Deal Flow (Mar 30): 3 Websites, 5 Aged and 7 Branded Domains

This week’s deals feature an off-market site in the data science niche, 2 Flippa sites in the sewing and tea niches, and an aged domain in the education niche from Odys marketplace.

For domains, we share data on 5 aged SEO domains and 7 branded domains live at GoDaddy auctions. The SEO metrics are shared for each domain as well.

Let’s get into each deal!

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Off-Market Site: TheClickReader.com

This is a website in my portfolio that I purchased on Flippa. I have really neglected this site and it has not been monetized properly. Please fill out the Google Form here, if interested.

Website Summary

Niche: Data Science, Course Reviews

Revenue: Monetized via Impact Radius network (Datacamp, Udemy, LinkedIn, Internxt)

• Last-3-month average: $66
• Last 6-month average: $228
• Last 12-month average: $116

Listed Price: $8,436 (~37X of L6M average)

AHREFS

Due Diligence Dashboard

Below are the results from the due diligence review. There are some setbacks that will be discussed below.

Below is the Google Search Console report:

Growth Blueprint

Highlights

• Launched in January 2020 by a group of data science experts out of India
• Backlinks from Github, Medium, Product Hunt, Starter Story, and various other niche sites
• 236 high-quality articles written by data science experts
• Site is a brand and receives branded traffic ( keyword “click reader”)
• YouTube channel, Facebook page, Twitter account, and Medium blog included

Setbacks

• Two Google Analytics tags were installed by mistake (inflated pageviews)
• Site has not had new content in 3 months

Easy Wins

• Add Ezoic for a boost in revenues (EPMV in the education niche is upwards of $20+)
• Add DataCamp affiliate links to YouTube videos for more revenues (major win)
• Add comparison tables, CTA buttons, product boxes promoting DataCamp (highest converting offer)
• Add new content (e.g., course reviews rank well)
• Add course reviews on YouTube as video format (much easier to rank)

Takeaway

I bought this site off of Flippa in December 2021. I bought it because it had good content written by experts, growing in traffic, high-affiliate potential from DataCamp/Udemy, and a worldwide niche and not tied to US geography.

The last point is critical. With the data science/programming niche, revenue is still high in tier 3 countries (India, etc). This is because they also use DataCamp/Udemy/etc to learn the topic just like a tier 1 country person would. For the site owner, this is equal revenue potential.

The site has been sitting on my server for the last few months without much work done to it due to lack of time and interest.

The largest revenue generator is DataCamp and then Udemy. However, it’s sporadic since proper CRO is not done to the site.

Valuation: I am asking for a 37X (due to site age, quality content, high-paying affiliate programs setup) of the last 6-month’s revenues. This equates to a value of $8,436

Note: easy wins would boost revenues immediately (e.g., adding Ezoic display ads).

Interested? View P&L, screenshots

For full details, view:

• Current P&L

If you are interested in learning more, please fill out the form below to express interest. I will then give you access to Google Analytics and Google Search Console, and you can ask questions.

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Domain: StarterLeague.com

Domain Summary

Type: Aged Domain

Niche: Education, Programming

Source: Odys Global (see listing here)

Age: 2008 (14 years old)

Listed Price: $10,350

AHREFS

Backlinks: Technori, RubyList, GitHub, HubSpot, Business Insider, and more.

Site History

Starter League was an online course to learn to program. They focused on front-end design so web development, visual design, HTML & CSS, user experience, and more.

Here’s what the past website looked like:

Growth Blueprint

The education niche, specifically these days programming, is growing and lucrative. There are high-paying affiliate programs through Udemy, DataCamp, LinkedIn Learning, and much more. The commissions on some of these range from 30% to 50%.

Bonus: The domain is indexed in Google and according to AHREFs, still ranking for keywords. That is a plus point.

Here’s what I would do:

1. Recreate the home page as being an educational platform that teaches people how to program
2. Recreate specific pages to be silos, e.g., /webdev, /adhtmlcss, /behtmlcss
3. Add content on the best courses, platforms, how to get started, etc.

Monetization can easily be done with display advertisements (high RPM niche) and course affiliates.

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Flippa Site: SewingInsight.com

Website Summary

Type: Existing Content Site

Niche: DIY, Sewing

Source: Flippa (see listing here)

Revenue: Google Adsense (but not proof of income available)

AHREFS

Due Diligence Dashboard

Growth Blueprint

Highlights

• 9-year old website
• All content is written by an expert in the topic; hand-tested reviews
• Excellent backlinks from eHow, NY Times/Wirecutter, Sewing, and many more niche relevant sites.

