Without a top five organic placement in search results for a desired keyword phrase, webmasters face the likelihood of little traffic and minimal if any returns on their investments. Climbing the rankings sometimes requires more effort than the usual tactics deliver.

The SMX Advanced panel on Buying Sites for SEO discussed some of the attendant issues around such purchases. Jeremy Wright of B5 Media described some of the pitfalls facing prospective site buyers out there.

Wright encouraged people to always verify the traffic claimed by a site one might want to purchase. Buyers should probably avoid sites where specific personalities power the content. Once the personality moves on, the site probably faces a drop in value to the purchaser.

Gab Goldenberg of SEO ROI likewise suggested people get their research and planning completed early. Market conditions can change quickly, and preparation helps one adjust quickly if a site’s value rises or falls quickly.

Goldenberg later discussed the topic of expired domains, and the idea of looking at the site’s old content via the Internet Archive and recreating it. However, he was advised of the potential for legal issues surrounding copyrights on that material.

The somewhat reluctant Todd Malicoat of Stuntdubl advised would-be site buyers to contact owners of desirable sites with brief, credible offers. Expect some owners to ignore the request, though.

Gaining the best deal means understanding the potential of a given site. Malicoat said you will have to spend some extra cash to acquire a particularly desirable domain.

Purchasers need to consider other factors, like the age of the domain, existing links, theme, traffic, and revenue. These give a better picture of how the acquisition will boost the site it ultimately links to for SEO purposes.

In closing, keep in mind this advice from the panel when buying a site. Don’t make changes to the whois records, hosting service, and content all at once. Doing so likely attracts the attention of search engines, who could impose a harsh change in the value of that acquired site.