Field notes on website valuationSep 7, 2026
RealSiteWorth field notes
What sites are actually worth — and how to read a valuation.
Method writeups and field notes from the team building RealSiteWorth. We publish what we'd want to read if we were about to list, sell, or buy a website — and nothing we wouldn't stand behind.
Topic
Latest · No. 3 of 3
Selling Websites
Website Transition Services Agreement: Post-Sale Support That Actually Ends
How buyers and sellers can define services, milestones, access changes, incident coverage, and an exit plan after a website acquisition.
Read the piece
Latest
Creator economy
Latest social
YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, and Instagram valuation notes in one lane.
Ecommerce
TikTok Shop Business Valuation: How Buyers Price a Platform You Don't Control
A TikTok Shop business can scale fast, but TikTok sets the fees, the algorithm, and account access. Here's how buyers price that dependency.
ValuationCreator
YouTube vs TikTok: which channel sells for more?
Same audience size, very different exit. Why YouTube channels usually clear higher multiples than TikTok accounts — and when TikTok wins.
ValuationService
How to value a UGC creator business (and why it prices like a service, not a channel)
A UGC business sells brand videos as a service — so it carries the service discount. Founder dependence is the whole valuation.
Core method
Latest valuation
The evergreen valuation math, risk bands, and confidence logic.
SaaS Valuation
Technical due diligence in a SaaS acquisition: how buyers turn code risk into a diligence plan
Technical due diligence turns code volume into evidence. Buyers should verify delivery, security, and ownership before pricing SaaS risk.
Ecommerce
Ecommerce returns: how return-rate exposure rewrites net revenue and valuation
Gross sales aren't the number a buyer should value — return rate turns real revenue into refunds, restocking cost, and fraud loss before SDE.
SaaS Valuation
Founder-led sales and SaaS value: when the founder is still the revenue engine
Founder-led sales can prove demand early, but buyers must test whether relationships, positioning, and closing knowledge transfer without the founder.
Exit prep
Latest selling
Practical selling, marketplace, and value-gap playbooks.
Marketplaces
Sell a Website Privately or Use a Website Broker? Compare Net Value, Risk, and Work
A seller-focused comparison of private deals, marketplaces, and broker-led sales—based on buyer access, fees, confidentiality, diligence, and closing risk.
Selling Websites
Asset Purchase Agreement for a Website Sale: What Buyers and Sellers Must Define
An educational guide to the schedules, transfer terms, allocation, warranties, and closing mechanics that turn a website deal into a defined asset sale.
Ecommerce
Ecommerce returns: how return-rate exposure rewrites net revenue and valuation
Gross sales aren't the number a buyer should value — return rate turns real revenue into refunds, restocking cost, and fraud loss before SDE.
All field notes
Every piece we've published.
246 posts
Marketplaces
Sell a Website Privately or Use a Website Broker? Compare Net Value, Risk, and Work
A seller-focused comparison of private deals, marketplaces, and broker-led sales—based on buyer access, fees, confidentiality, diligence, and closing risk.
Selling Websites
Asset Purchase Agreement for a Website Sale: What Buyers and Sellers Must Define
An educational guide to the schedules, transfer terms, allocation, warranties, and closing mechanics that turn a website deal into a defined asset sale.
SaaS Valuation
Technical due diligence in a SaaS acquisition: how buyers turn code risk into a diligence plan
Technical due diligence turns code volume into evidence. Buyers should verify delivery, security, and ownership before pricing SaaS risk.
Ecommerce
Ecommerce returns: how return-rate exposure rewrites net revenue and valuation
Gross sales aren't the number a buyer should value — return rate turns real revenue into refunds, restocking cost, and fraud loss before SDE.
SaaS Valuation
Founder-led sales and SaaS value: when the founder is still the revenue engine
Founder-led sales can prove demand early, but buyers must test whether relationships, positioning, and closing knowledge transfer without the founder.
SaaS Valuation
Annual subscription vs monthly billing: cash flow, churn visibility, and what it does to a SaaS valuation
Annual prepay moves cash forward and slows down how fast churn becomes visible. Buyers price the billing mix, not just the sticker discount.
