Competition Half Way Analysis
- 12 Comment
Regular readers will know that I am currently involved in a competition to create a blog from scratch with the view to selling it in one month. I noticed some of the competition have taken the time to do a little analysis for the benefit of others and, as we are half way through already, I’d like to add my two cents. Here is a brief overview of the sites as I see them.
Blogfluff.com
Inbound Links: 398
Alexa: 1,763,399
Estimated Value: $60
After days of hitting up a blank page on this one, I notice that there is something happening. As expected, the site is looking really good and from what I can make out, there is a great idea brewing. This site is really beginning to take shape and, as with the tortoise and the hare, I see a really strong finish coming. Watch this space for something special.
Acthighbrow.com
Inbound Links: 503
Alexa: 3,750,814
Estimated Value: $90
Initial kudos for including all competitors in the blogroll! A great job on link building so far and that is reflected in the estimate value. The site is fairly straightforward but I did struggle to subscribe as the subscription box is not displayed prominently on the homepage. I feel that more content is needed and perhaps better use of space above the fold.
Traveltipsdigest.com
Inbound Links: 78
Alexa: 3,700,640
Estimated Value: $20
Another one that I found a little tricky to subscribe to – that being said, this site has some awesome content and is aesthetically pleasing to the eye. My advice is simply to keep doing what you are doing, get some more anchored text links and make it easier to subscribe to! You could backdate a few posts to fill the gap between 3rd and 9th July.
Gogreenlifestyle.net
Inbound Links: 106
Alexa: 3,166,805
Estimated Value: $50
It is hard to find fault with this site as far as I am concerned. A superb job so far! It’s not just the use of a good premium theme either - everything is so easy and clean, the content is fantastic and the site looks great. Get yourself some more links and keep up the good work.
Bloggerssearch.com
Inbound Links: 114
Alexa: 2,081,879
Estimated Value: $50
There is a lot of potential with this site and I cannot knock the theme as it is the same that I use here. There are a few functionality issues which I have pointed out already on the site; namely feedburner subscriptions not being set up. I would look at making better use of the sidebar with this theme and, with all the bloggers out there to profile, I would expect a lot more content to come. We are looking to sell these sites so they must work and they must have plenty of content, so consider backdating a few posts also just to fill the site out.
Professorprosperity.com
Inbound Links: 179
Alexa: 4,462,464
Estimated Value: $50
You got a couple of day’s head start on everyone I notice but we will let that slide. I’m actually starting to like this site more everyday and the sole reason for that is the content! The ‘101 steps’ alone is just brilliant. The site is laid out well but one thing I would say is that it’s almost too busy. Look at the headers and you will see it is hard to differentiate between a post title and a header. I really don’t like the google ads at the bottom but other than that…..Good Job! Thanks also for the blogroll links!
Frugalzeitgeist.com
Inbound Links: 210
Alexa: 2,363,385
Estimated Value: $120
For those of you who have seen this site, I think you will agree that I don’t need to say too much about it; another really impressive site. It works well, looks great, has had outstanding traffic and is making money. I thought that with you being on top of everything else you might have more links too, but that will come I’m sure. My only qualm is that the categories at the top are slightly reminiscent of google ads and my eyes stray away almost immediately. I am keen to see how much this sells for…..if at all!
Reggae-artists.com
Inbound Links: 162
Alexa: 2,819,397
Estimated Value: $50
Ticking away nicely is my own site and I wanted to share feedback that I have received from others, along with a little of what I am thinking. According to PB I am doing reasonably well in the seo stakes and that is reflected by the organic traffic I am getting. This is particularly pleasing as I am actually picking up hits for my main keywords. I have been fairly slack on getting links too and so thanks to everyone who has helped on that front. The site itself is too heavily monetised, as pointed out by Bryan, but I do have one paid ad up there which has paid for this experiment and put me in profit already. I am not sure if I will keep the theme because, as much as I like it, there are more suitable ones out there; it could be much simpler for the end user. Also, for a reggae site……it lacks in COLOUR!
I must admit to finding this an awful lot harder than I had imagined. Trying to keep up with this along with all my other sites has tested me…especially with the 9-5 in between. It has also taught me a great deal though and I am glad that I made the effort – I have learnt new techniques, got some great ideas for a little further down the line and most importantly expanded my network of bloggers which is invaluable.
I mentioned a couple of times above about backdating posts which is something I have found myself doing a lot in keeping up with my site. The reason I advise this is because you should not lose sight of the fact that we are building these sites for sale. It will help if you have a lot of content which has been posted at regular intervals, add to that good looks and functionality and you have something worth buying. At this stage in the competition you should all be looking towards the end goal and so my final thoughts would be this, go away and look at your site from a buyers perspective. Step away from it and really take a look at what are going to be your unique selling points when crunch time comes. Why would someone buy your site? Drop me some comments if it helps!
Let’s hope Bryan gets well soon and we can have some more info from the master himself!
12 Comments on this post
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Going Green said:
Hey AP, Nice analysis. Is Forest kickin’ ass or what?
The only problem I have is with estimated values, which I assume were generated from DNScoop or a similar site/tool. I can only hope everyone lists their sites for that much, cause I’ll be snapping up a couple myself. lol. That’s not against the rules I hope?
I sold a site once for $2400 on SP that DNScoop said was worth $0. lol. So, although DNScoop is a good tool, hopefully nobody takes their value estimator to heart.I’d like to also share my (extremely humble) 2 cents on what seems to be a focus on “number of backlinks”, because you also mention to look at the site from a “buyer’s perspective”. I’m far from an expert, but I’ve purchased a few sites, and also sold a few so I’ve been on both sides. Some were pretty good, some not so great.
