If you’ve ever taken the time to look through the recent listings on Flippa.com, you will notice that there are some high value sites and blogs selling all of the time. Most of the high end sites will sell for around mid to high five figures, but some will even pass into the six figure range!
So what does it take to create a mega blog that you could actually sell for thousands upon thousands of dollars? What it takes it knowing what you are building before you even get started. The truth is, most blogs that sell for good money, weren’t accidental successes.
I currently have a listing of my own for PPC.org on Flippa, which is what I would consider a”mega blog” and one that will sell for the high five figures range. Using the same formula and three simple principles I came up with to create this blog, you can do the same thing and maybe even launch then sell your own mega blog.
1.) Find a Killer Domain in a Niche You Know
Granted, it’s not every day that you will come across a domain name like PPC.org in the domain name after market. I actually first came across the domain a couple years ago and it ended up costing several thousands of dollars to acquire, but it was well worth it. “PPC” can stand for anything you like, but the backbone of my business idea was that it would stand for “Pay Per Click”.
This same principle can be applied to any blog or business model. If you can secure a solid domain name, you are already steps ahead of the competition and actually building your business and site at a premium. Any generic or short domain name is a huge bonus for any web site or business. Be sure to check out domain expiration services like NameCheap, as you never know what domain names might just become available.
2.) Build a Team Around Your Site
There is nothing good about being the Jack of all trades! Sure, you may be talented, but in the end you really don’t want to have the whole weight of the world on your shoulders.
In the case of PPC.org, I was fortunate enough to call on a good friend of mine, John Rampton, who is also a master of ppc marketing. Together we decided to build a team of high profile writers and people who knew how to write and market their ppc content. Fast forward several months later and the blog is now loaded up with over 1,000 pages of original content.
The key take away here is, specialize in what you do, then build a successful team around you of other successful people!
3.) Create a Business That Can Be Sold
Lastly, before even starting your blog in the first place, you need to think about why it has value and if you ever want to sell it… why would anyone want to buy it?
A lot of time, money and research went into all of the content and marketing efforts that make PPC.org what it is today. Knowing the search and internet marketing business made it that much easier for us to create a site that provides value not only to anyone who is interested in learning about online marketing, but also a potential take over for any established ppc / search marketing company that is looking to expand their reach with an already established and authority blog.
What Can You Create and Sell in the Next 12-24 Months?
These same principles can be applied to any blog or business. A solid domain name will get you ahead of the competition, but it’s also the massive amount of work and dedication behind the blog that will bring value to the site. Before starting your next blog, don’t think about how much money you can make in the next coming days, weeks or even months… but instead the potential your site has for a “mega” sale once you’ve reached that authoritative status!
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{ 53 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Zac and Ileane,
This is a great post to let people know there is more than one way to monetize your blog. Selling through an auction based format can lead to a site bringing more than you were asking since people are bidding each other up.
Another great place to look for available domain names (some with sites attached) is SnapNames. They have a huge data base of domains available to bid on or buy it now. Also, if there is a name you want, but it is taken, you can send in a back order and they will watch it and notify you if it becomes available to buy.
Hi,
Thank you so much for providing these tips on how to create websites that can be sold, as you said on of the key factors on building a website is the niche or specialization, this what will get your website sold. If your website or blog is related to Social media and have generated high traffic then it make sense for your blog or website to be sold to a company which produce a social media related products and software’s.
Great work you did Zac, finding a popular domain name, adding a lot of quality content, spending some time and money in it and selling it for the high five figures range is some kind of online business which I think a lot of people are doing.
It’s a great business model once you have a formula and team put together, but it definitely does take a lot of time.
Nice Points. I will surely look in this thing later on in my career. Anyways, thanks for pointing that this thing can also be done. Updated my to do list, and hopefully I would be selling something big on Flippa in the coming years. Thanks again for this wonderful post.
Great thanks. Keep an eye on Flippa and see whats selling and whats not. It’s a great resource.
What I had been missing out is probably the item of creating a business that can be sold.
I had few listings in Flippa before this and manage to only sell one which I think is pretty bad.
The things which I missed out after reading your post is a team and a business model.
