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8 CommentsI've been researching tips and techniques, and advice, for those who buy and sell blogs for over a year. I'm amazed at the lack of good quality information and resources.
Last week, I wrote Selling Your Blog: What Are Blog Buyers Looking For? on the Blog Herald in an attempt to bring the conversation about buying and selling blogs to the fore.
I have never thought about selling any of my blogs, including Lorelle on WordPress, but the idea of a blogger building up their blog and deciding to sell it fascinates me.
Some build their blogs with the intension of future sales, which makes a big difference in how they build their blog. Others just decide to give it up but don't want to totally let go. Thus they put their blog on the market chopping block.
Selling a commercial blog with a stable of bloggers is much easier than selling a personal blog. The "personal" and the "blogger" go with the blog and make it was it is. Take either of those away and not much is left. Buyers are looking to make money, not be mercy buyers.
I'll be posting a follow-up on this article but I wanted your opinion.
Have you ever sold a blog? Ever bought a blog? Thinking of selling your blog? What would make a blog sellable and buyable? What has been your experiences or expectations on how this should work?
Currently, unlike a house or business, there are no mathematical formulas to determine the value of a blog. There is only assumption and presumed expectations based upon the history of the blog's ability to attract traffic and make money. What should the criteria be for buying or selling a blog to determine it's value?
Do you think that a single blogger blog can be sold without the blogger as part of the sale?
What do you think?
MikeDiesel
Written Feb. 22, 2007 / Report /
I don't have much helpful input for you, but I agree that a one-person (or even 1-3 authors) blog loses its value if it's sold.
The audience is reading it because they like the author's writing style, content, sense of humor, etc. If someone were to buy a blog like this, they might as well just start a new blog at a new URL instead.
Michael
Written Feb. 22, 2007 / Report /
I don't think it occurs to most bloggers to sell their blogs in the same way that most people who write journals don't consider selling them as books.
RalphDagza
Written Feb. 23, 2007 / Report /
Im just waiting for Google or yahoo to email me :)
Mestisa
Written Feb. 24, 2007 / Report /
I've never sold or bought a blog. I have seen a blog with very high traffic sold to a new owner. Within a week, that new blog owner would be so luck to have 2 - 3 people comment on her posts. She lost the high traffic instantly. Which is ironic, considering that was the main reason why she bought the domain to begin with....the traffic.
Lorelle
Written Feb. 25, 2007 / Report /
So what do you think creates "value" on a blog that makes it sellable?
Is it totally wrapped up in the blogger?
Mike
Written Feb. 25, 2007 / Report /
Depends on how you market your blog. If you "just have a blog" and write things from a first-person perspective about your life then it may not be as valuable, but if your blog is a large resource for a particular industry and makes some good coinage per month in ad money, then there's your value.
Mike
Written Feb. 25, 2007 / Report /
Also, typical website purchasers look at how much money the site makes per month and then figures out the timeframe in which they'd like to recoup their purchase price. If you make $1000/mo and sell for $30,000, then your purchaser is hoping to make back the amount in under 3 years and then after that they'll be pulling a profit.
Hedimac
Written Jun. 3, 2007 / Report /
I'm not sure that a blogger would sell his blog, because the number one motivation to "blog" it's to leave a "trace" on the internet..