Overview
Character/Brand: Marc Andre, a self-employed blogger and internet marketer since 2008, living in Pennsylvania, USA, with his wife and two children. He is the founder of VitalDollar.com (personal finance blog) and currently operates FlipMySite.com (website buying/selling guide) and FounderReports.com (startup case studies).
Implementation Timeline: Started in 2007, achieved total of $2M from 6 blog sales from 2013 to 2023. In 2023 alone, sold 3 blogs for $800,000.
Country of Implementation: USA, serving global readers through blogs in niches like web design, photography, personal finance.
Industry: Blogging and internet marketing, focusing on content business building and website sales.
Revenue Model
Primary Revenue Stream: Building blogs, developing traffic and revenue, then selling blogs through platforms or brokers.
How Revenue Flows:
Operating Phase:
Ad Revenue: Using Google AdSense and ad networks to earn from traffic
Affiliate Marketing: Promoting products/services (like design software, photography equipment) for commissions
Digital Products: Selling Photoshop textures, photo presets, or online courses (e.g., personal finance courses)
Sale Phase:
- Selling blogs through platforms like Flippa, Investors Club, Motion Invest, or through brokers like Quiet Light (Brad Wayland)
- Sale value based on monthly profit (typically multiplied by 20–40x factor, depending on niche and stability)
Revenue:
- Total: $2M from 6 blog sales (2013–2023)
- 2023 alone: $800,000 from 3 blogs, average ~$266,667/blog
- Notable example: First design blog (sold 2013) achieved $25,000/month profit, sold for $500,000 (20x multiplier)
Costs:
- Initial: ~$50–$100/blog (domain ~$10, hosting ~$5–$10/month, theme ~$50)
- Operating: ~$500–$2,000/month (freelance writers ~$50–$100/article, link building ~$200–$500, SEO tools like KWFinder/Semrush ~$50–$100/month)
- Total estimated cost: ~$10,000–$50,000/blog over 4–6 years, depending on scale
Profit: High ROI (~90% after deducting operating costs and sale)
Main Niches:
- Web design: First blog, sold $500,000 (2013)
- Photography: Selling textures/presets, earned ~$1.1M from digital products and blog sales
- Personal finance: VitalDollar.com, focusing on side hustles and money management
- Website flipping: FlipMySite.com, launched 2023
Tools and Technology Used
WordPress:
Role: Main platform for building and managing blogs
Advantages: Easy to use, many plugins (Yoast SEO, WP Rocket), customizable themes (Elegant Themes ~$89/year)
Limitations: Needs speed and security optimization (hosting cost ~$10–$50/month)
KWFinder/Semrush:
Role: Keyword research, competitor analysis, finding SEO opportunities
Advantages: Identify low-competition keywords, track rankings (~$50–$100/month)
Limitations: High cost for beginners, requires experience to use effectively
HARO (Help A Reporter Out):
Role: Building quality backlinks from press and major blogs
Advantages: Free, backlinks from authoritative sources (Forbes, Yahoo Finance)
Limitations: Time-consuming to respond to pitches (~1–2 hours/day)
ChatGPT:
Role: Brainstorm article ideas, create outlines, write intros, social media support
Advantages: Free (or $20/month for GPT-4), saves time on content creation
Limitations: Not used for complete article writing (needs manual editing)
ConvertKit:
Role: Email list management, newsletter sending
Advantages: Email automation, increases engagement (~$29–$79/month)
Limitations: Cost increases with large email lists (>10,000 subscribers)
CoSchedule Headline Analyzer:
Role: Optimize article titles to increase click-through rate
Advantages: Free, improves SEO and social sharing
Google Analytics:
Role: Track traffic (~10,000–100,000 visitors/month per blog), user behavior
Advantages: Free, detailed data for content optimization
Marketplaces/Deal Sites:
Role: Sell digital products (textures, presets) through Creative Market, Gumroad
Advantages: Reach existing customers, increase revenue (~20–30% platform fees)
Limitations: Need continuous new product creation to maintain revenue
Implementation Process
Phase 1: Ideation and Setup (2007–2008):
- Marc started web design blog as side project while working full-time, cost ~$50 (domain, hosting)
- Chose niche based on interests (design) and earning potential (ads, affiliate)
- Self-learned SEO through blogs like Smart Blogger, wrote 2–3 posts/week, reached ~1,000 visitors/month after 3 months
Phase 2: Growth (2008–2012):
SEO: Keyword research via KWFinder, created content clusters (related article groups) to increase authority
Link Building: Used HARO and networking to get backlinks from Forbes, MSN, Yahoo Finance
Content Updates: Optimized old posts (bottom page 1, page 2) to reach top 5 Google, increased ~30% traffic
Monetization:
- AdSense: ~$1–$3/1,000 views
- Affiliate: Commissions from software like Adobe (~$50–$100/sale)
- Digital Products: Selling Photoshop textures (~$5–$20/product)
Result: Design blog reached $25,000/month profit, ~50,000–100,000 visitors/month
Phase 3: First Blog Sale (2013):
