3 Valuable Lessons I Learned from Selling 3 Blogs in 2023

In 2023, I sold three blogs for about $800,000 combined. One was a blog I started from scratch in 2018, and the other two blogs I’d purchased in 2021 and 2022 (I paid a combined $112,000) with the goal of flipping them.

Anyone who runs a blog or content-based site knows that 2023 has been a very challenging year between the onslaught of Google updates and the meteoric rise of AI-generated content.

I sold all three of my sites before Google’s infamous Helpful Content Update (HCU) in September. While I can’t pretend I knew what was coming, I have to admit that past Google updates and rumors of AI taking over the internet weighed on my mind when I thought about potential exits.

Over the past decade, I’ve sold a few other websites and online businesses, and new lessons are learned through each experience. Looking back on the three sites I sold this year, here are three lessons I’ll take with me.

1. Google Updates are a Major Concern for Buyers

Google search algorithm updates are nothing new, but the frequency and severity of those updates have increased over the past few years. When I’ve sold sites in the past, buyers never seemed to be overly concerned about the possibilities of future updates. Many buyers loved sites that got the vast majority of their traffic from organic search. Today, that’s changed.

Even before September’s Helpful Content Update that crushed so many sites, most of the buyers I talked to asked a lot of questions related to SEO and showed concerns about future updates. (For reference, after the Helpful Content Update, one of the sites I sold was down significantly, one was flat, and one was up.)

And of course, buyers’s concerns are even greater now, post HCU. Today’s buyers don’t want sites that get 90% of their traffic from organic search. It’s simply too risky to invest a large sum into a site that could be upended at any time.

There’s no doubt that SEO is still effective, and I certainly wouldn’t suggest ignoring it. But establishing diverse traffic sources is more important than ever. Thankfully, other platforms like Pinterest, Facebook, and Flipboard offer possible solutions.

An email list is also extremely beneficial. Creating content that will appeal to subscribers and keep them coming back is one way to protect yourself against traffic drops from Google updates. That’s the approach my partner and I are taking with a new project, Founder Reports.

2. Sell on an Upswing

Traffic and revenue trends are extremely important when you’re selling a website or online business. It’s much easier to sell a growing site than one that’s declining. You can sell your site faster and get more money for it if you sell when the trends are positive.

Unfortunately, most people wait until their site is headed in the wrong direction, they get frustrated, and then list it for sale. That’s not the best way to approach it if you want to maximize the selling price.

In 2022, I was hoping to sell one of my sites, but then it lost a significant amount of search traffic. Rather than selling for a much lower amount than I wanted, I kept working on the site. Less than two months later, a Google update reversed the drop in traffic, and things headed in the right direction again.

When I sold the site in 2023, its traffic and revenue were higher than they’d ever been, and the month-to-month and year-over-year trends were very positive. Thankfully, I was able to sell it for a price I was very happy with (more than it was worth in 2022). Of course, I’m glad I didn’t sell out of frustration when things weren’t looking so good.

3. Selling a Business Is Much Easier When You Have a Strategic Buyer

The most common way to sell a website is to list it for sale with a broker or marketplace. Potential buyers looking to acquire a digital asset can get in touch and make an offer if they’re interested.

There’s nothing wrong with that approach, and I’ve used it myself several times. However, one of my exits in 2023 was handled without a broker or marketplace, and it was the easiest exit I’ve ever had.

In this case, I knew of a company that I thought would be a good fit to buy my site. They have a very well-established business that would benefit from owning the site, and they have the resources to take it beyond what I was able to do with it.

I got in touch with the company’s VP of Business Development through LinkedIn (we had no previous contact), and sure enough, they were interested in buying it. About a week later, we agreed on the price and terms. Less than two weeks after that, I had the money in my bank account, and the sale was final.

It was the fastest, easiest, smoothest transition I’ve ever had. They were very interested in the site because they saw how it could benefit their business, and I really didn’t have to sell or convince them of anything.

Final Thoughts

I learned from and gained experience through each of these sites and exits. If you’re interested in learning more, I’ve written an article about website flipping that may interest you.