I’ve always been one to prefer and do everything by myself. Learning how to let go and get other people to handle outside tasks is hard at first, but very important. PPC.org and Blogging.org are two examples that would definitely not be possible if I had attempted to create them on my own.
Great article, I just started my first blog, in your opinion what are the most important things to do when a blog is just starting out? Hopefully one day I will pull out a 6 figure sale.
This is something that I have not tried before. Seems very interesting way to create and sell blogs. Its amazing how your own site is now over 12000, that is quite something. But something like this will take a long time. But its all worth it in the end. If the right person takes hold of the domain then they can nurture it to the next level.
It will be interesting to see where it ends at. It’s quite niche and is well worth it for a ppc/search marketing related company. If it doesn’t hit what we are looking for, we will continue to build it out then maybe relist in the future.
Hi Zac!
Well learning the art of selling products through your blogging takes time and after experimenting lots of different ideas you can get the best selling option to sell the good.
But, for me the key is to be patient enough and take calculated risks and do proper research before you decide to apply.
Thanks for sharing great tips though
Very good explanation derived by you Zac,you have given lot of principle here.
Ya I agree with you on that find a very good domain name from web hosting company and in your NICHE and set on a good place so thank you for your work.
Hi, I’ve already sold lots of high PR website & blogsite through freelancing website. its a really nice business for those people who actually know about the improving PageRank of a site. sometimes its making some confusion between keywords ranking & Page ranking although both are separated field. your article will help for get involve with this business.
Ok, all of the tips and ideas that u have mentiond in this post are awesome and you have wrote them step by step so i believe anyone will be able to implement them. BUT , i have a question.. Why we have to sell our Mega Blog if we are able to make lots of money of it..?! Thanks and Regards.
Zac, this is a good idea because i have been thinking of going into flipping business and with this your tips, i think am even motivated to start with it. the key success to flipping business is the way you create and manage the site. thanks for sharing
Excellent, glad to hear. Thanks!
Getting a quality domain name is a painful process for me sometimes, which is why I just stuck with my name.
I spent a while in a thesaurus just trying to find good words that would match up with a site I wanted to start and ended up with not much of anything. The good names were taken. I’m sure with more work I could find something, but a solid domain name is important for obvious reasons.
At this point I would be more interested in buying a smaller site and growing it than selling one. It’s something that has been on my mind for a bit.
Thanks,
-Gabe
It’s always a great choice to go with your domain name when starting a site. Just make sure it’s not something you could end up selling in the future!
I know people will think, there are no killer domains left. But if you’re savvy with your ideas you can still bag great names for reg price. However much we think we can do it all , to get the success and to get to the position where you can sell a blog you will need help along the way and investing in a team early on will make life so much easier.
Flippa is great for listing blogs/websites, that re established or have potential, I wish you well in the sale of your website.
Coming up with an original domain name that you can get for $10 is all about creativity. The other option is to use domain name drop and resell services. You can still get some amazing domain names for around a couple thousands dollars. NameCheap and Pool have been good resources for me over the years.
Your principles are definitely a way to go, but surely website can be sell at any price as soon as there is a buyer. I previously have commented that most websites on Flippa are total scam and financial claims do not represent reality, nobody is selling website that is making 4-5 figures per month.
I wouldn’t say they are all scams, but plenty are low end and trash sites. Take a look at the “Just Sold” and you will see the decent ones that actually sell for nice prices. Sites sell for over $50k every week on the site, it’s mainly the premium listings that are established sites.
Wow Zac! Didn’t know you had ppc.org, such a wonderful domain! BTW, I’ve seen a few cases where people just buy a great domain name ….and then sell it off instead of setting up a site, making it big and then selling it.
What do you prefer more? Easy cash by selling domains, or a bag full of cash by selling a successful website/blog (which is tough).
Great tips especially the ‘Domain Expiration’ Point, That’s awesome. Many cool domain names expire daily, we need to scrape out some good out of thousands of expired domains
Cat and mouse play. You own ppc.org ? That sounds huge – probably you’re great Internet Marketing Player! Your principles sound right in this insanely hostile environment for the small scale players.
well I will suggest if you ever made a mega blog you should not sell it to other. Monetise it yourself it will give you more than the sold price.
