How to sell an old web project that still earns

What a buyer actually values

Age, in this market, is evidence. A domain that has ranked for the same queries for a decade, a customer base that reorders without being reminded, a directory that schools or suppliers still pay to be listed in: these are things a new project cannot buy. The buyer pays for the proof that the demand exists and the trust that the business is not a fluke. The dated design, the missing mobile layout, the manual processes in the back office are costs the buyer plans to fix, and they lower the price a little, but they do not remove the reason to buy.

Prepare the four numbers

Every serious conversation comes down to four figures: revenue per month, what it costs to run per month, how many visitors or users the site has, and how those three have moved over the last two years. Pull them from the source. Search Console for traffic, the payment provider or bank statements for revenue, invoices for costs. Estimates in a spreadsheet make buyers nervous; a screenshot of the source makes them comfortable. If you can grant read access to the analytics, do it, because verified numbers close deals that self-reported numbers stall.

Fix only what is cheap and visible

Do not rebuild the site before selling. A redesign takes months, costs money, and rarely returns it in the price. Fix what is cheap and visible: a broken contact form, an expired certificate, a legal page that is out of date, an admin login that still uses a shared password. Write down how the business runs day to day, including the parts only you know. That document is worth more to a buyer than a new logo.

Decide how public the sale should be

An open listing brings more buyers and more noise, and it tells customers and competitors that you are leaving. A discreet sale reaches fewer people and keeps the business calm. Owners with staff, suppliers or a small competitive niche usually prefer discretion. The third option is waiting: if revenue is trending up, six more months of data can move the price more than any marketing.

Understand what happens to the fee

Brokerages and exchanges charge a percentage of the sale price, and the percentage is not the whole story. Ask when the fee is due, whether there is a minimum, what the term of the agreement is, and what happens if a buyer the platform introduced closes with you directly after the term. On Deimann Exchange there is no listing fee and no fixed cost; the fee is due only at closing, and the valuation, listing proposal and strategy are included.

Prepare the brief, then decide on a review

Build your business brief to collect the figures and handover questions before choosing a sale route. You can see and download it without an email address. If you then request a personal review, a person replies within two working days with a value range, the reasoning and a recommendation on an open listing, a discreet sale or waiting. Sending the brief does not create a listing or commit you to selling.