Midascode | Buy & Sell Websites

Would you like to know how much traffic a specific website is getting?

If you are buying websites then it is vital to know how much traffic a site is getting.

Here are some tools that will let you know if they are low traffic or mega sites.

Compete Compete give a great overview of a site’s traffic. It shows visitor info, growth, traffic counts, and you can put multiple sites in a portfolio as well.

Alexa – Alexa is the obvious choice, but whilst it is not the gospel that many webmasters think it is, it still provides a good rough guide to a site’s web traffic details.

SEO analyzer This tool will highlight any weaknesses on a website. Then, you simply fix them and BAM! a nice traffic boost.

Statsaholic This will show stats about a sites rankings, page views and a lot more.

When buying a website….

Keywords equals profits.

What does this mean?

Well, we know that search engines are by far the biggest traffic referrer on the Internet. So therefore it is vital that we have good positions at places like Google.com in order to get a lot of daily visitors.

However, some sites rank higher than other sites, and ideally we want to purchase sites with high rankings….

Sounds easy enough, but there is one major problem.

Not all keywords in Google are equal.

For example, being number one for “Web hosting” is far better than being number one for “Web hosting services in the south of Texas”

The first will provide tens of thousands of visitors per day, the latter may provide one per year.

So when we buy a site we must first ask the current owner to show us the main keywords the site gets traffic for.

Here is an example:

web hosting 7890234
Internet hosting 35433
Hosting online 3434

With these sorts of rankings we know that the site in question is clearly hugely powerful in Google, there is no way a weak site could rank for such competitive terms.

The next area we need to look at is are the keywords profitable?

By this I mean that some keywords are hugely valuable, whereas some are virtually worthless.

e.g

Buy Cars Online – what does this tell us? Well, it tells us that the person is looking to buy a car or cars online.

Firstly, this is hugely valuable, as the cost of cars is high (i.e better to sell one car than one pen), also, we know from the word “buy”, that the person is towards the end of the buying cycle.

e.g if they had typed “photos of cars” then that would suggest the research stage, and you are unlikely to make many sales from the term “photos of cars”. At best you may be able to sell a few photos.

So look at the types of keywords and ask yourself, could I make money from these?

This should be done prior to buying and website.

When buying a Website……..

Check the Stats for the Facts.

Many site sellers love to how shall I say this….. bend the truth a little. But the stats do not lie. So ensure you get access to the stats.

The best way to do this is via Google Analytics, but you can also ask for screenshots of any other program they are using.

In particular you will want to see the main sources of traffic. For example:

Google 70%
Yahoo 10%
Buy-Crappy-Traffic.com 9%

In this example we can see that the site is doing well in Google (always a plus), but we can also see that the site owner is buying traffic from a suspicious looking website (not good).

You can learn a lot from these stats.

In the next edition we will look in more detail at the search engine keywords stats.

When buying a website…. Google the Domain Name

This may surprise a few people, so bear with me.

To do this you simply go to Google.com and type the url into the search box. e.g midascode.co.uk

As you can see, Midascode.co.uk shows as number 1 in Google, and so it should.

However, certain sites have been very naughty, and Google has given them a slap on their little digital wrists. A high profile example of this is with the blog JohnChow.com – a hugely powerful blog with tons of links, yet up until very recently it wasn’t number one for it’s own name.

You can still see some of the effects of this here: John Chow Google

This shows us quite clearly that the site has been hit hard by a Google penalty.

Generally it is best to avoid such sites, as all future work may be virtually worthless in terms of increasing your rankings… and remember, search engines drive over 70% of traffic to most websites.

So next time you consider buying a website… Google the Domain Name.

Other Half = Wife, partner, husband, girlfriend or boyfriend

They say that “behind every great man is a good woman kicking his butt”, well anyone working online will know that support from a good woman is extra important.

So I suggest that today be forever known as the official “other half day”.

After all, how many women would look at their husbands tractor and just laugh at it? But not this woman:

Trying to find a good domain name is the virtual equivalent of finding a needle in a haystack. Long gone are the golden days where you didn’t have to have 50 attempts before finding the domain you want.

But it IS still possible to find some great domain names, and the process can be made easier by using some domain finding tools.

I have compiled some of the very best domain research tools below.

Good luck finding your needle.

Dislexicon

Dislexicon takes small words and adds suffixes and prefixes. Also, it gives you the meaning of the words, and with some practice can be a very powerful tool.

Link: Dislexicon

Just Dropped

This site is great for finding domains that have expired recently. You will get a few freebie searches, which is often sufficient.

Link: Just dropped

Word Mixer

You simply enter up to 5 words which are then mixed into new words. Simple, but effective.

Link: Unique Name Mixer

Wordfinder

This is a tool for crossword puzzles, but if you are smart, you will be able to use it for finding domains.

Link: Word Finder

Domainsbot

This is a search engine for finding domains. Works best with specific names.

Link: Domainsbot

Today I invite you into the secret world of domain tasting…

What is domain tasting?

Domain tasting (also known as domain kiting) is the process of abusing the 5 day free trial period when registering a domain name. The domain tasters simply register thousands of domains per day, then monitor them for 5 days, and purchase the ones that get traffic.

