Want To Jump Start Your Internet Business? Consider Buying an Existing Website and/or Blog

Article Marketing Is Dead - Drive More Traffic To Your Site

Well it looks as though my outsourced work still isn’t finished yet. It is not the end of the world, since I don’t have to pay until the project is complete, but it is annoying since it delays the other things I want to do. So, today I thought I would bring you another simple Internet business idea.

It can take a long time to build up both traffic and content of a new website or blog to a respectable amount. Depending on your niche area of focus it could take from 3 months to 2+ years before you really start seeing any return on your results. For some people this is just too long.

The good news is that an alternative does exist. You can always buy an existing Internet business and then expand it on your own. This can save you precious time. Plus, if you buy a site that is already generating money you will also have some instant cash flow.

The most popular places to find fully developed websites for sale are Sitepoint, Website Broker, buysellwebsite.com and the Digital Point forum.

Now, I have not personally bought or sold a website but I am always on the lookout for interesting opportunities that fit with my core businesses. That being said you have to be extremely careful when buying an existing website because there are a lot of scams out there.

Important Things to Watch Out For

1. The first thing you need to watch out for is the amount of traffic a site receives. Many people selling websites claim to have a certain volume of traffic but make sure you get proof in the form of site statistics. Also, you need to know things like how many unique users there are versus page views or hits.
2. The next thing to watch out for are websites that may be banned from Google. Usually, this is due to sites that spam Google’s index. I would never buy a site that has a Google ban because it will be much harder to get traffic to it. Just search for the domain name on Google and you will find if pages from the site are being indexed.
3. Another important thing to know is the source of traffic the site receives. Generally speaking sites that receive search engine traffic are more valuable than those that receive traffic through social media sites such as Digg or StumbleUpon. Make sure you ask about this.
4. The fourth thing to watch out for is the reported income of a site. Many people selling sites will try to make seem like they are earning more than they are. Make sure you know if income figures are gross or net. For example, some people may claim their site earns $10,000 a month but if they spend $9,500 on Pay per click ads you aren’t really getting such a great deal. (See traffic above) Again, always get proof of any claims.
5. Furthermore, if you plan to monetize the site using Google’s AdSense program make sure that the site you want to buy has not been banned from it. The easiest way to check is to see if the website is currently displaying Google ads. If it is then you know it OK. If not be sure to ask if you are interested in doing so.
6. Finally, when looking at a website make sure that the person selling it has the right to do so. Moreover, you want to make sure that the content is original and not stolen from somebody else. I have had some of my work stolen in the past and I think people who do that kind of thing are scum. Don’t reward them by paying for theft.

Buying an existing site or blog can be great if you want to get your Internet business started quickly. However, don’t rush into it without thinking things through. Carefully, research the site before paying any money. Also, be cautious when actually paying for it because fraud, although relatively rare, still does happen.

If you have an experience either buying or selling a website or blog please share it the comment section below. (Note comments are held in moderation due to spam problems)