Website, up and running or new start

[wack61]

I'm in the process of setting up a new business (non photography) I've bought some second hand equipment, the guy selling it has a website but hasn't really promoted it, he's just used it to add authenticity to his phone number, he's retired from the business

It has a .co.uk name and is set up and running, I'm in a different town 150 miles away so there won't be any work generated from it so no business sale as such.

Changing the details would be easy enough but should I bother or just start my own up

He said it cost him £100 for the domain name + £1000 to get the website set up, we haven't arrived at a figure yet, he's still thinking about it

Now he's sold the equipment the website is useless so anything he gets for it is a bonus

Are there any pitfalls I'm missing by buying his already set up website and name or should I just start my own.

 

[Pete Allen]

Couldn't comment on the website but, it would be worth taking the domain name from him, that would have SEO advantages over a new domain, is it worth £100? only you can decide that.

 

[ptholt]

£100 for a domain that costs $7 usd it must be a fairly good name.

As pete has stated there are benefits to buying an existing crawled name (it means you dont have to wait for mr google to come visit for a start!) but do be careful the name hasnt been black listed or anything by google as that can be a mare to sort.

The site is only worth what its worth to you, are you going to use it, can you use it, can you edit it, does it work well from an seo pov if the answer is no to any of those above it seriously limits/kills its value.

 

[Richard King]

Offer to pay the hosting and assess it in a set period of time. After a few months, you will know if it is a Pup or not

 

[KMPhoto]

If you buy the domain name and are competent in creating your own site, that might be the best way to go. Check the conditions of the creator of the site - any ongoing obligations to the creator, for example. Sometimes the transfer from one person to another may be excluded.

 

[wack61]

I'm starting to wonder if it's worth it, when I search for the name it brings up the thompson local site but in the wrong town, I wouldn't want to lose out on any potential customers if they get confused where I am

 

[Maciej Gowin]

Hi,

Check the Page Rank of that domain and back links if any, just type Page Rank Checker in google.
If domain have any PR (more than 0) than it might be worth considering.

Good luck.

 

[wack61]

It has a page rank of 0

He's just got back to me, he wants £600 for it which although it's a .co.uk name I like I don't think it's worth anything like that to me

 

[Pete Allen]

If it's just the domain name you want, just keep an eye out when it's due to expire, then buy it for £6.99 or whatever, unless he gets another buyer.

 

[wack61]

If he's prepared to sell just the .co.uk domain name is it easy to transfer

 

[stokes]

600... hes pulling your leg. The site is worth nothing to him, so he will drop the price. What are you actually getting for your money? As others have said, how longs left on the domain?

Who currently designs and runs his site? Are there any ongoing contractual agreements? Does the 600 include a years hosting? A months? Or just the website itself?

Changing the site the domain points at is easy enough, and most hosting companies transfer .co.uk domains for free.

 

[wack61]

600... hes pulling your leg.

I'm going to leave it, he's now asking for a reasonable offer but I think it's pretty much worthless after doing a bit more research

Thanks for the advice