People are generally split on the morale issues behind this technique. Some say it is fair, and is a clever technique… others say it is cheating, and immoral.

However, recently thinks have gotten a lot darker.

Let’s look at this example:

* A perfect domain name pops into your mind.
* A quick check at your favorite domain registrar reveals that the domain is still available.
* For some reason, you put off the actual registration for a few days.
* And when you come back to finally register the domain, it’s taken by someone else!

Most people presume this is coincidence, but it now appears that it is part of the domain taster’s artillery.

It is thought that the domain tasters are monitoring the searches you do at places like Godaddy.com (Godaddy deny this). Then, they simply register all the domains that are searched but not purchased.

In other words, they let you do the research, and then they take the domain from under your nose.

Recently DNforum reported these chocking stats:

August 12, 2007 was the largest Domain Tasting day ever Domain Tools reported. They recorded over 8 Million Transactions today. This is a new high. We have never seen 8 Million transactions on one day before. That would be either an add or delete. Over 99 percent of these transactions are completely free and use the 5 day grace period to test domain names for traffic before they are purchase for a long term buy. Sometimes organizations will taste a domain name for multiple 5 day windows. They can tie up a domain for a long time and test it longer. Domain Tasting seems to be getting worse, the number of transactions continues to grow. I can see a day when more domain names exist in the 5 day grace period then exist as real registrations.

and Bob Parsons from Godaddy has this to say on this issue:

“Just over 35 million names were registered for the month of May. Of those just over 2.7 million were permanent registrations. That means that 92.3% of all domain names registered were part of a scam now known as domain kiting. These names were kept off of the market, they were used to generate search engine revenue – AND BECAUSE OF A LOOPHOLE ICANN REFUSES TO ELIMINATE – those 32.3 million names were used without being paid for.”.

It certainly appears that the secret world of domain tasting is no longer much of a secret.

What are your thoughts on this?

Dean

What is the oldest domain name on the net?

I am sure most domainers have wondered this at one point… well today I am here to finally reveal the official oldest domain name in existence.

SYMBOLICS.COM (Registered 15th March 1985)

Kinda boring?

Many people presume it would have been porn.com etc… but it would seem that the net was seen more as an identity than a money making platform.

Now that I have wet your appetite, would you like to know the 100 oldest domains on the net?

Here goes:

Rank

Create date Domain name
1. 15-Mar-1985 SYMBOLICS.COM
2. 24-Apr-1985 BBN.COM
3. 24-May-1985 THINK.COM
4. 11-Jul-1985 MCC.COM
5. 30-Sep-1985 DEC.COM
6. 07-Nov-1985 NORTHROP.COM
7. 09-Jan-1986 XEROX.COM
8. 17-Jan-1986 SRI.COM
9. 03-Mar-1986 HP.COM
10. 05-Mar-1986 BELLCORE.COM
11= 19-Mar-1986 IBM.COM
11= 19-Mar-1986 SUN.COM
13= 25-Mar-1986 INTEL.COM
13= 25-Mar-1986 TI.COM
15. 25-Apr-1986 ATT.COM
16= 08-May-1986 GMR.COM
16= 08-May-1986 TEK.COM
18= 10-Jul-1986 FMC.COM
18= 10-Jul-1986 UB.COM
20= 05-Aug-1986 BELL-ATL.COM
20= 05-Aug-1986 GE.COM
20= 05-Aug-1986 GREBYN.COM
20= 05-Aug-1986 ISC.COM
20= 05-Aug-1986 NSC.COM
20= 05-Aug-1986 STARGATE.COM
26. 02-Sep-1986 BOEING.COM
27. 18-Sep-1986 ITCORP.COM
28. 29-Sep-1986 SIEMENS.COM
29. 18-Oct-1986 PYRAMID.COM
30= 27-Oct-1986 ALPHACDC.COM
30= 27-Oct-1986 BDM.COM
30= 27-Oct-1986 FLUKE.COM
30= 27-Oct-1986 INMET.COM
30= 27-Oct-1986 KESMAI.COM
30= 27-Oct-1986 MENTOR.COM
30= 27-Oct-1986 NEC.COM
30= 27-Oct-1986 RAY.COM
30= 27-Oct-1986 ROSEMOUNT.COM
30= 27-Oct-1986 VORTEX.COM
40= 05-Nov-1986 ALCOA.COM
40= 05-Nov-1986 GTE.COM
42= 17-Nov-1986 ADOBE.COM
42= 17-Nov-1986 AMD.COM
42= 17-Nov-1986 DAS.COM
42= 17-Nov-1986 DATA-IO.COM
42= 17-Nov-1986 OCTOPUS.COM
42= 17-Nov-1986 PORTAL.COM
42= 17-Nov-1986 TELTONE.COM
42= 11-Dec-1986 3COM.COM
50= 11-Dec-1986 AMDAHL.COM
50= 11-Dec-1986 CCUR.COM
50= 11-Dec-1986 CI.COM
50= 11-Dec-1986 CONVERGENT.COM
50= 11-Dec-1986 DG.COM
50= 11-Dec-1986 PEREGRINE.COM
50= 11-Dec-1986 QUAD.COM
50= 11-Dec-1986 SQ.COM
50= 11-Dec-1986 TANDY.COM
50= 11-Dec-1986 TTI.COM
50= 11-Dec-1986 UNISYS.COM
61= 19-Jan-1987 CGI.COM
61= 19-Jan-1987 CTS.COM
61= 19-Jan-1987 SPDCC.COM
64. 19-Feb-1987 APPLE.COM
65= 04-Mar-1987 NMA.COM
65= 04-Mar-1987 PRIME.COM
67. 04-Apr-1987 PHILIPS.COM
68= 23-Apr-1987 DATACUBE.COM
68= 23-Apr-1987 KAI.COM
68= 23-Apr-1987 TIC.COM
68= 23-Apr-1987 VINE.COM
72. 30-Apr-1987 NCR.COM
73= 14-May-1987 CISCO.COM
73= 14-May-1987 RDL.COM
75. 20-May-1987 SLB.COM
76= 27-May-1987 PARCPLACE.COM
76= 27-May-1987 UTC.COM
78. 26-Jun-1987 IDE.COM
79. 09-Jul-1987 TRW.COM
80. 13-Jul-1987 UNIPRESS.COM
81= 27-Jul-1987 DUPONT.COM
81= 27-Jul-1987 LOCKHEED.COM
83. 28-Jul-1987 ROSETTA.COM
84. 18-Aug-1987 TOAD.COM
85. 31-Aug-1987 QUICK.COM
86= 03-Sep-1987 ALLIED.COM
86= 03-Sep-1987 DSC.COM
86= 03-Sep-1987 SCO.COM
89= 22-Sep-1987 GENE.COM
89= 22-Sep-1987 KCCS.COM
89= 22-Sep-1987 SPECTRA.COM
89= 22-Sep-1987 WLK.COM
93. 30-Sep-1987 MENTAT.COM
94. 14-Oct-1987 WYSE.COM
95. 02-Nov-1987 CFG.COM
96. 09-Nov-1987 MARBLE.COM
97= 16-Nov-1987 CAYMAN.COM
97= 16-Nov-1987 ENTITY.COM
99. 24-Nov-1987 KSR.COM
100. 30-Nov-1987 NYNEXST.COM

