Selling a rental site ... with no traffic!

15 replies
I am planning to start some rental sites aiming at ranking for certain keywords like most people but I want to start renting it right away and making money.

I know people will say this sounds silly, but surely if I talk it up and sell it at a much lower rate then they would expect then someone might try it and within a few months they will be getting the leads anyway but at a much cheaper rate.

I just dont want to work hard on ranking it before I sell the space just in case I cant sell it. At least once the space is sold I have the instant motivation to start getting the site ranking.

Plus surely some professions wont check the exact source of their phone calls and emails as much as others. My friend is a plumber and advertises in a few places but never bothers to check the source so if i can get a client like that i should be ok for the first few months?

Anyone think someone will be likely to rent or am I better trying to rank it first?
#rental #selling #site #traffic
  • Profile picture of the author VincentK
    You will know the answer to your question by answering this. Why would someone want to rent a site with no ranking when they can pay to have someone design a new site with no ranking for them?
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  • Profile picture of the author Eddie Spangler
    They will snap it up. Very good idea, you can probably make a killing. Who cares if it ranks or not just sell them that they will the featured at the main "plumber" on Best Plumbers in City. Sell the vanity portion.
    Call several plumbers and pit them against each other and one of them will buy!
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    • Profile picture of the author Rambo007
      Originally Posted by Eddie Spangler View Post

      They will snap it up. Very good idea, you can probably make a killing. Who cares if it ranks or not just sell them that they will the featured at the main "plumber" on Best Plumbers in City. Sell the vanity portion.
      Call several plumbers and pit them against each other and one of them will buy!
      Not sure if this reply was sarcastic or not but this is what I was hoping for.

      I would be upfront about how the site is still "on the rise", which is why I am offering the place so cheap. So they can get it cheap now and keep a cheap price or potentially miss out now and have to pay 10 times as much in a year.

      Or just let their competition get the place instead of them and potentially rake in all the new business in the area.

      As Eddie said, surely one will buy just from the fear of missing out.
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      • Profile picture of the author Lesley Huntley
        Originally Posted by Rambo007 View Post

        Not sure if this reply was sarcastic or not but this is what I was hoping for.
        I hope it was sarcastic. I'm thinking it was.

        How about offering the first three months free, and you only start charging when it is on page one.
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        • Profile picture of the author Roger Mayne
          Originally Posted by Lesley Huntley View Post

          I hope it was sarcastic. I'm thinking it was.

          How about offering the first three months free, and you only start charging when it is on page one.
          This is what I've just done, and I have someone taken up a site already. The site was already built though so they could see what was on offer. Took about 15 minutes modify it to match their contact details and services.

          I'm thinking that I can build up quite a good relationship with them over 3 months and possibly offer them Twitter / Facebook / Google places setup for a small fee while their site creeps up the ranks.
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  • Profile picture of the author maricelu
    It's definetely not ethical to rent it with NO TRAFFIC. DAMN, I would be scared to receive money from them for nothing. Imagine yourself in their position.
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  • Profile picture of the author Simoshere
    I would say.
    1. maybe you should find someone interested so you can have a potential client lined up ahead of time.

    2. i suggest looking at busy business bonanza course for quicker profits.
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  • Profile picture of the author Fernando Veloso
    Originally Posted by Rambo007 View Post

    I just dont want to work hard on ranking it before I sell the space just in case I cant sell it.
    So don't.

    Plus surely some professions wont check the exact source of their phone calls and emails as much as others.
    So why don't you go robbin blind people? I am sure they also don't check who you are.
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    People make good money selling to the rich. But the rich got rich selling to the masses.
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  • Profile picture of the author Eddie Spangler
    You know the funny thing is that when I first started typing I was being semi sarcastic because this is not how you are "supposed" to do it, however the more I typed the more I realized that although this goes against the grain of the whole rental site concept and everything that is taught about how to do it right ....it doesnt mean it wont work.

    I didnt edit my post as I was curious as to how my post would be taken because it was literally a stream of conscious thing that happened.

