6 Types of Website Buyers (And How to Choose What Sites to Buy)
Updated on February 29, 2020
It’s been about a year since we first released our podcast episode on the six types of website buyers.
We thought it would only be fair to have a written version of the website buyer profiles for non-podcast listeners. Also, we include the buyer profiles as a part of every listing. (If you clicked through from a listing, hi!)
Let’s get right into it. Here are the different six types of buyers you’ll run into along with some tips on what each buyer should do, what websites work best for them, and what sites to avoid.
Newbie Norms
As the name suggests, Newbie Norms is a newbie.
He may have built, bought, or sold a few sites before, but is still primarily trying to figure out how buying and selling websites works. He knows there’s opportunity to make money flipping websites, but wants to test the waters without getting burned.
Tips for Newbie Norms
If you’re a newbie, you shouldn’t bet the farm on your first few purchases. You don’t want to use all of your investments for a website that you have no idea how to grow.
Look for sites that are simple to run and as close to passive as possible.
Think smaller AdSense or Amazon sites with consistent earnings. Both are well-known platforms and there are plenty of online resources to help you get started.
A good rule of thumb is to avoid spending more than half of your budget on a single site.
You’ll also want to avoid “template” sites, non-earning sites, non-WordPress websites, or complicated monetization methods. (eCommerce and Drop Ship would be HORRIBLE for a newbie.)
DIY David
David is a tinkerer. He’s looking for a site he can purchase, figure out, and grow on his own. Unlike other buyers, David’s looking to be more hands-on.
David will generally have much more experience than a Newbie Norms as he’s got experience under his belt (or has a thirst for learning).
Tips for DIY David
If you’re a DIY David, look for sites in niches you care about. You’ll be spending some time on this site, so it should be in a niche that interests you instead of a project that you’ll get bored with three months from now.
You’ll want to buy “fixer-upper” sites, where you can go in and implement changes like installing a new theme, revamping existing content, and cleaning up the basic SEO structure of the website.
You may also plan to change/improve the existing monetization method and create a plan for growing websites that have stalled.
Avoid penalized sites that aren’t likely to rank on Google and websites that need improvements in areas you’re weak in (or aren’t willing to learn).
Portfolio Paul
Paul is looking to add more sites to his (ever-increasing) portfolio. He’s either looking to diversify his traffic and monetization sources or he has a specific goal in terms of revenue per month he’s looking to achieve.
Paul doesn’t have much time, so he’s looking for more passive investments or businesses that come with trained staff who can keep the asset running.
Tips for Portfolio Paul
Buyers often downplay the time required to maintain or grow the site.
Make sure to ask if current Virtual Assistants or staff will be included with the purchase. If they are not included, add those costs to determine true monthly net profit.
Paul should focus on higher-end AdSense, Amazon, affiliate sites, drop shipping, or product sites that come with VA’s or staff.
Buy websites that help diversify your current portfolio.
Unlike DIY David, Portfolio Paul should avoid “fixer-upper” sites or anything that requires a makeover. Stay away from extremely competitive industries and short-term niches (e.g. Rio 2016 Olympics).
Lifestyle Larry
Larry makes a decent living and has a good job, but he’s looking to get out. He wants to leverage his savings to acquire online assets that will allow him to live the lifestyle of his choice.
He’s not afraid to put some work in, but wants it to be on his terms.
Tips for Lifestyle Larry
Like Newbie Norms, Lifestyle Larry shouldn’t invest the whole farm.
Keep a portion of your allotted investment liquid so that you can improve the sites, survive earning shifts, and snatch up other great sites when the opportunity comes along.
Larry should buy a number of stable, long-term earning sites with a diversity of traffic and revenue sources.
Avoid newer unproven sites and websites with risky or gray hat linkbuilding techniques. If you’re going to be making a lifestyle out of the income, you definitely want to minimize your risks as much as possible.
Strategic Sally
Sally isn’t necessarily looking to purchase sites and build a portfolio, but she’s open to a strategic purchase where she can quickly or instantly improve earnings with her existing resources. She’s also looking for sites that bring in products to improve her current business.
Tips for Strategic Sally
Sally should be aware of competitors in or around her industry. Make offers early to buy out potential competitors and add value to your current customers. Typically, Sally has more work to put into finding a viable website than the other buyers.
The perfect websites for Sally are product or service sites that will instantly see an increase under your brand, or sites that you can add to current packages or product offerings to improve their value.
Avoid sites you can’t immediately improve with the resources you bring or that don’t add value to your current business.
Flipper Fred
Fred has bought and sold websites for a while. He has a model of the type of sites he’s looking to acquire and has a clear and developed process for making improvements. He’s looking for sites he can purchase, improve, and sell again in 4-6 months.
Tips for Flipper Fred
Fred should look for high-traffic, low-earning sites. These are great sites to easily improve monetization.
Look for sites with good content but a bad product/market fit, or product-related AdSense sites that you can move to Amazon or drop shipping.
Fred should stay away from penalized traffic sites and sites that have already maximized revenue via ad placement or high-value themes.
Wrap-Up
Regardless of where you are in your website buying experiences and intentions, there is always a successful route to achieving your goals.
Just as a final note, you might find yourself fitting into multiple buyer profiles. Play to your strengths and keep the above tips in mind when buying websites.
Want to learn how to increase monthly earnings on the websites you buy? Click here!
Discussion
I’ve been looking more into site flipping lately, so thanks for this article it was super helpful.
Awesome, Tim, glad it helped you!
I am a complete newbie and thank God i read the article before getting trapped into something boggy. I wonder if someone can help me buy a wordpress or easy site to kick start my carreer:) nice article btw.
We have sites available, Kashif, it just depends on what you’re looking for.
Most of our sites have income/earnings and so are priced accordingly. For sites that aren’t yet earning but are quality, look at Human Proof Designs for some ideas.
Appreciate the nod Justin.
We’re going to be rolling out some new ready-made sites in the new year and are happy to take custom requests in the meantime.
I’m also working on a new video course to go with the sites, great for the Newbie Norms out there.
Cheers,
Dom
(HumanProofDesigns)
Loved it. As a newer buyer, has made me rethink some of my targets and change my goals a bit in what I’m looking for.
Awesome, Mark – glad to hear it!
Nice article… Shame you could of put example sites with each type .. maybe a follow up article with specific how to tips for each type of buyers ??
Hey Darren,
Glad you enjoyed the article.
That’s a great idea (linking to an example site.) I’d have to avoid linking directly to the sites to protect the URL and niche but I could edit the article to include listings on our marketplace that fit the bill.