How exactly do you flip a website? What does it involve? You’re probably thinking that flipping is some sort of technical term which essentially involves transforming a site in some way, but you’d be wrong.

Website flipping is actually an Internet Marketing term which has evolved to describe the process of buying and selling websites for the sole purpose of resale. It’s a surprisingly lucrative business if you know what you’re doing, and there are those out there who make a steady and regular income solely from ‘flipping’.

If making websites is your idea of a fun hobby and you’ve yet to make a regular income as a web designer, why not make a little extra on the side by taking it one step further and starting to flip. It doesn’t take much time, and chances are you already have everything you need.

You can flip almost any kind of website. People have successfully sold everything from blogs to video sites and even social networks. The general rule is that anything with unique content and existing traffic is capable of being flipped. It’s just a case of finding a site which may be profitable and then refining the ideas until it is. Some sites can take as little as a few hours work and then it’s just a case of waiting till it’s time for sale.

If you want to build ready-to-flip websites from scratch then it’s also really simple. The first and most important thing you need to consider before you start is search engine optimization. Start by looking for a profitable niche and then doing some keyword research. Once that’s done purchase a suitably keyword-rich domain trying to make sure you buy a .com or a .net. If you make the mistake of buying a.info you will end up regretting it later.

After you’ve done keyword research and you know what to build, the first and most important thing to do is to add as much unique content as you have time to. Often many professional site flippers outsource content creation because it’s simply too time consuming. The quantity you require depends on the individual site, but generally speaking the more the better. But whilst more content is generally better, you can also make a good return by developing what’s known as micro sites.

If you’re buying a website, then you need to take into account three main things:

1. The age of the website
2. The current profits
3. The traffic the site receives

Take these into consideration when buying any site, and always make sure that you’re not offering too much for a site. There are loads of bargains out there, but there are also a ton of cons.

When it comes to selling, it’s a simple process involving documenting your site and its traffic and showing to the world how much it’s worth. The only advice we can give you, is to be honest. Post screenshots of the traffic stats and remember that when it comes down to it, it’s you’re hard work that built the site so don’t go accepting pennies for something that took hours of work.

While flipping websites is easier than many people would think, it’s not always easy and straightforward. With so many options available, you can often end up building or buying something that actually isn’t worthwhile. Take a look below for our top five tips that help you get the most out of flipping.

Set and Forget

You can flip all sorts of websites, but the first thing you need to reassure people is that your website actually works. Your site needs to have a relatively strong growth curve, so spend time to ensure that the niche the site is in can grow. If you can demonstrate this to the marketplace, then you can sell the site just like any other business. Valuation’s vary based on a variety of thing, but if you have a site that’s got good regular growth, you can sell based on projected revenue alone, that is as long as you have the historical evidence to prove it.

Double Flip

Whilst many people think that website flipping involves simply the sale of websites, it can also involve the purchase of undervalued and underperforming sites that just need a little care and attention to boost their traffic, and profit potential. With just a little bit of work, you can transform a website bought for just a few hundred dollars into something that can sell for a couple of thousand!

Don’t Just Think Websites

Another great idea for flipping is to sell forums or community sites that you’ve spent the time to create. It’s easy to find a niche and all it takes is a bit of forum / blog marketing to raise awareness and as soon as you have a respectable number of members, you have something that people will buy! It’s really easy to monetize forums and other community focused sites, so if you have one that gets traffic but you’re not exploiting, then why not sell it?

What’s a Name Worth?

When it comes to flipping a website, often the domain name can be worth a lot more than the actual site itself. Before selling it’s always good to get a domain name appraisal so that you know how much the domain is worth and also to make sure that you’re not undervaluing your website. It’s also something to consider when buying a website, because if it’s a really good domain name that the seller has failed to realize, you may be able to sell the domain for more than the whole site cost you!

Sell To The Competition

If you’re simply desperate for a quick sale, then selling to your competition may be a great way to get it. But be prepared for the fact that once the sale is complete, they may very well kill your site and simply absorb your customers. It’s a great way to make a few dollars, but if you care about your site, then it may also be quite heartbreaking to see your hard earned work simply disappear.