Blogging can be a tough gig. I generally summarise my blogging experiences in a couple of words – rewarding, inspiring, engrossing & addictive. But there are also days when ‘pain in the ass’ enters my mind (usually when I’m still in the office at 10pm). Blogging is an ongoing commitment and most of us will encounter days when motivation and inspiration is lacking. But what happens if/when the camel’s back finally breaks and you decide you’ve had enough? Could you sell your soul blog…? And more importantly… would anyone really be interested in buying it?
In the past week, I’ve had two friends contemplate blogging retirement. Sadly, one of them is Kim Bock who maintains the Learning SEO Basics blog. Kim has been a good friend of mine, and I sincerely hope she hangs in there as she is a great blogger and a fantastic person. She published her intentions a couple of days ago via her blog. One reader commented that she may consider selling the blog if her decision was final. It seemed an interesting concept to me. A blog is a uniquely personal platform, even in a professional/business context. How could you hand over the reigns for someone else to ruin manage, and more importantly… why would someone else want to buy it?
The benefits of buying a pre-existing blog
At face value, there seems to be a range of benefits to buying a pre-existing blog:
1. Established traffic/subscribers:
Buying a blog such as Kim’s would afford the purchaser the luxury of skipping the most challenging phase of blogging – the beginning. An established blog already has an audience. There would be no need to build the readership from the ground up. I’m not sure how many subscribers Kim has, but I would expect it’s in the hundreds. Subscribers equal loyal readers.
2. Established Google rankings & inbound links:
Natural search engine rankings and inbound links do not just appear out of thin air. Googlebot doesn’t take too kindly to newbies and it takes time to build authority within the eyes of the search engines (and other webmasters). This blog has been alive and kicking for 4 and a half months and still manages to pull in a paltry number of readers via organic rankings (although my utter SEO laziness has not helped the situation). In April, just 2.36% of site traffic came via Google… sigh. Buying an existing blog means that this waiting period can be fast tracked. Indeed some current organic rankings and inbound links are likely to exist for an established blog… particularly if it’s in the field of SEO.
3. Advertising revenue:
This one goes without saying. Established traffic = potential advertising revenue. Just ask Facebook. They managed to generate billions in funding despite the lack of an effective advertising model. Advertising revenue (or potential thereof) is the force driving every online acquisition.
4. Established social proof:
Traffic data & rankings from sources such as Alexa, Compete & Technorati may be scoffed at by industry experts, but the fact is that many people still use them as a barometer of a web site’s success. An established blog provides the buyer with a head start in the area of social proof and perceived authority. Aside from independent traffic rankings, the buyer will also benefit from historic comment activity, Google PageRank and social media submissions.
So… at this point it probably seems like buying an existing blog is a pretty sweet idea… Think again. There are some things money simply can’t buy, and unfortunately many of them are significant factors to success in the blogosphere.
Things that money can’t buy
1. Relationships:
It’s an old saying, but money can’t buy you love… or friendships as it would be. Networking and relationship development is a significant part of audience growth, particularly when it comes to social media. Someone like Kim would have spent hundreds of hours in online communities such as Sphinn & StumbleUpon submitting content, voting on content & contributing to conversations. An ongoing commitment to social media communities fosters relationships with other active community members. Indeed, that’s how I met Kim. These friends often become regular blog readers. No amount of money can buy these sort of relationships… which are likely to be lost as soon as the original author/producer sells the blog. The relationship is broken…
2. Loyalty:
Just as relationships can’t simply be transferred from one person to another, nor can loyalty. People develop loyalty based on similar interests, trust and mutual respect. If someone bought Kim’s blog I doubt I would continue to read or subscribe to it. I don’t know the new owner/author. They have not earned my trust, loyalty or respect. I am loyal to Kim and her work, not her blog. This may be harsh to the new owner, but I already have 100+ articles entering my RSS reader every day from trusted sources. Quite simply, the new owner isn’t a trusted source… The new owner has to start from scratch to earn my respect.