SaaS Valuation
AI SaaS business valuation: retention, model costs, margins, and platform risk
AI SaaS can grow unusually fast, but buyers must separate durable recurring revenue from experimental spend and variable model costs.
Ecommerce
TikTok Shop Business Valuation: How Buyers Price a Platform You Don't Control
A TikTok Shop business can scale fast, but TikTok sets the fees, the algorithm, and account access. Here's how buyers price that dependency.
SaaS Valuation
Net revenue retention (NRR) vs GRR in SaaS valuation: expansion growth versus the retention floor
NRR shows expansion after losses; GRR shows the revenue a SaaS keeps before upsells. Buyers need both, calculated from the same cohort.
Ecommerce
Omnichannel ecommerce valuation: how buyers verify commerce channel mix without double-counting
More sales channels can diversify demand—or hide duplicated customers, inventory, attribution, and platform risk. Buyers need one reconciled model.
Domain Value
Domain Renewal Cost and Portfolio Value: Know What Your Domain Names Really Cost
How domain name renewal pricing, grace periods, redemption fees, holding time, and operating utility change the true value of a domain portfolio.
Valuation
Recurring revenue vs one-time revenue in website valuation: what buyers should normalize
Recurring revenue can improve visibility, but contracts, churn, margins, obligations, and verified profit matter more than the label.
Domain Value
Domain Flipping Economics: Renewal Cost, Sell-Through Risk, and Real Portfolio Value
A sober model for domain investing that separates appraisal stories from acquisition cost, annual carrying cost, liquidity, legal risk, and realized sales.
Valuation
Branded search demand and website value: what buyers can actually verify
Branded searches can reveal audience familiarity and demand, but buyers need clean Search Console evidence before treating them as an asset.
Domain Value
How to Sell a Domain Name Safely: Valuation, Escrow, and Transfer
A step-by-step guide to sell your domain name safely — pricing it, qualifying buyers, using escrow, and transferring ownership.
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Full archive
Selling Websites
Ecommerce
- Repeat purchase rate: how it's actually calculated, and why buyers price it into an ecommerce multiple
- Ecommerce returns: how return-rate exposure rewrites net revenue and valuation
- TikTok Shop Business Valuation: How Buyers Price a Platform You Don't Control
- Omnichannel ecommerce valuation: how buyers verify commerce channel mix without double-counting
SaaS Valuation
- Technical due diligence in a SaaS acquisition: how buyers turn code risk into a diligence plan
- Founder-led sales and SaaS value: when the founder is still the revenue engine
- Annual subscription vs monthly billing: cash flow, churn visibility, and what it does to a SaaS valuation
- AI SaaS business valuation: retention, model costs, margins, and platform risk
- Net revenue retention (NRR) vs GRR in SaaS valuation: expansion growth versus the retention floor
Domain Value
Valuation
- Recurring revenue vs one-time revenue in website valuation: what buyers should normalize
- Branded search demand and website value: what buyers can actually verify
- YouTube vs TikTok: which channel sells for more?