    Think about it, why would paying $100 per month in the beginning or a $200 deposit to reserve a vanity domain like thebestplumberindallas be a bad idea. Its all in how the idea is presented.
    Here is one way that it can go down.
    Hey there Mr Plumber I see you dont have a website. "And I dont want one either because I cant afford 1k for a site and hundreds more per month for this seo stuff im hearing about, I dont even know if it will work"
    Well I tell you what we are doing. Im building a lead generation site for 1 plumber who wants to be known as the best plumber in dallas. I want to work with you and help you grow so for just $100 mo or $200 down or whatever I will promote you and have your info and contact,etc and people looking for plumbers will start calling you.
    Now there is no contract required BUT as soon as it starts bringing you customers Im going to raise the price to a fair amount, if you dont like the price then you cancel and I will sell it to a competitor.

    You got some money upfront, you made it very low risk for the client. Trust me they piss $2oo away when it comes to advertising, its nothing.
    Then you should be able to get it to rank and generating calls in 30-60 days and negotiate a fair price, if he is no go then you own property and can find a new client.

    Now for those thinking this wont work, tell me how this is much different from finding a person who has a webite on page 4 or no website at all for this matter and telling him how you are going to seo him to the first page for xxx per month. Its all about selling and his belief in you either way. This makes his risk very low with large potential upside.

    Here is the kicker to doing it this way, all theory but I believe it will be true. I think if you let someone get the leads AFTER he has made a small investment upfront to build the site then he is likely to pay you more per month(than if you approached him with an established rental site and negotiated) to continue getting them because if he doesnt not only does he lose the future leads BUT he loses the vanity url that he has now identified with!
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  • Profile picture of the author Rambo007
    Thank you Eddie, you are thinking right along the same lines.

    It might not be totally honest but its far from being a scam and is pretty much the same as hosting a website on your account and charging a client $30 per month for "hosting" when you know fully well its not worth anything near that.

    Its all in how you sell it I guess?
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    • Profile picture of the author Eddie Spangler
      Originally Posted by Rambo007 View Post

      Thank you Eddie, you are thinking right along the same lines.

      It might not be totally honest but its far from being a scam and is pretty much the same as hosting a website on your account and charging a client $30 per month for "hosting" when you know fully well its not worth anything near that.

      Its all in how you sell it I guess?

      1. Its just as honest as you are honest about it
      2. Do not let the price of something in itself determine worth. Just because it cost $10 per month and you charge $30 doesnt necessarily make it overpriced. What if they need to make a change or wants some advice on marketing. See its not what they pay its what they get by going with you.

      I can tell you any established marketing firm in our area charges clients a min of $100 per hour for ANY work. One wanted $125 to install a landing page for me, I figured out how to do myself and can do in just a few minutes now. I dont think you are understanding how much people in the non internet world are paying for these type of services. Until you do, you will be thinking small by undervaluing your worth.
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  • Profile picture of the author Rambo007
    Good point Eddie, if i charge a rental for $200 per month then its quite a low cost to a bigish company but would make some nice income for me if i replicated it across 10 sites and areas.

    Then after time they will be generating the leads anyway and I can up the price. if they quit in the meantime then with a bit of google age behind the site it should be easier to sell it again.


    Just thinking out loud here
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  • Profile picture of the author Hugh
    If "It might not be totally honest............."
    Then it's DIS.......................

    Hugh
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    "Never make someone a priority in your life who makes you an option in theirs." Anon.
    "Some see private enterprise as a predatory target to be shot, others as a cow to be milked, but few are those who see it as a sturdy horse pulling the wagon." -- Winston Churchill

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  • Profile picture of the author talfighel
    What you can really do is to set up the site/s and then when they rank high, why not sell them to others who want to focus on this particular niche.

    You can also, if you get your site/s to rank high, put Google adsense ads on them and let it run for auto-pilot profits.
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  • Profile picture of the author Dr Dan
    I would recommend at least setting up 1 site and ranking it first. Then take screenshots of it so you can use it for your examples and proof of what you can do for others and their businesses.

    You should be able to set up a site and rank it in just a few hours work and less than 2-5 days.

    Also I would not lease it out for anything less than $100-$200. But it will also depend on the industry and the client.

    I have painters that have no problem paying $400-$500 per month... But not every painter is willing to spend that much if they are a 1-2 man crew.

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