3. Authority:
There are millions and millions of bloggers trying to make a name for themselves on the web. Very few are actually heard. Those who’s voice is heard have managed to create authority within their chosen niche. People listen to them because they have provided expert knowledge & commentary over an extended period of time. Authority in the blogosphere typically takes years to develop. It can’t be bought or handed over to another person. The authority lies with the author, not with the platform (the blog).
4. Personality:
Personality is the X factor. Blogger’s that are able to portray a unique persona via their blog can differentiate themselves from the clutter. Seth Godin is a classic example. His ‘riffs’ are short, concise & often witty. Seth is also an avid story teller. His entries are unlike any other blogger I know. He cannot be copied. Seth has essentially branded his own blogging style. While others may not have quite such a unique approach, everyone is different. A key reason reason people subscribe to blogs is because they like the authors writing style, wit, thought process & knowledge base (aka their digital personality). Once that disappears, the appeal of the blog may well vanish with it…
So where’s the value in blogging?
Blogging will rarely lead to a substantial direct revenue stream. Sure… Darren Rowse earns hundreds of thousands of dollars through blog advertising, but he is the exception, not the rule. Most bloggers will pull in a couple of bucks a week via Adsense.
It’s even less likely that someone will ever buy your blog off you. Accept that fact now.
So what’s the point you may ask…? The real value of blogging is in the development of a personal brand. It is the establishment of credibility and authority that will lead to future opportunities. Opportunities such as:
- Senior roles within large organisations
- The potential to work as a consultant and start your own business
- Speaking roles at industry conferences
The real value lies within longer term opportunities. That’s why the number of true blogging authorities/experts within any given field is limited. It takes talent, knowledge, vision and good ol’ fashioned hard work.
That’s a rare combination!
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Is your other friend me?
James, you’ve got me wanting to cry. Remember, I may be a blogger and ok fine, a little um, er..controversial at times, but I am still a little girly.
In all seriousness, if you were to sell this blog, I’d feel the same way. Unfortunately, I wonder if everyone who decides to sell actually have to be open about the sale? hmm, you’ve got me thinking on that. It’s a shame that we don’t always deal with the most honest of people out there in the blogosphere. But then again, if they sell without alerting others to the sale, would they risk their name for the content?
Then again, a persons personality shines through in their writing. When we take the time to get to know someone, there’s no mistaking their writing styles.
As you know, I have decided to stay put. I have had a real problem with watching some of the manipulation and was distressed. It has a tendency to bleed into personal affairs and relationships (even marital types) and I was sour about the effects it had on my boyfriend. Those he associates with and works for have had a manipulative affect even to the point of making him dishonest with me in private affairs. So, I was fed up. But the only way to combat the negativity is to exude positivity and a good fight.
We are not all manipulative, selfish, greedy people that know no boundaries or priorities. I think we just need to stick around and show people by actions that we don’t need to be that way to succeed.
Thanks for being a good friend and for your kind words. That’s the best part about social media. It’s the ‘social’ part. I met you didn’t I?
@ Lucio – Ahhhh… that is only something you & I will know (until now)…
@ Kim – I was really glad to see your latest post this morning & your decision to keep going. You’d put in too much hard work to give it away. I can understand your predicament and it must be difficult not to let your emotions take hold. But it is the sign of a true professional to rise above adversity and continue the good fight. I can say without questions that the SEO and social media communities will be a far better place with you there.
I think the negatives would outweigh any real benefit of purchasing a blog. Certainly any kind of individual blog where the value is merely that individual writer, as soon as you remove them then you’ve taken all that away.
I guess if you had a situation where the previous blogger took part in a handover period, where they worked collaboratively, which would let some trust develop with the new owner. But otherwise, regardless of PR and general profile, as soon as it becomes known that the writer has changed the trust has gone.
@ Robin – Funnily enough, Kim did receive offers to buy her blog. So there are people out there who think they can maintain a blog audience. I’d be really interested to see a case study on this topic, and the ultimate success the new owner had in retaining traffic.