Move over, Property Brothers. There’s a new flip in town. Blog flipping is the virtual version of house flipping. Kind of. Equally as exciting, but for one you never have to leave the comfort of your home office.
My toxic trait is thinking every “bright idea” that pops into my big head needs to be turned into a blog. Unbeknownst to me, all these years that toxic trait has really just been an entrepreneurial spirit in the form of flipping blogs.
I’ve always found so much joy in creating websites. From finding the perfect theme, crafting a name, and bringing the entire vision to life. I’m obviously a writer, but I really love the role of Editor in Chief; overseeing the content and quality of an entire publication from start to finish.
(I’ve even helped create websites for other bloggers and business owners. You can check those out here).
My hobby for creating blogs quickly took on a life of its own. Before I knew it, one idea turned into about ten ideas, which turned into multiple live websites which quickly became far too much work for one person, with a lot of ideas, to execute.
But they were my babies. I put too much time, attention, and love into my sites. I didn’t want to just delete them. (Except for the one time that I did, and I’ve regretted it ever since).
Enter: blog flipping.
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What is Blog Flipping?
Flipping a blog is similar to flipping a home, except you’re dealing with virtual real estate instead of physical. Essentially, you’re taking a blog and either starting it from scratch, or buying a pre-existing site and giving it a major makeover with the intention to sell for profit.
While most of the time, the hottest blogs on the market are already bringing in a lot of traffic and earning money already, you don’t have to be seeing a ton of traffic, or earning anything in order to sell that site and make a profit.
Follow me?
That’s okay. Just keep reading.
How to Create a Profitable Blog
While I love browsing new listings and am always keeping my eye open for a good deal or the perfect find, my true joy lies in creating a blog from the ground up.
Whether you’re creating your niche website from the ground up, or you’re buying a pre-existing site and planning to give it some TLC and bring it up to profit speed, there are a few tips you’ll want to keep in mind:
Overall Design
The website you create should feel clean, easy to understand what it’s about (and where to find your topics/offerings), and look professional (including the website photography).
Two of my favorite WordPress Theme Developers are 17th Avenue Designs and Pix & Hue.
(Bonus: both developers have great customer service. I just recently reached to Pix & Hue about an error on one of the sites I manage that I couldn’t figure out, and not only did they get back to me on a Sunday, but they were SUPER helpful in helping me troubleshoot, and quick to resolve the issue, as well as providing step-by-step details for what was fixed, and how).
Website Protection
Unfortunately, one of the steps that I see a lot of new bloggers and website owners make is not ensuring their site is legally protected from day one.
This includes having the proper legal pages on your site, as well as being GDPR compliant.
One of the best investments I can recommend making for your site is the Legal Bundle Value Pack. It’s valued at over $1997 but you can get it for just a fraction of the price, and it includes:
- Privacy Policy Template (Value $167)
- Terms & Conditions Template (Value $267)
- Disclaimers Template (Value $117)
- Disclosures Template (Value $97)
- Copyright Notice & Infringement Template Pack (Value $97)
+ BONUSES
- Mandatory Arbitration Clause & Class Action Waiver (Value $157)
- GDPR + CCPA Compliant Cookie Policy Template (Value $67)
- Privacy Policy Workshop (Value $127)
- Refund and Return Policy (Value $147)
- Cease-and-Desist Letter Template (Value $197)
- DMCA Takedown Notice Template (Value $197)
- Amazon Associates Program DON’Ts Checklist (Value $32)
- GDPR Requirements Module (Value $97)
- No Follow/Sponsored Links Module (Value $27)
- License for All Websites You Own (Value $297+)
- Access to Private Facebook Group (Value $47/month)
- Updates + Revised Templates at NO EXTRA COST (Value $234+)
- Lifetime Access to Private Membership Area Hosted on Teachable (priceless)
Increase Website Traffic
Once your site is set up and protected, and once you start producing quality content, you’ll want to start promoting your blog.
Traffic strategies include posting on social media, pinning your blog pins on Pinterest (which is a search engine that can really drive traffic to your site), and building an email list.
But the biggest thing you can do from day one is focus on SEO (search engine optimization). If staying on budget is important for this start-up business of yours (and honestly, when is budget ever NOT important?) then I recommend checking out Debbie Gartner’s Easy On Page SEO For Beginners Course.
Focus on Profit
If you can begin making sales from your site, then that will increase the value once you’re ready to put it on the market.
