How to Flip Websites to Make Money

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Learn how to flip websites to make money with these tips from Jenn Leach! Flipping websites can be an incredibly lucrative way to make an income – some people even make 6 figures doing it!

Society has long been familiar with the terms flipping – flipping houses, flea market flippers, etc. There are so many ways you can buy something, improve it, and sell it for more money.

Flipping websites is no different. Find a website that is undervalued, make the necessary improvements, then sell it for a profit. 

Plus, what a fun way to make some extra money (if you enjoy operating websites, that is). These other ways to make money are also awesome if you don’t like the idea of flipping websites. 

You can also learn how to save $10,000 in a year to buy a website to flip.

What is Website Flipping?

Website flipping is the process of purchasing a website that has been neglected, making improvements to it and then selling it for a profit. 

Optimizing the site for SEO, Pinterest, and/or Facebook or other social media channels, and building an email list to gain a following a build traffic are typically necessary to improve the performance.

Also, adding additional income streams and optimizing current income streams will lead to a higher profit when it comes time to sell. 

How to Flip a Website

You might’ve heard the stories of people who start a humble website and end up selling it for millions of dollars to a media conglomerate.

Here’s the truth – stories like that are few and far between. And while it would be incredible if we could all start a website and sell it for millions of dollars 5 or 10 years from now, the truth is that sales like that are very rare.

The good news is, that there are thousands of people who make money buying and selling websites, and it’s the perfect way to make money on the road or allow you to spend more quality time with loved ones.

Some entrepreneurs buy and sell websites to supplement their income, and there are many who have made flipping websites their primary source of income.

Jenn Leach, is in the latter category. Jenn is a full-time website flipper and creator of the website flipping course, The Art of the Microflip.

Jenn got her first taste of website flipping back in 2014 when she sold her eCommerce site for a profit.

After realizing how lucrative flipping websites could be, she started focusing more attention on the process. Fast forward 5 years, and Jenn has made well over $100,000 buying and selling websites.

Jenn is an expert in flipping websites for profit, and I’ve invited her to share some tips and advice for Digital Nomad Mom readers interested in exploring this profitable and exciting online business.

Interview With Jenn Leach, Founder of The Art of the Microflip

1. Can you tell me a little bit about yourself and how you got started in Website Flipping?

I’m an Army brat and call Texas home. I have a background in personal finance and banking. In the last two years at my former employer a lightbulb went off and I decided to give this entrepreneurship thing a try.

I tried my hand at a few different things but I had the most success with ecommerce. A year after starting my ecommerce store, I quit my day job for the entrepreneurship life!

A few years into running the store, I was feeling burnt out. I was working 60 hours weeks and had the store on my mind 24/7. It was beginning to get more difficult to balance home and work. I was neglecting everything except the store and I knew something had to change so I decided to sell and flipped the store for a profit!

That was my first flip and since then, I have flipped dozens of websites including blogs and ecommerce stores, teaching others how I do it, along the way.

I love website flipping for so many reasons but most of all, for the flexibility. I can create my own schedule, manage mommy things in between like being home to see my son off as he gets on the school bus and gets dropped off during the week, schedule doctor’s appointments without worry, and tons of other perks.

There is unlimited income potential and I’m the boss. I choose what projects to pursue and what kind of work load I’ll take on. It’s great!

2. How do you make money selling websites?

Websites are very valuable and they are a lot easier to buy and sell than a many people think. I create and grow websites then once they are valuable, I flip them for a profit.

Value comes from many things including:

• Email list
• Social media fanbase
• Website revenue
• Website traffic
• Content

As you can see, many things make a site valuable. That means zero income, zero traffic sites can sell. Zero content sites can sell. The more elements you have, the higher the price you can fetch for the site, in some cases.

For example, I can create a food blog and write 50 articles and recipes for the site. Then, grow the traffic and maintain it for 3 months and sell it.

This is an example of what the process might look like. You can sell the site at any point in time and at any age.

3. Is flipping websites still profitable in 2019?

Yes, definitely! I still make money flipping websites and 2019 is a great time to do it.

