Would you sell your Adsense website?

[jason77]

Would you sell your Adsense website and if for how much, compared to the annual revenue?

I think I wouldn't. I dont think there is anything comparable to invest the money otherwise....may it be stocks, a savings account or real estate...you will never have the same monthly earnings....and it would be really hard to find someone willing to pay for what such a website is worth...Apart from that you would need to pay lots of taxes on a website sale...so you would only have 50% of it, depending on where you live.

[icedowl]

Would I sell? Nope.

Most of my sites have existed years before AdSense came along and were not monetized. The sites can exist without AdSense, but it's nice not having to foot all of their expenses out of my own pocket. They exist because of my love of their subject matter and because I simply enjoy creating them. Money isn't a factor for me.

[europeforvisitors]

I don't have an AdSense Web site (I have a Web site that runs AdSense), but in any case, I wouldn't sell it because what I'm doing is the best gig that I've had in 40 years as a staff or freelance writer and editor.

I just wish the Web had been invented 40 years earlier--I could have avoided a lot of commuting, meetings, pitching, and other chores.

[hal12b]

everything has a price.

[Bddmed]

Yep, anything can be bought. So is my website. Anyone having Youtube kinda money.

[bts111]

I would sell one or two of my sites and as others have stated the sites would still make money without Adsense.

[BigDave]

I would sell any website that requires attention, but no longer holds my interest.

I might sell a site that doesn't require a lot of attention, but the offer is right.

I would not sell a site where I am still active and enjoying myself.

[Vaibhav]

I sell some of my sites some times @ 16-24 times the monthly income.

They are mostly sites with unique content so the value is higher than the 12-18 times of the monthly earning (which is taken as the market standard).

[Sunflux]

I run one site. Yeah, just one, but it's ALL unique content that I've been working on for nearly a decade. And, personally, I think it would be silly for anyone to NOT sell if the "right price" came around - I'm not talking peanuts or one year's earnings kind of money, but the kind that might be life altering (and, at this point, I feel my site would be worth that kind of money).

I'd take that cash and start a new site with one of my other domains! :-)

[Amanda]

If someone offered me a lot of money for a couple of my sites, I would take the money, but I'm talking at least 5 digits here, so I doubt anyone would offer me that.

[howiejs]

Sites sell everyday - there is a HUGE market

"I sell some of my sites some times @ 16-24 times the monthly income."

The reality is 8X monthly Adsense income from what I am seeing out there. So 16 - 24X monthly you must have a strong brand / great content, etc

[newbies]

I have just been approched by a big company. They asked about the revenue for the past 3 years and offered to purchase my site and give me salary for continuing work on the site and share of revenue generated from the site in the future. I am still considering it...

[bobothecat]

I have just been approched by a big company. They asked about the revenue for the past 3 years and offered to purchase my site and give me salary for continuing work on the site and share of revenue generated from the site in the future. I am still considering it...

Sounds like they want you to be an independant contractor... I'd take the purchase money and no more... there's no need to be a slave to what you've sold.

[iwannano1]

2 month back I did received the offer for site which does 15-20k unique a day. They offered me 30K flat and 40% revenue sharing model for next 2 years after that they becomes 100% owner of site and domain.

I refused the offer as I was looking for one time payment. They said my demand is too high.

[jason77]

Even if the "right" price would be 30 times the monthly revenue I would not take it seriously.

One of my websites exsts for about 8 years now, and every year, the page views and visitors are increasing....and also the monthly revenue since I put Adsense on (before that I didnt make a penny with it).

So I think after 1-2 years I would have made more money by keeping the website then selling it for the "current" monthly revenue * 30.

And I would still own the website which would be even worth more then...so a "reasonable" price would be around 100 times the monthly revenue at least. And anyone with a pure business background would never pay that amount.

[moTi]

The reality is 8X monthly Adsense income from what I am seeing out there.

this must be very desperate people..

the point is indeed the pricing for future market development. and excuse me if i'm pretty optimistic for the next years to come that the earnings potential of marketing a good website with serious and robust market share will improve even further. i'd sell for 10 years current income.

[europeforvisitors]

The reality is 8X monthly Adsense income from what I am seeing out there.

this must be very desperate people.

Or they could be people who:

1) believe the types of sites they're creating now won't be as successful in the future as they are today. Or...

2) believe their strength is in their ability to create Web sites, and that they can make more money by cranking out and selling sites than by being publishers. Or...

3) don't believe in the long-term potential of AdSense and want to get out (with fat checks from buyers) while the going is good. Or...

4) are eager to make a down payment on an expensive house, a yacht, etc. and want a nice pile of cash right now. Or...

5) have been doing something shady and want to cash out before the AdSense TOS team catches up with them. :-)

[jason77]

About the "down payment" for an "expensive house, a yacht, etc..."

If the revenue from your website is 20% or more, a highr mortgage or renting is the better alternative.

House prices go down anyhow and most yachts are a waste of money..unless you live on one 365 days a year....in a tax-free region ;-)

[Hobbs]

i'd sell for 10 years current income

I was once offered 3 years earnings and refused, 6 to 10 years earnings I'd think about it.

I think the value of my site is high as it would remain profitable even if Google search traffic and AdSense no longer exist, would be tight, but would still make a decent living, that has to be a factor in the price.