Ways you can start earning profit from your site include:
- Creating and selling digital products
- Working with brands to create sponsored content
- Affiliate marketing
Learn the same tricks that Debbie Gartner uses to earn $18,000-$20,000/month in affiliate marketing and snag the Affiliate Marketing Compendium here.
Create the Ultimate Package Deal
Even if you’re not planning on being active on social media (but you should at least consider it as a way to help drive traffic to your website), securing social handles is always a good idea.
Being able to show an interested buyer that you have a thriving site, complete with all the necessary social media channels to complement your site will increase the value you’re providing overall.
How (and Where) to Sell Your Blog
If you’re ready to cut the power cord and stick a shiny price tag on this finished baby of yours, then there are a few options for how you can find an interested buyer.
For my second sale, I used Blogs For Sale Co. I was extremely impressed with their entire process. I completed their free Website Valuation Calculator and heard back from Chelsea (the owner and creator of Her Paper Route and Blogs for Sale Co.) within just a couple business days
Find out how much your website is valued at here.
She provided me with information on how much my total website was valued at, suggestions that would help increase buyer interest, and a recommended listing range.
She also sent over the terms of listing on Blogs For Sale, and a contract for me to sign if I agreed to the terms.
After I submitted my initial listing fee and signed the contract, I was assigned to a broker who would be my go-to person through the entire process. She created the listing, and acted as the intermediary between interested buyers and myself.
My site was listed on September 21, 2022, and I had accepted an offer, transferred all assets, and received payment by October 21, 2022.
Throughout the course of my listing, I received somewhere around 3-5 actual offers, and a handful of others who were messaging with questions. All of this came through my broker, who relayed information to me, so I never had to deal directly with any interested parties until I accepted an offer.
When I did accept an offer, we had a private and secure message board we could all respond to, and my broker was involved in every communication.
Once the buyer and I agreed to the terms of the sale, we both signed a contract.
Blogs For Sale then opened an Escrow account, where the buyer was able to pay the agreed amount.
The process within Escrow took a few days, but that is common. Once Escrow received, verified, and approved the payment, I was alerted to begin releasing merchandise: aka, transferring my website.
The website transfer was seamless. It also helped (but this is NOT necessary), that the buyer was using the same hosting company as I was currently using; this is also where my domain lived.
Because of this, all I had to go was go into SiteGround and click a ‘Transfer Website’ button. After confirming a few details, and inputting information of where (aka who) to transfer the website to, both the site and domain ownership was sent to the buyer.
She confirmed acceptance of the site within 24 hours, which then prompted Escrow to release the funds to me.
Boom. Done.
Pros of Having a Third Party Sell Your Blog
Enlisting the help of an agency to assist in selling blog can definitely be advantageous. Not only do you have the help of someone else actively trying to sell your site, but you’re more than likely going to reach a bigger audience than you would on your own, and the right audience, too.
Additionally, you have the added protection of professionals who do this day in and day out. They’re going to help ensure the correct contracts are in place, and safely and securely assist in the receiving and disbursement of funds and goods.
One thing to keep in mind when having a third party agency assist in selling your site is the fees. Every agency will differ, but you’re going to be looking at listing fees, Escrow fees, and a contracted commissionable amount for the broker who sells your site and closes the deal.
Pros of Selling Your Blog Independently
If you opt to sell your blog independently, that works, too. The benefits of selling your site yourself are not having to pay any agency fees or commissions for the brokers who help in the process.
A disadvantage, however, to selling your site independently, is you run the risk of limiting your reach, audience, and can lose out on protection when it comes to securing funds and transferring the goods.
Selling independently may be a good idea when you’re selling to someone you know, but I would always recommend having a legal contract drawn up, and utilizing something like an Escrow account for the collection and disbursement of funds.
Ready to start your blog (and maybe even sell it)?! Download this FREE Website Starter Checklist so you can build and flip your website the right way, all from the start. Grab it here.
I’ve flipped blogs in the past and have just begun to get back to it. This is wonderfully helpful guide for those wishing to get started. Thanks!
I’m so glad you found it helpful! Good luck with any upcoming flips!
This is a great guide. Apart from Affiliate Marketing, I would love to try blog flipping. Thank you for this helpful info.
It’s definitely a fun project to take on!! I love getting my hands into the design element of blogging and the “staging” process!
This is great info Natasha – I haven’t planned on this but it’s something to think about for the future.
Thanks for stopping by, Jo! Blog flipping is one of my favorite projects to take on.. definitely takes some time and planning but SO fun to see it come to life!