Selling the Site, App or Domain Hard

What it is

Every property on this site is also an asset that can be sold: a content site, a newsletter, a SaaS, an app, a directory, a domain. Buyers pay a multiple of profit or revenue for the future income, and brokers, marketplaces and auction sites exist to connect the two sides. Domain sales are the simplest version: a name with demand sells outright or through a broker, and undeveloped names can earn a little through parking while they wait.

How the money flows

You list with a broker (Empire Flippers, FE International, Quiet Light, Motion Invest for smaller content sites) or a marketplace (Flippa, Acquire.com for SaaS, Microns for micro-SaaS, Duuce for newsletters, Sedo and Afternic for domains). The broker values the asset on trailing twelve-month net profit, prepares a listing, vets buyers and runs diligence; on a sale, funds move through escrow, the assets transfer, and the broker takes 5-15%. Marketplaces charge listing fees plus a success fee of 5-10%. From listing to closing takes two to six months.

What it pays

Content and affiliate sites sell for 30-45x average monthly net profit (so a site clearing $3,000 a month sells for $90,000-135,000); newsletters similar; e-commerce 25-40x; SaaS for 3-8x annual recurring revenue; apps 2-4x annual profit. What raises the multiple is boring: age, diversified traffic (not 90% Google), diversified revenue (not one affiliate program), clean books, documented processes, and no dependence on the owner's face or name. Domains are priced on comparables and demand, from hundreds to millions.

Requirements and who pays

Twelve months of clean, provable financials and analytics; ownership of every asset (domain, accounts, content rights); and a story a buyer can continue. Buyers are individuals seeking cash-flowing assets, aggregators and holding companies, and, for SaaS and apps, strategic acquirers.

Pitfalls

Start preparing a year before you want to sell: fix traffic concentration, stop selling links, document everything, and separate business and personal accounts. Do not sell in a dip unless you must; buyers price the trend. Verify the buyer's funds before diligence. And read the earn-out clauses: a price with 30% paid on future performance is not the headline price.