Content website due diligence checklist
Buying a content website (blog, niche site, review site) means buying its traffic, its content and its income. Use this checklist before you pay: ask the seller for each item, check it yourself where you can, and get everything that matters in writing.
Traffic sources
- Ask for read-only access to Google Search Console and Google Analytics, or a screen-share, rather than screenshots
- Compare at least 12 months of traffic to spot drops after search algorithm updates
- Check how traffic splits between organic search, social, direct, referral and paid
- Look for a few pages that bring most of the traffic — that is a concentration risk
- Check visitor countries match what the seller claims and what the ads or affiliates pay for
Revenue proof
- See revenue in the source accounts: ad network, affiliate programs, sponsors, digital products
- Match monthly revenue to the traffic for the same months
- Ask whether affiliate accounts can be transferred, or if you need to reapply
- List all costs: hosting, writers, tools, plugins, email software
- Ask about any one-off income (a single sponsor, a seasonal spike) included in the figures
Content quality and ownership
- Read a sample of top-traffic and recent articles for accuracy and quality
- Ask who wrote the content and whether the writers transferred their rights
- Check whether content is AI-generated, copied or spun (search a few sentences in quotes)
- Confirm images are owned, licensed or properly credited
- Check how often content is updated and what a new owner would need to keep it going
Backlinks and penalties
- Review the backlink profile with an SEO tool for paid, spammy or private-network links
- Ask the seller if they ever bought links or used link schemes
- Check the Manual actions and Security issues reports in Search Console
- Look for sudden traffic drops that could point to a penalty
Domain history
- Check previous versions of the site in the Wayback Machine
- Look up the domain registration date, registrar and expiry date
- Check the domain is not on spam blocklists
- Search for trademark conflicts with the domain name
Handover list
- Source code repository transferred to you (ownership, not just a copy)
- Domain transfer: registrar, authorization code, DNS settings
- Hosting and database export with credentials
- Third-party accounts and API keys (payments, email, analytics)
- Documentation and a short walkthrough call with the seller
- Everything above listed in a written agreement; for larger deals, consider third-party escrow
Looking for a site to buy? Browse websites for sale under $2,000, or check a fair price first with the free valuation calculator.
Frequently asked questions
What should I check first when buying a content website?
Start with traffic and revenue in the original accounts: Google Search Console, Google Analytics and the ad or affiliate dashboards. If those do not match the seller's claims, the rest of the checklist does not matter.
Are screenshots enough as proof of traffic and revenue?
No. Screenshots are easy to edit. Ask for read-only access or a live screen-share of the original accounts, and compare the same months across traffic and revenue.
Does Digimarket verify traffic and revenue for me?
Only what a listing badge shows. A Search Console or Google Analytics traffic badge means the data was pulled directly from Google. All other figures are self-reported by the seller, so you still need your own due diligence.
Should I use escrow when buying a website?
For larger deals, consider a third-party escrow provider such as Escrow.com. Digimarket does not hold funds; buyer and seller settle directly or through a provider of their choice.
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