From a buyer’s perspective, in my experience, there will be concern where the backlinks are coming from, not just the total number. In addition, it will also make a difference if the sites linking to you have relative content/authority.
For example, I would prefer to buy a site that has 200 backlinks coming from 200 separate sites that have relative content/authority, rather than a site that has 1000 backlinks with all of them coming from a total of 3 different sites.
Savvy buyers will also check to see who owns the sites sending tons of inbound links in case the same owner pumped up the backlinks on their other sites with plans to drop the links after the sale.When sites are selling for a few hundred I don’t notice people getting too anal about it, but it is a concern when it’s a larger price and/or a focus on the backlinks listed as a “bonus” in the sale.
These things make it tough to sell a site within thirty days (that you’ve built new), because you know the potential for $$ is greater if you wait (for more backlinks, revenue, PR, etc. ).
Thanks for the kind words on Going Green, and great post here. I was thinking of doing the same on my personal site but I assume you have more than 7 readers so I’ll just point them here. lol
Cheers!
JayGoing Greens last blog post..Vinyl Records Recycled Into Great Gift Ideas
July 16th, 2008 at 9:12 pm -
theaffiliatepost said:
Jay - Awesome comment to kick us off here and yes, Forest is totally kicking ass here!
Just to confirm, I did take the stats from dnscoop but only to give a level to everything. I totally agree that you should take such a guesstimate with a pinch of salt. I am so intrigued as to what they do all sell for as that is where I think I might learn the most about site flipping. I know they say the money is in the buy, but I will learn a lot at the sell thats for sure.
The reason I was harping on about getting your links up was purely down to the fact that this is only a one month show. As you so rightly pointed out it is frustrating to think of selling so early as the potential will always be there and you could pick up way more further down the line. I actually bought a domain at tdnam which has just 4 links and it is a solid pr4 domain. Brilliant - best $5 I ever spent. Anyway, point of story is that this analysis and advice is given on the fact that we are looking to sell in one month.
You have worked your way in to my top 3 comments ever with that one.
Thanks Jay!
theaffiliateposts last blog post..Competition Half Way Analysis
July 16th, 2008 at 9:48 pm -
Going Green said:
Hey, no problem! I knew why you included the “stats”, just wanted to share my thoughts on how I think they’ll affect the sale(s).
Way to go on the domain. I’m on the hunt too. ( FreshDrop.net shows you Tdnam names by PR if you like to search that way )
Re: My Personal Site, Thanks for the comment! Gave me a good giggle! lol
However, now I’ll have to break it to my Mom that she’s no longer my one and only subscriber.Cheers!
JayGoing Greens last blog post..Vinyl Records Recycled Into Great Gift Ideas
July 16th, 2008 at 10:49 pm -
theaffiliatepost said:
You are too funny. I can always unsubsribe if you want to keep things good with your momma! Congrats on your 11th day post
theaffiliateposts last blog post..Competition Half Way AnalysisJuly 17th, 2008 at 6:56 am -
The Daily Belle said:
Everyone is doing pretty well considering the time constraint. What is going to happen to Bryan’s little experiment/contest, when nobody wants to sell their blogs in the end!?
I think everyone should read my new blog! I am figuring out a template for it so it is on blogger for now. But check out the content!
Oh…shameless plug!
The Daily Belles last blog post..Kermit’s Prank Call
July 17th, 2008 at 3:00 pm -
Bloggers Search said:
Hi, Neal:
Sweetness! I will have to do a round up post as well.How did you come up with the valuations at the end? Mine is worth $50 already, dang it. That is pretty good. Let me know, how you came up with these numbers.
I see everyone is neck and neck, as far as links, traffic, and income. That is going to be the challenge for us all, to create some income in 30 days. Let’s see what Bryan has up his sleeve for this.
I know i need to add way more content, i’m working on it. There will be a few more blogger profiles up, by end of this week.
@ everyone: I am currently looking to see which are good affiliates for the blog, any ideas?
Bloggers Searchs last blog post..Australian Blogger Olive Riley, Dies at 108
July 17th, 2008 at 9:40 pm -
theaffiliatepost said:
@ DB: Thanks for the shameless plug baby! Once this competition is over and done with and I have sold my blog…I promise I will finish your site fully.
@ Missy: Glad you liked the post. The numbers were all from dnscoop and therefore on the pricing it is a bit of a guesstimate - take them with a pinch of salt. I think we may be neck and neck on links but I feel Forest is smashing it so far as traffic is concerned.
Regards the affiliates…you mean affiliate marketers to profile, or affiliate links to advertise?
theaffiliateposts last blog post..Notes To PissBiscuit - Thank You!
July 18th, 2008 at 2:10 pm -
The Daily Belle said:
Ok….I was about to say can I have that in writing? But you did write it, so I am accepting your comment as a formal contract to finish my site to my absolute liking x
The Daily Belles last blog post..Kermit’s Prank Call
July 18th, 2008 at 2:28 pm -
Forest said:
I am really happy with the site progress and as I keep saying it’s a no sell for me!! I just checked my backlinks and it’s says 1042, which is cool. As for their quality….. well Google just gave me a PR fat 0 so I guess they can’t be that great.
I have also had huge problems ranking in Google and am convinced the domain has something bad about it!!! Yahoo sends me most of my organic traffic.
The other blogs are all awesome and PB turned BlogFluff around and it’s looking awesome now.
The main problem I have is trying to think up content and working out how to drag in a few more subscribers.
Forests last blog post..Buy prepaid gasoline cards…. but why?
July 26th, 2008 at 1:58 pm -
promosyon said:
You have excellent analysis. thanks for writting
August 7th, 2008 at 9:33 am
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