Building and setting up a business website from scratch can be challenging and time-consuming. That’s why many entrepreneurs buy an existing site and repurpose it for their needs. Even though this is a quicker option, it still requires a bit of hard work and know-how.
It is a crucial decision you can’t take lightly, and you must consider many aspects of the website to make the transition smooth. At the same time, considering these factors helps you determine which site is the best for your business needs.
Here are the essentials you need to consider before acquiring a business website.
Check content quality and type
When buying a website, you will also get the content on it, so you should first examine what kind of content the site has. Of course, you probably won’t be able to use all of it, but acquiring a site with helpful content is generally a good idea.
How many pages need to be reworked, redirected, or changed? These are just some of the questions you need to answer. On the other hand, look at the content’s quality and whether it provides value to visitors. The better the quality and useability of content, the more valuable the website.
Look at domain authority
Domain authority is an important metric that shows how likely a specific site will rank well for different keywords. In other words, the higher the domain authority is, the better. This number also tells you whether you’re dealing with a quality site.
It takes a lot of time and effort to boost domain authority. However, when looking at the domain, it’s also essential to check the price of that domain as it also indicates its value. Luckily, with the Saw.com domain appraisal tool, you can do this for free by typing in the URL address of the site.
Do some SEO analytics
Yes, a website might have a strong domain, but it’s critical to see if the domain and SEO practices of the previous owner can work in harmony with your plans. First, check the keywords the site ranks for and if these keywords match your content.
At the same time, look at the site’s overall SEO health and see if there are any broken links, errors, poorly designed pages, and other issues. You need to be sure you can pick up where the site left off and avoid starting your ranking process from scratch because that’s the point of buying a site.
Check the audiences
When acquiring a blog or website, an audience usually comes with it. Use the analytics tools to determine how many visitors the site has. See the conversion numbers and how engaged those visitors are with the site. Will you find it difficult to retain those customers?
At the same time, you need to learn who those people are to see whether that audience would also be interested in your business. For example, if you’re buying a tech blog, you might have younger audiences interested in gadgets, smartphones, computers, etc.
What is powering the site?
Every website uses a platform in the background for all its operations. This platform will affect your daily routine and the things you can do with the site. The most common platforms are Joomla, WordPress, WooCommerce, Hubspot, etc.
These have different levels of complexity, design options, add-ons, extensions, support, data portability capabilities, and price. Learn about the CMS world and which option is best for you. That’s how you can pick the right site you can use effectively every day.
Consider the financial aspect
Check out the financial records of that domain and see how the website was used for monetization. In other words, how did the site make money in the past, and how much did it make? In general, you should look for domains with multiple income channels and steady growth.
Take the time to consider future business trends and potential revenue sources. Does it seem like the site you’re using was a one-time thing, and there’s no sustainability for the future? Look for accurate answers to these questions to avoid making a serious investment that won’t give you any ROI.
Conclusion
Ultimately, it’s all about being extensive and putting all the crucial details down on paper. Go through many different sites and analyze them. Compare those websites and see what options work best for you. Double-check all the stats and key metrics to ensure you’ve gotten everything right. Good luck!
Lynn Martelli is an editor at Readability. She received her MFA in Creative Writing from Antioch University and has worked as an editor for over 10 years. Lynn has edited a wide variety of books, including fiction, non-fiction, memoirs, and more. In her free time, Lynn enjoys reading, writing, and spending time with her family and friends.
