How to Accurately Determine the Value of an Internet Website
If you are planning to create your own internet project for sales or intend to acquire an existing web resource, knowledge about pricing specifics is certainly useful. The price of any website typically forms gradually, taking into account certain nuances. However, on the market, the value of web resources is often determined subjectively—buyers are frequently presented with excessively inflated prices, while sellers, on the contrary, may have minimal valuations.
It is premature to assess the value of a site solely from the perspective of a third party who is not interested in its profit. As a rule, third-party evaluations rarely include specialized services. Their function is often limited to determining the maximum achievable value of a site so that it is possible to designate payments based on established metrics afterwards. Thus, the buyer can quickly and without unnecessary hassle learn the actual value of the site.
The Process of Evaluating Site Value in the Open Market
The financial value of a web resource in monetary terms is shaped by the influence of a whole complex of various factors (both objective and subjective in nature). For example, a significant factor is how relevant the content published on the internet platform is. Among the distinct characteristics that exert a direct or indirect influence on the final calculations, it is worth noting:
Thematic Focus of the Site
This can include topics such as travel, cuisine, technology, manufacturing industry, education, media, sports, culture, etc. Understanding which area of human activity the specified resource relates to helps narrow down the relevant competitive analysis. Therefore, it becomes possible to determine the most relevant examination criteria—they vary depending on the sector of the economy.
The Aggregate Count of Backlinking Web Resources
This is an extraordinarily important parameter, as the volume of external backlinks affects not only the efficiency of ranking but also the level of trust the audience has in the promoted site.
Traffic
The higher the traffic of a site, the more valuable it is. It is important to note that the base of value should be taken from organic traffic, not referential (i.e., paid traffic).
Domain Age and History
Typically, the older and more reputable a domain name is, the higher its price. However, every individual case is unique, so it is not worth being overly strict in additional evaluations.
Components of Market Value of a Site
Pricing can only be formed in a comprehensive manner, based on a combination of various identifiers. In this case, qualified specialists note that a key parameter addressed in this question is specifically the site’s traffic. The level of traffic varies based on:
- Quality index from Yandex – a metric that increases as site traffic rises and its usefulness grows in the eyes of the audience;
- The lifespan of the platform – statistics show that sites that have been operational for at least three years tend to have greater monetization;
- Search optimization – SEO promotes increases in the site’s rating in search results. The user flow to sites that rank highly usually intensifies, thus leading to such web portals being more successful;
- Traffic statistics for the last few days – the more users visit the page, the more popular it becomes;
- The volume of incoming links – the greater the backlink mass, the higher the authority of the domain in the eyes of search systems;
- The quality of the contents of the site and its functional capabilities – it is important that the information published on the site offers practical value to the audience. Particular attention should be given to the interface—it should be simple, logical, and intuitive;
- Domain status – a premium domain – tends to be an older domain. Its pricing often constitutes half of the total site value;
- Profitability of web resources – calculated based on the costs incurred for maintaining the site.
How to Increase the Value of a Site?
If you are the owner of an internet platform and do not agree with the price suggested on the market, it doesn’t hurt to pay attention to several strategies that can raise the site’s valuation:
- Make corrections to the technical aspects of the platform – this increases the likelihood of quicker indexing of pages;
- Reorganize the semantic core – choose only the key requests for which you plan to optimize the site. Specialized services like Serpstat, Ahrefs, Semrush can simplify this task;
- Add more backlinks – site traffic will immediately increase. To realize the intended idea, use any available resources: portals, forums, blogs, thematic services, and ensure that the donors are of good quality;
Services for Calculating the Value of an Internet Site
Today, online services are widely used for assessing the market value of sites. The popularity of such tools is quite reasonable, as they demonstrate high accuracy of their results. Most importantly, they consider all criteria listed above, adapting to the state of the market at a given time.
The most popular resources for analyzing site value include:
- Multi-functional platform Ve1;
- CY-PR;
- A site that operates on the principles of functionality, reminiscent of internet auctions – Telderi;
What Other Methods for Calculating Value Exist?
If you don’t want to rely on automated services to assess the value of your internet project, you can choose another tactic, such as:
- Conduct the assessment independently: the basic formula is [Site Value = Average Earnings from the site + Multiple × Months];
- Different SEO forums: such platforms usually have specialized “Evaluation” sections where you can place a link to your resource and ask for help from knowledgeable experts, SEO analysts;
- Thematic auctions: anyone can put their web project up for auction and see what initial value will be assigned to it. Also, a good option is to follow the order of sales among competitors. However, experienced specialists recommend not getting too carried away with this method of evaluation. In their opinion, it is better to focus on more stable identifiers.
The best option for obtaining the most accurate knowledge about site pricing is to refer each calculation method presented above. By comparing data obtained from each resource, you may find an average value – this will be the most accurate.
Facts That Should Be Logged in Memory
- The value of a site is a complex indicator that includes numerous various metrics: from page traffic and the number of external links leading to it, to DR and other metrics;
- Site value assessment is always realized in a complex way, based on backlink mass, thematic direction of published content, etc.;
- Technical optimization and the addition of backlink mass are effective ways to increase site value;
- The calculation of site value can be performed with the help of specialized services: Telderi, Ve1, and others. Choosing an analysis tool should be based on user-friendly interfaces and optimal settings for your specific representation of data processing.