Through All Methods
When listing your site for sale on Flippa you have a few options for how you can accept payment. These methods are Paypal, Escrow and Credit Card. Paypal is used for the majority of transactions and Escrow is used when you are dealing with higher end sales (usually $5,000+). To make the most out of your auction, you should accept all payment methods (or at least Paypal and Escrow), as this will let the buyer know that you are serious and willing to work with them on a payment method.
Make Your Listing Stand Out
Just like eBay, you can make your Flippa listings stand out from others on the site. With hundreds of active listings on the site it would be a good idea to get a little more exposure. Of course exposure comes with cost, so you better make sure you have a high end site for sale if you are going to spend some good money on promoting. I’ve listed some of the top listing enhancement for you below.
Follow these simple steps and take the time to create the best auction you can and you will see a huge improvement in bids and sales prices for your sites when listing them through Flippa.
