10 Ways To Find a Buyer for Your Online Business [With Examples]

Do you have a website or online business you want to sell? Selling a website or business is exciting but challenging, especially if you haven’t gone through the process before.

Here are the different ways you can find a buyer.

Use an Online Business Broker

The easiest option is to use an online business broker. These professionals specialize in connecting sellers with buyers. They have a network of potential buyers and the knowledge and experience to ensure a smooth transaction.

Using a broker can save you time and effort, as they handle all aspects of the sale, from listing your business to negotiating with potential buyers. Remember that brokers charge a commission for their services, usually a percentage of the selling price.

From my experience, a good broker can more than makeup for their fee by getting a higher selling price than you could get on your own. However, consider the options below if you don’t want to use a broker.

Are you looking for a broker? Contact us; we’d happily recommend a good broker based on your situation.

 List It for Sale On a Marketplace

Another option is to list your website or business for sale on an online marketplace. Many marketplaces are for buying and selling sites and companies, such as Flippa and Motion Invest. Marketplace fees vary, but sometimes they’re lower than broker fees.

These marketplaces allow you to create a website or business listing with details about its traffic, revenue, and asking price. Potential buyers can then browse the listings and contact you if interested.

Marketplaces generally don’t provide the full range of services you would get from a broker, but they can help you get exposure to potential buyers (which is often the most challenging part). Most brokers don’t work with smaller websites and businesses, but marketplaces do.

Sell It Privately

If you prefer to handle the sale independently, you can also try selling your website or business privately. This involves reaching out to potential buyers and negotiating directly with them.

The most common reason for selling privately is to avoid paying broker or marketplace fees. However, my experience is that many buyers are not willing to pay as much for a private sale as what good brokers can get. So, in the end, you may or may not walk away with more money by selling it on your own.

I advise selling your site or business privately if you have a specific buyer in mind and are confident you’re getting a fair price. (Get a business valuation to know what your business is worth.) Otherwise, working with a qualified broker is usually a better approach.

If you decide to try to sell your website or online business without a broker or marketplace, here are some of the ways you may be able to find potential buyers.

Contact Companies That Invest In Online Businesses

Many companies and individuals own and manage a portfolio of online businesses. In most cases, they acquire businesses that meet specific criteria. They may focus on a particular type of website or business (like e-commerce or content-based websites) or specific industries or niches.

Since their business model involves acquiring online businesses, these companies and individuals are usually open to submissions or inquiries from sellers. Some examples are listed below, but there are many others.

Contact Companies With Previous Purchases In Your Industry

One of the best ways to find a buyer is to reach out to people or companies who have bought other similar online businesses. If they bought one of your competitors, they may also be interested in buying your business.

Individuals and companies that have gone through acquisitions in the past are more likely to buy another business if it makes sense for them. They see the value in purchasing an established company.

First, you must find the people and companies that have bought online businesses in your industry. If you’ve been in the industry for a while, you probably already know who a few of these companies are. If not, you can search press releases for acquisitions. Some databases (like LexisNexis and Mergent Online) also provide details on mergers and acquisitions, but they typically only cover significant acquisitions and charge subscription fees.

After you know some individuals and companies that have made acquisitions in the past, the next step is getting in touch with the right person. If you can find press releases or articles about the acquisitions, you may find quotes from someone involved. That can be a good indication of who you should contact.

If the company has a LinkedIn page, you can browse its employees and job titles. Earlier this year, I sold a site by contacting someone on LinkedIn. His job title was VP of Business Development, and I got lucky by contacting the right person on the first attempt.

Contact Companies That Would Benefit From an Acquisition

Strategic acquisitions allow businesses to expand their products and services or their audience in a specific way during the transition. For example, if a financial media company wants to enter the field of education, it might acquire a business that already offers online financial courses.

To find possibilities for strategic acquisitions, consider who would benefit the most from taking ownership of your business. Who would benefit from accessing your audience and customers or selling your products?

Once you’ve identified some potential strategic buyers, you’ll need to contact them and explain why you think they could benefit from buying your website or business.

Use Facebook Groups

Facebook Groups can be extremely useful for selling a website or business. Several groups specifically for buying and selling websites and online businesses exist. Some of the best ones include Flipping Websites, Website Flipping, Niche Website Flippers, and Upniche. These groups have thousands of buyers and sellers and plenty of activity.

Most of the websites sold through these Facebook Groups are smaller. You won’t find a lot of six-and-won’t-figure deals. But if you’re looking to sell a site for about $20,000 or less, there are a lot of potential buyers.

You can also use niche or industry-specific Facebook Groups. Those that target business owners are best.

Contact Your Partners and Affiliates

Have you collaborated with individuals or businesses? If you monetize your site through affiliate programs, you can contact the companies you promote. And if you sell your products, you can contact some of your top affiliates.

You may have done cross-promotions or other types of partnerships or collaborations. Anyone you’ve had these arrangements with may be worth contacting. They may be interested in buying your site to reach your audience or sell your products.

Contact Other Professionals In Your Industry

You can also contact people in your industry and tell them you’re interested in selling your online business. You don’t need to ask them if they’d like to buy it, but you can ask if they know anyone who might be an ideal fit. This approach expands your network exponentially.

Go through your contacts and reach out to anyone well-connected in your industry. Check your email address and LinkedIn connections to see who you can contact.

Contact Your Competitors

Optionally, you can contact your competitors to see if they want to buy your business. Not every seller wants to go this route, so it’s OK if you skip it, but your competitors could be ideal buyers.