Need Advise Buying a Big Website

[djever]

Hi,
I'm looking to purchase a big website in the Movie/TV category. This one site on my radar is <1000 World Alexa rank so it is very expensive.

I've heard stories where people got screwed over by not being thorough enough during due diligence.

The website is a .ch domain with several .com sites pointing to it. 70-80% of the traffic is from natural SEO.

What kind of dirty tricks/scams should I be aware of before I do this deal? I live in North America and the owner is in Europe. If I get screwed then going after this person would be very difficult.

Please do not ask for the site URL or price, because I cannot disclose this information.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated.
Thank You!

 

[neeganate]

I would consult with a website broker first.

 

[axus_auto]

Check the traffic sources very thoroughly. Check the backlinks very thoroughly. Use Escrow for sure.

 

[testdrive]

Since it is in TV/Movie niche, Are you sure you will not have problem with copyright? Did you ask the seller why is he selling the site? for all we know, it has already received legal letters / DCMA or something similar.

 

[Enchanter]

Contact with meathead1234
He might help you

 

[djever]

Since it is in TV/Movie niche, Are you sure you will not have problem with copyright? Did you ask the seller why is he selling the site? for all we know, it has already received legal letters / DCMA or something similar.

There is no DMCA procedures on the website right now. A registered DMCA agent would be the first thing I would get. I would revamp the site policies.
I assume there are daily take down notices based on great seo ranks.

 

[djever]

Check the traffic sources very thoroughly. Check the backlinks very thoroughly. Use Escrow for sure.

How do I check the backlinks thoroughly? What am I looking for?

Yes, the plan is to use Escrow.

 

[DarkMeta]

check previous analytics reports and adsense earning too.....

 

[MatthewWoodward]

If you are new/unsure as to what you are doing I would suggest you get professional consultation on the deal/site to ensure you don't take a huge hit.

Buying any website that relys so heavily on Google rankings to drive traffic is always a gamble in my opinion as it could get torched at any point - however some gambles are less risky than others and it's this risk you need to calculate.

Plan for the worst case scenario, if you buy the site and it no longer gets any traffic from Google where does that leave you?

Given all the anti piracy policy/changes they have made recently (auto suggests, DMCA affect rankings etc) then I would say it could be a big risk

 

[Mr.Whitehat]

what kinda site is it? movie/tv show reviews/trailers/gossips kinda or warez linking? if its warez then do care coz owners mostly flip only if they get serious dmcas, and such serious threats will be a pain in the ass and force u to take it down within less time..

 

[djever]

what kinda site is it? movie/tv show reviews/trailers/gossips kinda or warez linking? if its warez then do care coz owners mostly flip only if they get serious dmcas, and such serious threats will be a pain in the ass and force u to take it down within less time..

The site is a link site. Provides links to various flash sources as well as a few sponsored links.