Buying existing websites

[skywilson]

Hi all,

just wondering if anyone here has bought on online website such as FBA and what was your experience like? on sites like empire flippers, there are businesses that have only been started 3 years ago and now making huge profits. How hard would it be just to start one of these websites? is there a certain amount of luck or high skill needed? and what about maintaining it? once the original owner leaves would it be hard to grow from there? Also what is the risk that there is a change to FBA and the site fails?

Thanks

 

[gredmag]

niches?

 

[skywilson]

I was talking just in general for eg, health and fitness, electronics

 

[200]

The quality on Flippa for example seem to have tanked.
Hard to find good stuff. Can of cause be done if that is your thing.

 

[Kikerinka]

In general, buying an established website is a tricky endeavor--nothing for newbies.
You should ask for access to G. Analytics, G. Webmaster tools, and perhaps also other platforms, just to confirm the traffic sources, Geo of the visitors, landing pages, everything.

If they do not want to give you such access, you should dash it immediately, regardless of how good the offer seems.

Then you should dig deeper and analyze the website, their link building campaign, real spending, etc.

For example, I saw many such websites on sale which were getting majority of their traffic from social media (FB and similar).
The owners often advertised that there are no expenses involved, but unless you dig deep to it and see exactly how the visitors got from FB or IG to the websites, you cannot really tell.
They may as well be spending nearly as much as they are earning, or the model is just about to fall, or it is too closely linked to a personal brand of the owner and one they sell you the website the social traffic will die away...

And one more thing: if there is a really good website, with nothing shady behind it, it won't sell for 10 or 20 multiple of average monthly earnings... Forget what people are saying here.

I participated in several such auctions in my IM career, ready to pay 30-50 multiple, when I did my diligence and knew that everything was legit, and the income was passive. But I haven't won a single auction.

Someone was always ready to pay more (one time it was 100 multiple). It's rare to find a really good website for sale, so people who have a lot of money and an idea how to improve the earnings are ready to pay big for it. That's it...

 

[soheb123]

Also if you notice on some of the listings they’ll say how easy it is to run and how turn key it is, but then when they’re asked why they’re selling it they say oh we got other businesses we wanna focus on. And they’re selling it for like 2-3x multiple or whatever

 

[Nubian Content]

niches?

Damn how'd you get banned so fast after this