- Web app vs SaaS: why the valuation gap is huge
- How to value a UGC creator business (and why it prices like a service, not a channel)
- How to value a Threads account — on an early platform, the number is mostly off-platform
- How to value a Snapchat account or creator business
- How to value a stock photo or media website: library, licensing, and the AI question
- How to value a Rumble channel without guessing at the number
- How to value a Pinterest account — price the traffic it sends, not the followers
- How to value an online marketplace business (and why GMV isn't the number)
- How to value an online course business (what your course is really worth)
- Websites vs stocks: two very different ways to own cash flow
- Websites vs rental property: comparing the cash-flow math
- Websites vs real estate: how digital property actually compares
- How to value a mobile game business in 2026
- How to value a digital-asset portfolio
- How to value a LinkedIn page — what a B2B audience is actually worth
- How to Value a Lead-Generation Website
- How to value a Kick streaming channel — the creator-friendly split, priced honestly
- Cap rate vs website multiple: the same idea, inverted
- How multiples compare across asset classes
- How to value a job board website (what a niche job site is really worth)
- What a niche site is actually worth: SDE, the multiple, and why small sites price low
- How to value a Telegram channel — what subscribers are actually worth
- How to value a WordPress plugin business
- How to value a directory website: what listings sites are actually worth
- How display-ad content sites are valued: ad earnings, RPM, and the multiple
- How a Substack or paid newsletter is valued — revenue, not subscriber count
- How to value a Chrome extension business
- How to value a digital product store (templates, printables, ebooks, presets)
- How affiliate websites are valued: earnings, multiples, and the risks that compress the band
- What is a Patreon worth? Valuing recurring creator income
- How to value a subscription box business (what your box is really worth)
- How to value a podcast: what a show is actually worth, beyond download numbers
- How to value a print-on-demand business: SDE, the multiple, and the IP catch
- How to value a forum or online community site
- How to value a SaaS business (what your software or app is really worth)
- How much is my app worth? A self-estimate framework for software owners
- Gold vs bitcoin vs domains: three takes on 'store of value' that are not the same
- How to value a Discord server — what a community is actually worth
- Amazon KDP business valuation: value, buy, or sell your KDP business
- How to value a newsletter business — revenue and engagement, not list size
- Micro-SaaS valuation: what a small software product is worth
- Crypto domains and ENS names: how to value an on-chain digital property
- How to value a coupon or deals website: revenue, drivers, and the network risk that sets the band
- The value of your Facebook page — the reach and revenue metrics that price it, not the like count
- Etsy shop valuation: how to value an Etsy shop (and what your store is really worth)
- How seasonal revenue affects website valuation
- How to value an ecommerce business (what your online store is really worth)
- Paid traffic and website valuation: when campaigns lift or lower value
- How to value a coaching or consulting website business (and why service multiples run lower)
- How to value an X (Twitter) account — what the audience actually monetizes
- How to value a membership or community site (what recurring members are worth)
- Websites, domains, and social properties as an alternative asset class
- Creator account multiples by platform — YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, Instagram
- Crack the code: how social signals affect website value
- API business valuation: what a usage-based developer tool is really worth
- How Privacy and Security Affect Website Value
- Technical Risk and Website Valuation
- How Security Risk Affects Website Valuation
- How Local Search Changes Domain Name Value
- How Local Search Impact Affects Website Value
- Sponsored Instagram post rates by niche (2026)
- Website Valuation Complete Guide: Website Value, Website Worth, and Domain Value
- Instagram Reels vs feed posts — which actually earns more?
- Instagram engagement rate calculator — and why follower count alone misleads
- How to value an Instagram account — what sponsors actually pay
- The renew-forever rule: why letting an old domain drop costs you more than the renewal
- TikTok Creator Rewards Program — how the payout math actually works
- TikTok engagement rate calculator — the formula sponsors actually use
- How to value a TikTok account — what buyers really pay
- OpenCart and Magento store valuation: how the platform moves the multiple
- .com vs .io vs .ai vs ccTLD: what your TLD choice actually costs you in rankings and resale
- Dropshipping business valuation: why the multiple is lower (and what raises it)
- Twitch bits to USD — the conversion math streamers actually see
- WooCommerce and WordPress store valuation: what raises the multiple and what buyers discount
- How brokers actually value content sites (and what the calculators miss)
- Twitch affiliate vs partner — how the revenue split actually works
- Amazon FBA business valuation: how FBA stores are priced
- How to value a Twitch channel — what sponsors and buyers really pay
- Shopify store valuation: what your store is really worth
- YouTube RPM vs CPM — what each one actually means
- How to value a tech or developer blog
- YouTube CPM by niche — what advertisers actually pay in 2026
- How to value a theme or template business
- How much is my website worth? A website value calculator guide
- How to value a YouTube channel — the honest version
- What is my website worth? A first-principles guide
- Why free website valuators disagree — and what an honest model owes you
AI Search
- Does ChatGPT Referral Traffic Increase Website Value?