Setbacks

• History of site downtime, malware, etc causing traffic dips temporarily (e.g., in late February 2022)
• Nov 2021 to January 2022 dip in traffic that has rebounded
• Content is very outdated; many sewing machines reviewed are not for sale anymore
• Monetized by Google Adsense but the seller does not have access to the account (writer does)

Easy Wins

• Add Ezoic display ads (est. $15 EPMV with 25,000 pageviews equates to $375 revenue/mo)
• Add comparison tables, CTA buttons, and product boxes on top traffic articles for sewing machines. Monetize with Amazon Associates. An additional $200+ easily.
• 219 articles were published so a content audit needs to be done to remove low-traffic low-quality articles
• Revamp existing articles

Takeaway

It’s difficult to come across aged sites built by a real hobbyist in the space. These are the type of websites that have longevity. SewingInsight.com is poised for growth in my opinion and has not received the time it deserves.

The original writer is unable to continue writing content. She wrote all of the articles for over 9 years now. She is an expert in this topic and the content shows that.

The site has its ups and downs. Peak traffic was at 55,000 in early 2021 and has been on a major downtrend since then. However, this is most likely not due to the site being penalized but more to do with outdated content and new competitors targetting the same keywords. The site needs a clean-up.

The site could be monetized easily with Ezoic display ads partnered with Amazon Associates. Right out of the gate, a revenue target of $400-$500 is reasonable per month.

Valuation:

The seller has a reserve of $9,060 and a buy it now of $12,000. The site is monetized with Google Adsense but the seller does not have access to the account; the writer does who is sick at this time. So expect no proof of income (I already tried).

Therefore, we have to use our best judgment. Ezoic would generate $250 to $375 per mo, while Amazon Associates should generate an additional $100 to $200 at a bare minimum. This puts the revenue range at $350 to $575.

The base multiple according to the website valuation framework is 35X and this site due to age, deserves a 37X. That puts the valuation range at $12,950 to $21,275.

Note: this is not a homerun deal as significant effort is needed to revamp the site and content. Buyer beware.

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🚀 Other Sites For Sale

Here are a few sites that are listed on Flippa. I have not done a detailed analysis on these because they do not fully pass my due diligence but may be worth it for you. Do your own due diligence!

1. TeaPerspective.com: The site built on an 8-year old aged domain claimed to be making $205/mo via Amazon and Ezoic ads over the last 12-months. One redirected domain points to the main site. Traffic seems to have taken a dip in Feb 2022.

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🚀 5 SEO Domains & 7 Brandable Domains

My team and I sifted through the marketplaces and found 5 aged SEO domains with quality backlinks and 7 branded domains that are live at auction. We’ve done a preliminary due diligence review. You should do your own research.

5 SEO Domains

Five domains with authority and keyword ranking this week. Currently bidding in the 3 to 4 figure price range.

We share the AHREFs stats and also what the past site was about. View them below:

1. BabyPost.com: started offering baby websites in 2002 and expanded into a baby authority content and eCommerce site. Currently, DR 35 with 5282 KW ranking in the top 100. Backlinks from Huffpost, Buzzfeed.
2. BayFront.com: was the BayFront Medical Center in Florida from 2004 onwards. Currently DR 40 with 135 KW ranking. Backlinks from Homestead, USF. Note: It hosted adult content from 2002-2003 before becoming a medical site.
3. ImperialBeer.com: was a Costa Rican beer brand first registered in 2017. Currently DR 30 with 312 KW ranking. Backlinks from Business Insider, Thrillist.
4. GamingRebellion.com: was a gaming review authority site starting in 2014. Currently DR 26 with 1653 KW ranking. Backlinks from Wikipedia, Fandom.
5. NapaLinks.com: was a Napa Valley wine and tourist information site first registered way back in 2009. Currently DR 21 with 432 KW ranking. Backlinks from Wikipedia, Time, Lonely Planet.

For a detailed guide on how to repurpose these domains the right way, check out my Course on Aged Domains.

7 Brandable Domains

Some fantastic names in the AI, Food, Agriculture and Education niches this week:

1. AIWeb.com
2. SimplyEasy.com
3. OrganicFarmer.com
4. WineSpecialist.com
5. EduExpert.com
6. DinnerDirect.com
7. InsuranceSchool.com

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Additional Resources

If you are interested in any of the deals this week, go through the specific platforms and contact the sellers. Make sure to perform detailed research and due diligence when acquiring any domains or websites.

Here are resources you should read up on:

• Framework to buy a website
• Due diligence framework
• Website valuation framework
• Vetting aged domains