[BillyS]

This is one of those - it depends type of questions. I've seen marketplaces where 6 months to a year is pretty typical. More is possible, but you'd have to convince the market that your traffic is pretty steady (loyal following) and not at the mercy of Google's next big update.

At those prices I wouldn't sell my site because I believe it's not yet reached its full potential.

[europeforvisitors]

This is one of those - it depends type of questions.

Sure. Even for a site that's likely to produce income from various sources (not just from AdSense), issues such as the owner's age and health--and whether there's someone in the family who wants to take it over--might come into play.

[shrimp]

"someone in the family who wanted to take it over" ...whew, I have been giving some serious thought to that and I think we will see some real chaos in a few years as all us one-man (girl in my case)-operations start floating in space unattended and google is depositing cks in an account no one is ck'ing on....or it is closed.

I have no children ( I did but they died tragically), no husband, and really don't know a soul personally who could take over my 12 to 15 sites and keep 'em in the top 10 serps.

I think about willing my domains to various organizations or nephews, but I am afraid the sites will just dry up. We all know it takes a sertain level of interest to stay on top. What's a girl to do? A 55 yr old girl?
I spend a lot of time keeping all these plates spinning, but then I enjoy it and I make my living in a swim suit w/ a cold beer in hand. Don't want to sell now, but

Maybe someone will approach me to buy at just the right time (later), hope so. If not, Guess all I could do is post to a WebmasterWorld forum about selling...except I think the site-for-sale forum is gone.

[Sunflux]

Heh, yeah, as a one-man-band I've had similar thoughts. I'm still young but I travel a lot and, well, things happen. Fortunantly I have immediate family that can look after the financial side of things, but I come from a small family with few relatives (I'm the only member from this "branch" below 30 - I'm "the" nephew to a lot of aunts) and absolutely no one I'm related to is even slightly technically inclined. Which means no one could ever take over or maintain things.

I have a rather distressing document on my computer that describes what everything is, where it is, how to change things, how to fix potential problems, gives various account information, contacts and so forth. Hey, better safe than sorry! :-)

[biscuit]

If you are looking to sell, then how you value your site depends on how you see the future of web advertising. (And for many that means the future of Adsense.) If you feel that web advertising will be stable or increasing, then work out how much you would need to have in the bank to get the same amount in interest as you get from your website after the cost of your labour on the site has been deducted.

After making that calculation, are you going to find someone who will pay what your website is worth? Also, don't underprice the 'sweat equity' which has already gone into building a quality site with unique content - in the long run these are the only sites which will stay the distance.

[Dzordz]

Well sure I would.
I am even planing to sell one of mine wich is currently at around $400/month earning and rising (its been online almost a year) and pretty much would start my negotiations at 12 months revenue and go from there.

[hunderdown]

My site does things for me beyond it being an "AdSense website." So I'd have to be offered something that would take that into account, and no one in their right mind would do that.

I would sell my site, though, if the money were right--and if I didn't have to sign a non-compete agreement.

[MikeNoLastName]

I agree with a lot that has been said so far, and fortunately my wife works daily on the site too and has at least a basic understanding of how to keep it going or at least who to contact to make it so, if anything should happen to me first. The rest is fairly self-sufficient. Everything is well documented quarterly with 'readme' files and backups, so that any fairly competant person could take over. But what you all are missing, especially if your site is your family's primary income source, is what if something should happen to your economic environment? Like your local currency turns to mush! What will that one-time check today be worth after that, versus, a CONSISTENT monthly income forever and the confidence that "oh well, local advertisers will just start paying a better rate per click". Are you young and ambitious enough to totally start over? It could happen next week. Think of '1923 Germany coming soon to a country near you'. Of course our site DOES have a price, everything does, but I've only heard of a few others going higher, and it is enough to allow us to pay off all debts immediately and live comfortably off the diversified foreign and domestic bond interest indefinitely. On the order of 12-15 times current ANNUAL income. If someone wants to buy my long hard work, they can pay a reasonable price and then work at it and make it yet BETTER, to earn yet more!

[edited by: MikeNoLastName at 10:26 am (utc) on Dec. 29, 2006]

[Huntster]

Only people like us (who own these sites oursleves) would see the real value in paying up for them and have the skill to keep it growing.

Do I have a site that is worth a million dollars? Sure, and I'm sure many of you do as well when you consider the current and future earnings potential. But, I'm not optimistic that I could ever get fair value for my sites, so I'll just take the cash flow and leave the revenue to my kids.

That's what is great about what many of us do. We're not working 14 hours a day running a deli or a stationary store. No need to "Retire" in the traditional sense. Just kick back a little. Thank god for the Internet. Who knows what the hell I'd be doing now?

If I did get an offer - I'd be stupid not to listen.

[edited by: Huntster at 7:48 pm (utc) on Dec. 29, 2006]

[workingNOMAD]

Why would anyone sell a website if it's making money? It's like all these websites for sale on ebay claiming to make money.

There is one born every minute!

[dollarshort]

It costs me $14 dollars a month to run my website it brings in 142 times that amount in profit, I can't think of any other investment that has the same ROI, but as they say money talks.