The most important point is to buy a domain with keyword in it and has less competition. So, even it doesnt have content in it, it can be sold at good price.
Nice Tips.
I will Like to work on it.
Thanks alot.
Hi Zac!
Great article.I was having a little problem with all making a good domain and then selling it but now i think i got it.Thanks for sharing.
thanks for sharing it with us and i will be keeping all this points in mind while creating my new blog..thnxxx
Great Job Zac!
5 figures is an awesome result
Hope you maximize the sell price
Great post, personally I believe we are in the age of new domains, virtually all the keyword related domains are gone, however we do see an increase in sites like Zoosk and Zoopla that have nothing to do with the niche the sites are based around. They are easy to remember funky names, that once are embedded in people’s minds become the searchable keyword, they become a brand name which means little competition, and can be worth good money.
Many people starting out cannot afford to spend several thousand dollars on a domain name. Maybe it is time to become creative and make a blog with it’s unique and distinctive funky domain name.
Great work Zac.
You have done excellent work on it.
I hope great success with your sale and thanks also for your tips.
You share it very nice point and I hope it help me in my future and now i also watch Flippa and Zac Johnson If I need any good suggestion I again contact you and I hope you tell me good way .. now my eyes in Flippa.
Thanks you share it nice post it’s helpful for visitor.
Hi Zac,
A very valuable post. Creating a Mega blod itself is a massive task and then promoting & selling are even more difficult. All the points and tips you have mentioned above will definitely make the task easier for many of us who are planning to sell our blogs.
Thanks a lot,
Sanjib Saha
“Create a business that can be sold” –this is true, most especially today that most of the people who are online are more interested to get free products rather than to buy one. How can a business thrive then? It’s quite hard but if you do offer the best price for products that are important to people or gadgets/equipment that you have, then it can be sold.
Its not so easy to create a mega blog. It takes lots of effort. And flippa is nice medium to sell blogs.
A great article indeed. Although I believe it writing for a blog and following the going concern concept, this is a great idea and can help many. Thanks!
Thanks for this. I’m always looking for ideas on how better to do blogging, to build my site.
firstly thanks for this well written informative article. Now please tell me how can a blog can be sold for a good price, i mean how can i contact to buyers for it?
thanks in advance.
Doing something like this is very lucrative AND very crazy! lol! You could have a domain name and site that people love or hate…you just never know until you try to sell it!
Good article may be i started my blog because I’m inspried from your blog
Article is awesome and I like this business and I like the part where you help us telling us to make a team for your site that was really great idea and have never thought like this.
Well learning the art of selling products through your blogging takes time and after experimenting lots of different ideas you can get the best selling option to sell the good. Thanks
Cool tips man. I never though of selling my site though. Maybe I’ll create one that’s meant to be sold. Not bad? Thanks for the selling tips.
Buying and Selling websites could be a very way of making money if done properly. Flippa is a good market place for buying and selling domains but still i think there is lot of confusion in establishing the selling price of a website or blog.
Hello,
Every one how are you that nice article and I also want that I sell my Blog. If any one interested that so contact me : info@defeasto.com blog: defeasto.com
And I also see the flippa.com but flippa have 29$ charges for 30 days..
Thanks
These are really very useful tips to setup a new blog. You shall always make sure to choose a unique and informative domain name for your blog. If your blog is related to hotels or tourism then you can sell your blog to even any tour & travels company.
Thank Zac Johnson. These tips help me to create website and can sell it easy. It’s true if a website with more traffic can be sold to company which produce social media related products. Update for listing and i will be selling on flippa in coming year.
Thanks for the great idea. I never though of selling my sites before. I’m just about to create a new niche review site and will now definitely give some thoughts to this option too.
Hello Zac..
My dream is I will sell my 1st blog in a good price range.Actually This is everyone’s dream.Your these tips surely help me for coming my dream true. Thanks for these nice and valuable tips.
These are really very useful tips for the new blog. I agree that a solid unique domain name will get you ahead of the competition and also need some work dedication behind the blog that will bring value to the site. Thanks for sharing valuable information.