Editors note – Buying and selling websites is incredibly profitable in 2019. Take a look at the current listings on website marketplaces like Empire Flippers and Flippa to see how much websites are selling for in 2019.

4. How long does it take to create and flip a website?

You can create a website in as little as an hour.

Editors note – If you have some experience creating websites, the process can be very fast. Of course, there’s a learning curve for complete beginners.

Growing it can take some time (30+ days) but growth happens from day 1. The moment you start adding content and spreading word about your site, it’s becoming more and more valuable.

The “flip” or the sale can take anywhere from 1 day to 14 days, on average. Larger, more established sites can take up to a few months to sell.

5. How much money can you make flipping websites?

In the beginning stages of starting a website flipping business, you can earn up to $2,500/month flipping websites. Once you get good at the process, it’s easy to scale and go from flipping one site to flipping dozens of sites, creating monthly income for yourself.

6. Are there any special technical skills or equipment required to buy and sell websites?

No technical skills or specialized equipment is needed to buy and sell websites. If you can operate a smartphone, you can buy and sell websites. You can actually do it all from your phone, if you’d like.

You don’t have to be technically savvy or know coding, no special background or expertise is needed to succeed flipping websites.

7. What would a typical day look like for a website flipper?

A typical day, assuming a part-time schedule 8am to 12pm:

8am to 9am-promote

9am to 10am-keyword research

11am to 12pm-create website content and research

For a full-time schedule, you’d do the same activities but spread out over a long period of time for each task.

9. Do you have any advice for someone who wants to become a website flipper?

Just start! Sometimes you need a push to begin. The website flipping industry has a low barrier to entry and starting today can mean you have $2,500 more in your bank after your first flip.

You’ll learn along the way but don’t delay if you’re interested. It’s a fun and rewarding field to break into and it lets you explore your creative side.

If you want to start flipping, but have no cash, here are some ways you can make 300 dollars fast. Do this a few times and you’re ready to buy your first website!

Other perks? Unlimited income potential, design your dream schedule, call yourself boss and more!

Learn how to start a blog. 

How To Start Flipping Websites

As you can see, website flipping can be a lucrative online business with some serious perks, including unlimited potential and the ability to set your own schedule.

Here are some simple tips just to get you started if you plan to start a website from scratch. If you are purchasing a website, you can just start on step 3.

Step 1 – Choose a Niche

Choosing a specific niche will make it easier to gain a competitive advantage over other bloggers. Do some research to find out what topics people are looking for that you would also enjoy writing about.

While it doesn’t have to be your passion, it should be something you’re interested in so you don’t get too bored creating content.

OR

Buy an Already Established Website

Choose a website that already has some traffic/is selling a product in an area that you have some familiarity with. It may even be generating some revenue already, will will help cover the expenses it will take to get the website to a selling point. 

Step 2 – Set Up Your Domain, Hosting and WordPress Dashboard

Next step is to choose a domain, hosting and setting up your WordPress dashboard.

This should help you get started in setting up your website. 

Step 3 – Start Creating Content

This step is important as this is what will drive people to your website. I highly recommend creating SEO optimized content so you can rank in Google and bring in more traffic.

If you’re not well versed in SEO, Mike Pearson’s class Stupid Simple SEO is absolutely amazing! It teaches you how to select the right keywords to rank and build traffic for your site. 

Step 4 – Set up Advertising/Affiliates

To start making money on your site, you can set up on page advertising like Google Adsense, SheMedia, Mediavine or Adthrive (depending on your traffic). Some of these require a certain amount of traffic before signing up, so go back to #3!

You can start earning affiliate income right away. Learn how to start affiliate marketing. 

Step 5 – Sell Your Website

Obviously this is the whole goal of this post. Ultimately, you want to get your website making enough money to attract buyers. Don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be huge income, just enough to attract a buyer.

It also depends how much you want to earn. Great places to get valuations are Empire Flippers, Flippa or Quiet Light Brokerage. 

You can also advertise the sale on social media if you prefer not to go through a broker. 

In Conclusion

Flipping websites can be an incredibly lucrative business depending on how much work you are willing to put into it. Plus, what a fun way to make either a side income or make it your full time job!

Have you flipped a website before? Comment below and let us know what your experience has been!