Neither did I consider if this domain I chose was eventually going to have to rank well in the search engines for my chosen keywords in the URL which was absolute stupidity on my part given the fact that in those days ranking for your top keywords were very easy if they had matched "exactly" what searchers were searching for on the popular search engines. Even today, search drives majority of website's modern day web traffic and business more than any other online media.
My suggestion for you who want to buy and sell websites is to prepare a clear plan and take action one step at a time. This is a huge business where webmasters or business owners purchase preexisting websites that are already returning tender profits so you are in a greatly positioned opportunity to reap the share of selling online real estate and make money from each property sold. You will put a lot of work into building a mini business online, but you'll also make a hefty profit at the end of the year after putting in the best efforts.
That first web property sale feels excellent after it has been sold and once you've gotten the swing of buying then selling websites making a living off of it becomes natural because you've adapted. Creating an income of a manager's yearly wage of between 25,000 - 30,000 dollars per website can be addictive. Here are the basics of how it's done step by step:
1. Think About Your Brand
Although this is all business you should always stick with an industry you already know than trying to develop knowledge of one you don't. Why? Because knowing an industry from inside out will be an exception to the competition you may face down the road when developing the business as a whole. Here are my top tips that needs to be considered when building a healthy brand.
- Create a Logo - People love companies that take the time to try and impress them. One of the exceptions to the rule of branding with images, logos, or a mascot is that potential customers will remember you, not only because of your product or service, but the fantastic logo you represent. For instance, in the 1980s, the frosted corn flakes cereal company Kellogg's coined the rooster mascot and then Tony the Tiger.
- Produce a Product or Service Anyone Can Access - What do you offer to people that your core competitors don't that contains better quality for a better price? Are your prices more cost affordable to the average consumer? Ask yourself these questions. How can you make a single person's life a little bit simpler by providing something that is always accessible to them at all times. A long time ago cell phones were only available to the rich but today anybody can purchase a cellular phone for a very cheap price, be an innovator.
The phrase "thhhhheeeeyyyyyreee.....great!", became the dialogue and center theme to the company's mascot and people up to this day remember Tony the Tiger and his super famous phrase. It is such a famous brand that the kids in the 80s grew up and introduced their own kids to Kellogg's cereal brand. The secret is to build images that'll stick in the mind of ordinary day to day people that matches their needs.
Another option is to create something that doesn't exist on the market as of yet. New products have plenty of power of receiving a lot of attention because it is something new. Many entrepreneurs have great ideal products to produce but it's the way a product is presented that grabs attention the most from potential buyers.
2. Keyword Research
Study and research keywords that are most relevant to your website's targeted industry. Afterwords, apply optimize your website to obtain the majority share of web traffic using those keywords. Ranking for closely related key terms in your industry should be your #1 priority when preparing to dominate and compete with your competitors. Place your top keywords in your title tags but create a title that invites and attracts your audience. For instance, your top keywords for your website may be "apple pie". Instead of just using those two words create a phrase that better explains your website such as, "The Best Guide to Baking Apple Pie".
If you actually have a blog that you are building then create enticing post titles similar to the one above with your related industry keywords. Open notepad, save as top keywords, then create a list of 10 - 20 top keywords that are related to your website. You can also use sub categories as well to serve your audience, for example, maybe your existing audience love cherry pie too, if so, write about cherry pie just keep a list of keywords list to keep you inform on what is actually being searched for throughout the web. Personally, the #1 tool for keyword research that I use is located on SEMRUSH.COM. Great for analyzing website traffic and keywords.
3. Register Your Domain
There's two options for you to consider before purchasing a domain. (A) Register a Brand name or (B) Register a Domain with your top keywords. Let me explain each of the two options very carefully before you make a decision. This alone can save you a ton of pain before registering a domain name. You want to actually sell your website after you have completely finished building it so unfortunately you cannot sell a free blog or website to nobody like this one you are reading now so you'd have to register a actual domain with an hosting company.
I recommend using Godaddy.com since you can easily navigate the domain to other servers or purchase a hosting package made specifically for that domain (such as bluehost.com or hostgator.com) you are going to be working on because after you've finished building traffic, content, and carefully branding it you are going to sell it to someone in the future. DO NOT register other domains under the same hosting packages that you don't plan on selling.
- Register a Brand Name - Registering a brand name is the same as targeting a specific product or service but with somewhat a style people will not forget and I mean it must be memorable. For instance, if your website talks about chocolate cake you might register a website called "www.chocoramafication.com" or something more shorter like, "www.chocomaker.com". The idea is to produce an ideal theme, something specific people will barely forget but remember.
- Register Your Top Keywords - Using the example above instead of branding you'd apply your top keywords in your URL. You'd do something like this, "www.howtomakechocolatecake.com" if that particular domain would be available. Using keywords in your domain solidifies exactly what your website is about almost instantly when incomers find your website in search. Another grand benefit your website receive is being picked up by all major search engines for your main keywords, especially if they are consisted within your main website's title tag.
