You have built your website audience and feel like you have hit a plateau, or perhaps you would like to venture into a different area altogether? This is the ideal time to sell your website. Whatever the reason for selling the website is, you need to understand the fundamentals of selling it before you proceed. Do you know how to sell a website?
The valuation
Before you can identify the market for the website, you need to know its value. This can be determined using the level of traffic the website has, the amount of revenue the website has been generating on average, the expected revenues from the business in future, the quality of the existing audience and many other variables. Valuation can be carried out by a professional in the financial field since it may require financial analysis, trend analysis and discounting cash flows.
Links to other online resources
In most cases, websites are linked to social media pages and other online business assets. Before you can list your website anywhere, you must decide whether you are selling the site together with all the linked resources or independently. When sold as a package, the site may attract a higher number of interested buyers and will essentially fetch a higher price in the market. However, you may also decide to eliminate these links and keep other resources if you intend to use them in future. This should be done in a professional way to eliminate loss of clients or traffic.
Selling through third party sites
If you have no idea where to advertise your website or where to get your target market, there are different sites that specialise in this. They enhance your chances of finding the right buyer within the shortest time possible. However, the turnaround time may also be determined by the size of the website, the asking price, the quality of existing clients or traffic and even the industry of operation.
If you choose this route, you ought to ensure that you list your website in trusted and verified sites to minimise the risk of losing it to malicious individuals. The sites will charge a fee based on the sale value of the website which is deducted from your funds before they are remitted to you.
Selling through a broker
There are brokers who specialise in selling websites. The brokers operate in different industries and have a wide network of clients that you can take advantage of. Brokers may also assist with such things as the valuation of the website, negotiation of the deal and drawing up the terms of the engagement. The broker will charge a fee based on the work performed and this may increase the cost of the sale.
Choosing the buyer
While it is none of your business how the website is used after you have relinquished its ownership, it is good to ensure that your hard work and time do not go to waste by choosing the best buyer. Ideally the buyer should be someone who shares in your beliefs and enthusiasm for the work you have been doing in order to ensure that your former clients are in good hands.
When choosing the buyer, most people will choose the one with the highest bid. However, you must also identify people who are at a good standing in society as links to people with poor reputations may have negative effects on your reputation. The opportunity cost of this can be devastating.