Website Flipping and Web Business Development

Buying and selling websites may be the most consistently reliable way to make money online.  That's because regardless of how the web changes and evolves, or which fads and money-making schemes come and go, there will always be opportunities to purchase internet properties, improve them in ways that increase their value, and sell them for a profit.

This three-step process is often referred to as website flipping, but there is an important distinction to keep in mind. "Flipping a website" suggests a fairly rapid turnaround. In a typical site flip, a website is purchased, given some marginal or apparent added value, and sold again in short order. At its worst, profit may be generated simply by convincing an inexperienced buyer that the site is worth more than it really is. Probably hundreds of websites are sold every day that may have no traffic, no revenue, but "great potential".

But one can also acquire sites with the intention of developing them into profitable businesses over a period of time, reaping the benefits of ownership, and then eventually selling them to more sophisticated buyers.  This can be a far more rewarding approach. In this case one is essentially acting more like a commercial property developer than someone who buys and "flips" cheap houses.

The main advantage of buying an established website, as opposed to just starting a new one from scratch, is that it can greatly speed up the process of building value.  The type and size of benefit will vary depending on the particular circumstances, but you will be gaining at least a partial foundation upon which to build. Generally speaking a site that already exists and has some history, that is recognized by the search engines, and that may already be receiving traffic and generating revenue can be made more profitable in less time than something brand new.

Website sales continue to grow at a rapid clip, with new marketplaces springing up all the time. The largest and most established website marketplaces have become flooded with offerings, most of very low value.  In a way this glut of newly created cookie-cutter sites and "autoblogs"  has created an opportunity for sharp-eyed buyers who know how to sort through the junk and spot the bargains--sites with REAL potential and the stats to back it up.

Our goal here at Secondhand Sites is to promote the sale of quality websites, and to help encourage best practices in website buying and selling. We hope to be the site you turn to for reliable information, reviews and recommendations about website marketplaces, trading in internet properties, and web business development.  We invite you to subscribe now, send us your ideas, and follow our own development over the coming weeks and months.