4. Add Content
The reason I blog instead of creating a standalone website is because blogs that stay updated the most reap the benefits from search engine traffic, in turn, reap even greater benefit from users just because you are keeping them informed and socializing on a daily basis. The two content rich snippets you should begin focusing mainly on is images and text.
- Use Text - Text is indexed by search and read by human beings. Although we all have risen to greater alternatives when viewing content by video or images people are going to read anything with text and then they'll draw their own conclusions. Just as I have stated before, blogs are phenomenal when relaying messages or informing your readers through articles, this type of content will never go away as long as their are newspapers, magazines and the internet available to their disposal. Remember when writing articles place relevant keywords that are being searched continuously through search throughout your content. More keywords, mean more indexation, means more web traffic.
- Use Images You want to put something in a person's mind that they don't have to read when making a decision then use images. Images can tell you 1,000 things about a subject. People react towards certain images that are presented in certain ways. For instance, if a person is viewing a valentines Day heart then instantly they'd think of it as having to do with romance. Images are very powerful especially when surrounded by text. Since standalone images cannot be indexed in search use the "alt" tag so they can be indexed.
- Use Video - There is something about movement and sound that draws the attention to a crowd and that's precisely what video does. Media networks like CNN, Youtube, or your local television stations are being viewed as I am typing this post so as you see the potential for video as being your #2 content juggernaut is justifiable given the fact video actually converts better than images any day. Don't host video through your host since it'll cost you tons of money to do so. Instead, host video your through your Youtube Channel and then post that piece of html short code on your blog, this alone saves you a bundle.
5. Build Audience & Readership
Sure, you can have a gigantic amount of traffic rolling into your website in less than the time it take to create a website, but you shouldn't fail to keep in contact with your readers so you want to setup automated email subscriber software to capture as many leads as you can. This little trick is the prime reason for starting a blog or website in the first place, to build a list of subscribers by keeping in contact with them. Once you have come across some important information for these subscribers in your niche you can email them offers they'll enjoy. The email software that is most qualifying is Aweber. Place a subscriber box on the front page of your website with an enticing message that will provoke action then simply draw traffic to your landing pages where potential subscribers will subscribe to your mailing list, but first you must connect with interested readers.
- Guess Blogging - After you've started a blog or website it doesn't magically become a website that has visitors these visitors are real and must find your link to click on it. In order to receive visitors in less than 24 hours coming into your website guess blogging would be your best bet. This is how to use Google in order to search for bloggers who are currently accepting guess bogging: Type in "guess post" and "place your industry keywords between these quotation marks" and you'll return a list of results of webmasters who are accepting guess blogger post.
- Build Social Media Traffic - Social media has housed billions of users and hundreds of thousands(if not millions) of profiles being created on a daily basis. All you must do is start a profile, socialize, share material, link to your blog to your profile, accumulate friends, and talk about your business to them. My biggest tool on social media is using communities related to your industry in order to bring instant flux of web traffic onto your website on a daily basis. The gigantic traffic guzzling social networks that I use are Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Google+.
- Utilize the Search Engines - There are 3 major search engines I pay closer attention to when getting indexed for organic web traffic and those are Google, Yahoo, and Bing. All three of those generate billions of searches per month. However, the #1 search engine that has garnered authority among majority of the world is Google. In order to rank well in Google search is create great keywords in title tags, plenty of content, related links, and social shares. The more popular you become a greater chance that you begin to rank in search for your chosen key phrases.
6. Create Sales for Proof of Profitability
You should meet the requirements you set for your projected annual income. Do you expect to make at least $100k by the end of this year or less. Whatever the amount may be you should always strive to meet that quota only then will you have proof to show a potential buyer of your website that it's worth the purchase. Multiply how much your business make in a year annually times three and that is how much your website maybe actually worth. In the beginning I told you to build a list of buyers or subscribers. Why? Because you can include this list of email opt in subscribers along with the popular domain that is already garnering notability through search, and social media.
7. List Your Domain for Sale
Place your business where business is being conducted and that place is called Flippa.com. The price is listed and granted to those who are ready to buy. You also have great webmaster forums like the WarriorForum and DigitalPoint to sell your small business website for profits, the choice is up to you to decide where you would like to be listed. In my humble opinion I'd say use them all, the more exposure you garner the merrier.
In conclusion, anybody can buy and sell a website if you put all of your energy and focus on that one particular business. Don't get frustrated over small potatoes and build slow if you have to. Make money online on a full time basis if you can because your focus is going to go a long ways in the long run. Your first big sale could possibly kiss your day job goodbye and welcome you into a life of freedom and entrepreneurship for a time to come. Good luck and please don't give up, buy and sell!
No comments:
Post a Comment