- How to Rank in ChatGPT Search: SEO Due Diligence for Website Buyers
- AI Overviews SEO: Optimize Content and Measure Website Value
- LLM SEO and Large Language Model Optimization: AI Visibility Best Practices
- Answer Engine Optimization (AEO): A Valuation Content Guide for AI Search
- Generative Engine Optimization (GEO): AI Search, SEO, and Website Value
Method
- Website value calculator comparison: Real Site Worth vs seven alternatives
- How accurate is the GoDaddy domain appraisal tool? What GoValue gets right and where it misses
- SDE add-backs: which expenses legitimately add back — and which buyers reject
- Working capital in a website sale: what transfers at closing and what gets normalized
- Trailing twelve months (TTM): the earnings window valuation actually uses
- Traffic quality vs quantity: why intent beats pageviews in a valuation
- Revenue diversification and the multiple: why spread-out income sells for more
- Domains vs gold: two non-yielding holds with different liquidity
- Platform risk is the digital asset's market risk
- Owner involvement and transferability: how your hours move the multiple
- Non-yielding vs yielding assets: which kind is your domain?
- The liquidity of digital assets, explained honestly
- Normalizing a P&L for valuation: turning raw books into the earnings a buyer will pay for
- What discount rate fits a digital asset?
- How interest rates move digital-asset values
- Digital real estate, explained without the hype
- Inflation and website valuations: the two-sided effect
- Digital assets in a recession: what holds and what cracks
- LTV:CAC and payback period: how acquisition efficiency moves a buyer's offer
- Are digital assets an inflation hedge? A careful answer
- Tangible vs intangible assets: investing in things you can't touch
- The Comparative Value Index, explained
- Store-of-value assets, explained — and where domains fit
- Silver vs digital assets: the volatile-metal comparison
- Safe-haven assets vs digital assets: a reality check
- Hard assets vs digital assets: what each protects against
- Risk-adjusted returns on digital assets, without the false precision
- Are websites correlated to the stock market?
- REITs vs 'digital real estate': what the metaphor gets right and wrong
- Due diligence for buying digital assets: the checklist that protects the price
- How accurate is HumbleWorth? A website and domain appraisal accuracy review
- How to read a domain appraisal: turning the number into a decision
- How accurate is EstiBot? A domain appraisal accuracy review
- Digital-asset investing for beginners: the ladder, the realistic math, and where websites sit
- Directory vs marketplace monetization: how the model changes the multiple
- Deferred revenue in a website or SaaS sale: who owns the unfinished obligation
- Customer concentration risk: how a few big clients discount your business value
- Backlink Toxicity and Domain Value: How Toxic Links Actually Move the Number
- Does domain age help SEO (and value)? The honest answer
- Domain Authority vs domain value: why a high DA does not mean a high price
- Why RealSiteWorth blends multiple models — the ensemble explained
- How churn drives — and caps — the value of any subscription business
- Brand value vs domain value: separating the two before you price a sale
- Bot traffic detection for website buyers: the patterns that change value
- Targeted website traffic due diligence: what to verify before buying clicks
- Parked-domain architecture: when to redirect, when to sever, and why routing discipline matters
- DNS, zones, workers, and 301 vs 410 — the real stack behind parked-domain SEO
- Domain forwarding: what it does, when to use it, and when a redirect is not enough
- Reading a Wayback Machine history before you buy a domain (15-minute workflow)
- Valuation confidence interval: how to calculate the confidence range
- SDE vs EBITDA: which valuation metric applies to your website
- How your theme and tech stack affect store value
- Reading the band: what a website valuation range actually means
- How inventory, COGS, and SKU count affect store value
Industry
- Premium domains in 2026: the value model has changed
- Are websites recession-proof income? An honest answer
- Rental property vs website income: two ways to own a cash machine
- Domain investing for beginners: what actually has resale value
- Why digital assets belong in the alternatives bucket
- Diversifying with digital assets: where they fit next to everything else
- One-word vs two-word domains: the value gap
- New gTLD value: are .xyz, .shop, .app, .tech worth it?
- How to invest in websites: a sober starter framework
- How to invest in domains: domain name investing without fooling yourself
- Keyword domain vs brandable: which is worth more?