This domain list was part of a 30-Nov-2004 blog entry
at Jottings.com entitled “My Kingdom for a Time Machine!”

There is one factor that is often overlooked when buying websites: Multiple revenue streams.

A site that makes $1000 per month may seem like a great site to purchase, but the reality is that it is a dangerous purchase due to
being heavily reliant on Adsense.

Personally I always apply more value to sites with multiple revenue streams… e.g memberships, donations, affiliate deals, fixed ad deals, adsense etc…

However, I have seen sites that claim to have multiple revenue streams, but in reality they are not making any money from them. So be careful.

Dean

I recently spoke to a web site owner who asked me this question:

There are a few points to address here… firstly, it is generally accepted that any list built directly from the site SHOULD be included in the sale of the site. If it is not, then you should make this clear and reduce the price.

Secondly, some sites have a double opt-in and a membership as well. So for example, a forum requires you to register and give your email address, but that same forum may have a weekly newsletter on aweber as well. This is rare, but it can cause problems. The biggest issue is the use of the brand name. For example, the new owner may decide to send a weekly email to the forum members via the forum software, he may start the email: “Hi, Jim here, the new owner of xxxx.com” – But the old owner may still be emailing the same people weekly and saying “Bob here from xxxx.com”

In my opinion, any brand or company related list SHOULD ALWAYS be included in the sale… ALWAYS!

So onto my final point… transferring the list via aweber.

Note: I have never done this, if anyone knows of any better techniques, please let me know.

Ok, the main issue with using aweber to do this, is the fact that they require the leads to re-validate their subscriptions. This means that a % are not going to do this. So straight away you are weakening the stregth of a list.

With that in mind, if you are going to buy a site with a list, and you wish to transfer the list to your aweber account, I would set the price based on the final list size.

e.g If the list is 1000 and the seller wants $10,000, I would say “I will pay you $10,000 if 950+ validate, but $9,000 if it is less than 850 and so forth…”

Here is what Aweber say about this issue:

Import Leads:
All imported leads must be verified before they will be added to your mailing list. Within minutes of being imported a notice will be sent to the lead asking them to verify that they did indeed request to be on the mailing list. Once verified they will immediately be added to your account and visible for email delivery. Learn about the many benefits of using verified opt-in, “Study: Verified Opt-in Reduces Unsubscribes & Complaints.”

* Only emails that have specifically requested information from you may be imported.
* Purchased emails or FFA link page email addresses may not be imported.

See the unsolicited email section of the service agreement. If you have questions about this policy, ask us. Violation of the service agreement will result in immediate account closure.

If you are not happy about asking them to re-validate, then you could import the leads to your own list software, but that is a whole new set of issues.

Site Sellers Summary: If your list is associated with your site in any way, then it SHOULD be included in the sale.

Site Buyers Summary: When using Aweber, be aware of the re-validation losses you WILL get.