This month I put one of my blogs on the auction block, and it sold for more than my parents paid for their first home in 1962. Granted, that's not a fair comparison, because that same house is probably worth much more today. Let's just say that I can pay for one year of Cora's college education with the proceeds from the sale after I pay Uncle Sam. Was this type of business floating around during the dot.com boom? I don't know, but I'm enjoying the new possibilities even if they might be transient.

One year ago I would have laughed if you told me I would sell a blog for that price, as I was too busy building my writing business. But, through that effort I met a few SEO (Search Engine Optimization) types who act as appraisers and - at times - as brokers or buyers for Internet Real Estate. These folks spend every waking minute trying to figure out how to get a site to the top of search engines so that site becomes visible. The reason why the site needs to be seen on search engines is to send possible customers to that site. SEOs aren't cheap. But, for friendship, some of them will let a 'secret' slip every once in a while.

For instance, one way to reach the top of the search engine pile is to have plenty of quality content on a site. Another way to get there is to hold onto a quality content site for a few years (I originally purchased my site's domain in 2001). Finally, another way to get to the top of a search engine is to stay on top of current Web trends, although this last action isn't necessary as long as the site is usable and accessible. Some sites with lousy design carry great content, and that content can be worth a pretty penny.

Finally, the largest quantifier to a site's quality is its page rank, or the number that Google provides to each page to show that page's popularity. Anything above a seven out of ten will bring interest and a bidding war at either Digital Point or SitePoint (even on eBay or through private auction). This popularity is rated on the number of links that go from other sites to that page. Of course, it helps if the links are as high quality as the page that it links to, but over time that rating may increase.

It's all a gamble, you see. Or, a Website can become an investment, depending upon the motivation behind that site's focus. I never understood the Google page ranking system, and I didn't realize that my site - which was rated an eight out of a ten on the homepage - would be worth so much money until about a month ago.

So, as I watched the stock market continue to slide this past month, and as I keep hearing about new lows in the housing market, I had to believe that something, somewhere, was going well. As I watched the online auctions for the month before I put the site up for sale, I came to realize that money - huge money - often finds sanctuary in some strange landscapes.

Although the auction sites I mentioned previously aren't the markets for the huge high-ticket sites that would change hands with takeovers or with corporate agreements, these auction sites offer some interesting small ticket items that can grow over time. I suppose you would call the sites listed on these auctions as high-risk growth venues rather than blue chip sites. So, this market definitely isn't for the faint of heart. After all, the buyers are purchasing a business, even though they may change the face and tone of that business entirely after the sale. And, unless buyers know what they're doing, they may be throwing their money down the drain. Alternately, if a seller doesn't know what he or she is doing, that person could stand to lose a lot of money.

A lack of trust definitely abounds in these arenas.

Although I had some help with selling my blog, I made plenty of mistakes. I probably could have made a few thousand more if I hadn't done this, that, or the other. But, I'm sure that I can do it again - and much better the next time. I'm just happy that a serious businessperson purchased the site. It seems he's already made a few positive changes, and I'm learning from everything that he's done thus far with the site (I'm looking over his shoulder). I hope he can turn that site into a profitable business, or that he can turn it around and make a profit.

Yes, Virginia. Flipping Web sites is just as common now as flipping real estate was before the mortgage meltdown. And, the same rules apply - don't become emotionally involved with property, and be sure to spend as little as possible to improve that site before you sell. Oh yes, and be sure to invest the profit, no matter where that investment may lie?

Until Next Week,
Linda Goin