- Buying websites as an investment: returns, risks, and the boring parts
- Index funds vs buying websites: the market average vs the asset you operate
- Building a digital-asset portfolio: domains, sites, and social properties
- Geo domain value: what city + keyword domains like denverplumbers.com are worth
- Financing a website acquisition: cash, earn-outs, and seller notes
- .io domain value: the tech-startup TLD, soberly priced
- Alternative assets in 2026: where digital property sits
- Regulation and digital-asset values: privacy, ads, and AI
- .ai domain value: what the AI boom did to prices
- Domain parking income, explained: what type-in earnings really add to a domain's worth
- Domain leasing: renting out a name for recurring income — and how a lease changes its value
- Are hyphenated domains worth anything? Valuing hyphen domains
- Numeric domains: how 123.com, NN and NNN names are valued
- Why short domain names are worth more — and how much
- Digital assets vs collectibles: websites and domains against art, cards, and watches
- Exact match domain (EMD) value: what a keyword domain is really worth after 2012
- Crypto vs websites as an asset: a coin you watch vs a property you operate
- Brandable domain value: what actually sets the price of a memorable name
- What makes a domain valuable: the real value drivers behind a price
- Expired domain value: what survives the drop, and what you are actually paying for
- ccTLD vs .com: how country domains affect value
- Bonds vs websites as income: a low coupon you don't touch vs a high yield you have to run
- Angel investing vs buying websites: a minority bet vs an asset you own outright
- Aged domain value: what they are actually worth, separated from the folklore
Deals
- MicroAcquire became Acquire.com: what changed, and what it means for startup sellers
- Earnouts explained: how deferred, performance-based payments work in a website sale
- Website Marketplace Fees Compared (2026): The Models, Not the Myths
- Seller Financing a Website Sale: How a Seller Note Works (and What It Costs You)
- Quiet Light vs Website Closers: which broker fits your exit
- Premium domain financing, explained: how installment plans change the price — and the value
- Investors Club review: how the curated marketplace works for buyers & sellers
- FE International vs Empire Flippers: which broker fits your sale
- Domain escrow: how it protects both sides of a sale
- Domain & website value for an SBA loan: what lenders actually need
- Domain appraisal for taxes: what an automated estimate can and cannot do
- Sedo vs Afternic vs Dan: where to sell a domain
- Free vs paid domain appraisal: what you actually get for the money
- Website Broker & Marketplace Fees Compared: What Selling Actually Costs
- Acquire.com vs Flippa: where to sell a SaaS business in 2026 (Flippa vs Acquire)
- Empire Flippers vs Motion Invest: which broker fits your site's size
- Flippa vs Empire Flippers: where your website actually sells best
Growth & multiples
- Passive income from digital assets: how passive is it really?
- Dividend stocks vs a content site: income you don't manage vs income you do
- Newsletter sponsorship rates by niche — how CPMs flow into a valuation
- Website flipping as an investment strategy, minus the hype
- Does an email list add to your website's sale value?
- B2B vs B2C SaaS valuation: why the multiples differ
- SaaS MRR multiples: how recurring revenue is valued
- What is a good website multiple? SDE multiples, explained
- Mobile app valuation multiples in 2026: by revenue model
- Website traffic seller reviews: how to read the claims before you buy
- Is buying website traffic safe? The risk checklist before you spend
- Buy website traffic? A valuation-first guide to quality, risk, and ROI
- How to Increase Website Value Before Sale: The 5-Move Value-Gap Roadmap
- Ecommerce valuation multiples in 2026
- Traffic concentration and website traffic value: the hidden discount
- How to monetize a developer blog in 2026: make money from your blog and the dev community
- How website valuation multiples actually work in 2026
Selling
- Holding period and exit timing for digital assets
- How to sell a YouTube channel safely (without getting scammed or banned)
- How to sell an X (Twitter) account — value, ToS risk, and a clean handover
- How to sell a Facebook page — the asset-sale playbook
- Going public vs flipping a website: two exit shapes, very different math
- How to sell a Substack or paid newsletter — the asset, the transfer, the buyer
- How to sell an ecommerce business: prep, valuation, venue, and transfer
- How to Sell a Website in 2026: Step-by-Step Guide to Pricing, Maximum Profit, and Closing
- How to sell a TikTok account — what buyers actually pay for
- How to Sell a Website: the 90-Day Checklist Before You List
- How to sell an Instagram account — the asset-purchase playbook
- How to sell a Twitch channel and how streamers monetize and make money on Twitch
- Best Place to Sell a Website in 2026: The Marketplace Shortlist
- How to sell a YouTube channel — what buyers actually pay for