Looking to Sell Domains? Why SEO Still Matters

Writing by Nick Stamoulis Tweet

This is a guest post by Amanda DiSilvestro of HigherVisibility.

More and more people are beginning to understand the importance of a domain name. Parents are buying the “.com” version of their child’s name when he/she is born, people are buying domain names that sound important (and maybe worth some money), and others are buying domains in the hopes of creating something profitable. Whatever the reason, it seems as though everyone has a domain on their hands. The only problem: Not everyone knows how to use it.

Of course a domain name can sit there for no reason other than to hopefully sell it or use it in the future, but it’s best to gain a little bit of authority in your spare time. The biggest reason is, of course, because it’s worth more if it’s already been started. The best way to make this happen is through SEO.

Factors Considered When Selling Your Website

First and foremost, it’s important to understand that this goes for any type of domain, or website as most would say. If you’re hoping to sell a business website, you can. If you want to sell a website that you haven’t touched, you can. There are a few things that differentiate websites and cause them to be worth different amounts of money should you choose to sell in the future:

• Extension. In general, domain names with a .edu or .org extension are worth more money than a .biz, .info, and .net. They are not always worth more than .com extensions, so it will depend upon the actual domain name in these certain situations.
• Domain Name. This is a HUGE factor when it comes to selling a domain name. If you have something that sounds important, your name will be worth more. General names usually fall into this category. Take “business.com” for example. In 1999, it was the highest selling domain name at 7.5 million dollars, and remained in that top stop for nearly half of a decade.
• Authority. This is where SEO and branding come into play. Branding generally refers to popularity amongst readers, so the domain name doesn’t always have to be something that sounds imporatnat. Take Kikolani for example—she’s put out great content, and although that name doesn’t mean much to most outside the web, it does mean a great website when you’re surfing the net. The next part of authority has to do with my favorite: SEO.

For the SEO beginners out there, it can be tough to understand why SEO really matters in the first place. However, this isn’t just for the owner of a website—it’s also for someone looking to buy. Hint: You’ll want to buy a domain name with some SEO credit.

Why SEO Will Help You Sell a Website

The reason SEO is important if you’re looking to sell your website is the fact that these websites will naturally do better on a Google SERP. After all, Google bots determines SEO evaluation. In other words, if you were to type in certain keywords, the websites with the best SEO will likely pop up to the top. This create a domino effect of someone seeing the site, clicking on it, reading the content, and hopefully converting to some sort of sale.

With this is mind, you can help sell your website as something of value. Ultimately those buying a website, or at least the end buyer, wants to make a profit. There is no denying that SEO is key in making this happen, so you as the seller need to take this into consideration and get started right away! Trust me, you’ll make more money.

About the Author:

Amanda DiSilvestro gives small business and entrepreneurs SEO advice ranging from keyword density to recovering from Panda and Penguin updates. She writes for HigherVisibility.com, a nationally recognized Search Engine Optimization Company that offers online marketing services to a wide range of companies across the country. Connect with Higher Visibility on Twitter to learn more!