- Inspired by $40,000 transaction on Flippa, Marc built blog with selling goal
- Sold design blog through broker (Quiet Light) for $500,000 (20x monthly profit multiplier)
- After sale, moved to photography, personal finance, and website flipping niches
Phase 4: Scaling and Continued Sales (2014–2023):
Photography: Built 2 blogs, sold textures/presets via Creative Market, earned ~$1.1M from digital products and blog sales
Personal Finance: VitalDollar.com, focused on side hustles, earned ~$10,000–$20,000/month before sale
Design: 2 other blogs, sold in 2023 along with 1 finance blog, total $800,000
Sale Strategy:
- Broker (Quiet Light, Empire Flippers): 10–15% fee, but 20–30% higher sale price vs self-sale
- Marketplace (Investors Club, Motion Invest): Suitable for small blogs (<$2,000/month profit)
Pre-Sale Optimization:
- Reduce work hours (~10–20 hours/week) to increase buyer appeal
- Diversify traffic (SEO, email, social) and revenue (ads, affiliate, products)
- Build team (freelance writers, editors) to reduce personal dependency
Results Achieved
Revenue:
- Total: $2M from 6 blog sales (2013–2023)
- 2023: $800,000 from 3 blogs (~$266,667/blog)
- Design blog (2013): $500,000, $25,000/month profit
- Photography: ~$1.1M from digital products and blog sales
Traffic:
- Design blog: ~50,000–100,000 visitors/month before sale
- VitalDollar.com: ~10,000–50,000 visitors/month, depending on timing
- FlipMySite.com: ~5,000–10,000 visitors/month (2023, mainly from email/social)
Other Achievements:
- Self-employed since 2008, no need to return to full-time job
- Featured on Forbes, Yahoo Finance, Business Insider through HARO backlinks
- Success in highly competitive niches (design, finance, photography), proving model doesn’t need small niches
- Launched FlipMySite.com and FounderReports.com (2023), focusing on email lists and social media to reduce SEO dependency
- Inspired indie hacker community, proving blogging is viable model
Key Lessons Learned
Main Success Factors:
Effective SEO: Content clusters, old post optimization, and link building (HARO, networking) helped reach Google top rankings
Diverse Monetization: Combined ads, affiliate, and digital products to optimize revenue (~$10,000–$25,000/month/blog)
Smart Sale Strategy:
- Used brokers (Quiet Light) to increase sale price (~20–30% higher than self-sale)
- Built blogs with selling goal from start: Reduced personal branding, diversified traffic/revenue, built team
Popular Niches: Success in design, photography, personal finance (crowded niches) due to large earning potential
Long-term Thinking: 4–6 years/blog, accepted slow growth to achieve high value (~$100,000–$500,000/transaction)
Creative Differentiators:
- Created 2 photography blogs to increase digital product sales opportunities on deal sites, doubled revenue (~$1.1M)
- Focused on content clusters instead of just chasing low-competition keywords, created websites with “personality” and authority
- Used ChatGPT for brainstorming and social media optimization, reduced SEO dependency before AI and Google update risks
Challenges and Solutions:
Google Updates: Blogs sold in 2023 lost traffic after updates, Marc shifted to email lists and social media for traffic diversification
Unfamiliar Niches: Failed when hiring freelancers to write about unknown topics, Marc chose niches with experience (design, finance)
AI Risk: Google using AI for direct answers, Marc focused on unique content (detailed guides, interviews) and non-SEO traffic
Operating Time: 4–6 years/blog, Marc patiently built stable profit (~$2,000–$25,000/month) before selling
Risks to Consider:
SEO Dependency: Google updates can reduce 50–70% traffic, need traffic diversification (email, social ~30–50% total traffic)
AI Competition: AI-generated content easily outranked, need investment in manual content or careful editing
Personal Branding: Blogs tied to individuals hard to sell, need gradual branding reduction before sale (~1 year)
Tips for Beginners
Choose Popular Niches: Finance, health, technology (large earning potential, ~$1–$5/1,000 views from ads)
Start Small: Cost ~$50–$100 (domain, hosting), write 1–2 posts/week, use ChatGPT for outline brainstorming
Basic SEO:
- Use KWFinder (~$29/month) to find keywords with 500–2,000/month volume, low competition
- Create content clusters (5–10 posts/sub-topic) to increase authority
- Register for HARO (free) to get backlinks from major press (~1–2 links/month)
Early Monetization:
- AdSense: ~$1–$3/1,000 views, apply after ~5,000 visitors/month
- Affiliate: Join Amazon Associates (~4–8% commission), promote niche-related products
- Digital Products: Sell ebooks, templates (~$5–$20) via Gumroad after ~6 months
Prepare for Sale:
- After 2–3 years, reaching $1,000–$2,000/month profit, sell via Motion Invest ($20,000–$50,000)
- Use brokers (Empire Flippers, Quiet Light) if profit >$2,000/month to achieve high prices (~$50,000–$200,000)
Free Tools: ChatGPT (outlines, intros), Google Analytics (traffic), Canva (images)
Source / Links
Original Link: Indie Hackers – Making $2M Building and Selling Blogs-—
