6 things you should know before selling a website

Preparing your website for sale can be a daunting task. If you’ve never sold a site before it can be difficult to know what lies ahead. The following 6 points will give you a much better idea of what to expect.

1) Buyers want results, not potential

Most website sellers want to be compensated for the blood, sweat, and carpal tunnel they endure while creating their sites. That’s understandable, but a buyer only sees the finished product, and because the market is packed with so many viable opportunities, it is rare that a buyer will pay for potential. Instead, buyers are willing to pay for proven results. For a top dollar price, you need to present proven top dollar results.

2) Appearance matters

If you have ever sold a house, you know how important it is to keep it clean and neat and present it at its best. The same is true for websites—it is possible to sell a virtual fixer-upper, but you will get much more for a site that is in peak form. Links that don’t work, broken functionalities, and a messy design can all have a negative impact on the final sale price.

3) Avoid hyperbole

To be clear, there is a difference between passionately selling your website and exaggerating its quality. Using hyperbolic language such as “Once in a lifetime opportunity!” or “MASSIVE POTENTIAL!” can be damaging to your listing. Even if these statements are true, buyers often see them as an attempt by the seller to overcompensate for the weaknesses of their website. Instead of embellishing, tone down the vocabulary and sell buyers on the facts.

4) Pack your listing description with the information that buyers are looking for

Piggybacking off of #3, make sure to include relevant information in your listing that buyers are going to be looking for. Of course, this means you should touch on traffic, revenue, and profitability, but there are also a number of other things you should touch on. Consider adding sections to your listing on the following:

• About the seller
• Description of the site
• Monetization
• Monthly time requirement
• Marketing
• What is included in the sale?
• Future Opportunities
• Challenges
• Competitors
• Why is the business being sold?
• What kind of post-sale support will you provide?

5) Be prepared to devote time to your auction, promptness is key

Before you launch your auction ask yourself “Will I have time to answer questions, screen potential bidders, and provide and compile information on request?” I often tell the sellers that auctions on Flippa are a bit like a marathon, and they can be mentally draining. However, in order to get the maximum price for your asset your involvement in the auction is crucial. When buyers send questions, they need to be answered quickly. There are thousands of sites for sale on Flippa, and if buyers sense that a particular seller is unresponsive they will move on to the next listing.

6) Have your numbers in order, and make sure you can back them up

For buyers looking to profit off of a website, the information they will most want is that which pertains to your website’s finances and traffic. Be prepared to back up any claims you made with verifiable proof – failing to do so could lead to your listing being suspended. In terms of finances this is usually accomplished by providing screenshots or video walkthroughs of backend sales reports and/or related accounts. When it comes to traffic verification, the industry standard is Google Analytics, especially since we have the ability to independently verify this data via an API connection with Google.