Dockerizing a PHP Application on Apache, MySQL

This article tells you how to make a Docker version of a PHP app that talks to a MySQL database and runs on an Apache server.

If you want to learn more about Dockerizing and Containerizing applications, read this.

Introduction

We are going to go through a very simple situation to try to figure out what choices we have, especially when it comes to connecting to a database.

We’re using the Crane Cloud platform to run the database as a different service for this app. Crane Cloud not only lets you quickly launch containerized workloads, but it also lets you make any database you want with just one click. Their cutting-edge infrastructure hosts the database, and they give you the information you need to join.

This was done with a single PHP script. Here’s a piece from that script. It is assumed that you already have a database and its passwords, either on your computer or somewhere else.

PHP Script

// credentials
$dsn = 'mysql:host=' . $host . ';port='. $port .';dbname=' . $dbname;
// connection
$pdo = new PDO($dsn, $user, $password);
// GET
$stmt = $pdo->query('SELECT * FROM products');
    

Setting Up Environment Variables

Setting up environment variables to store my passwords is helpful for two main reasons, though there may be more:

• So they don’t get exposed by chance. When you reveal the secrets or include them with the picture, you are exposed.
• To quickly add a different database. By giving the env vars different values, you can launch a second copy of the same image or app that uses a different database.

Setting variables in the environment relies on the situation. You could export them locally in /etc/apache2/envvars, or whatever your machine’s path is, as <VAR_NAME>=<value>. On the other hand, all directories will be able to see those variables, and name conflicts are sure to happen. You could also make an .htaccess file and use the command SetEnv <VAR_NAME> <value> to set the variables. Like an .env file, the second one sets them up in Apache for this project or path. It’s scalable and works great locally.

As soon as you go remote or containerize, you need to make changes. You don’t want to reveal the secrets, so you tell Docker to ignore the .htaccess file. There may be times when the programme needs other instructions in the file, such as redirects or rewrites. Well, that’s easy: just get rid of the secret environment variables when you make the picture. Though useful, it’s important to remember that I don’t think the .htaccess file is the best way to give secrets to a programme.

You should be able to add the variables during runtime when the container is first created. Make a .env file that Docker ignores and pass it to the --env-file flag of docker run from the command line. The secrets will be available to the container after this because they are added to its runtime environment widely. I think you can guess some of the issues this could cause, like name clashes.

I like using the short form PWD for password a lot. So I used the name PWD as the database password one time in my .env file. The app sent back a db auth error because, when I looked at the container and printed all the environment variables, I saw that PWD was set to the working path instead of my password. The password had been erased! That makes sense. In my code and env file, I changed the var name to PASSWORD. Then I rebuilt the picture, and everything worked fine. When you name your environment variables, you should watch out for these kinds of name clashes. I suggest that you add a unique string to the beginning of your environment variables, like your app name: <APP_NAME>_<VAR_NAME>. I think there might be a better way to namespace, but I haven’t found it yet.

Crane Cloud and a lot of other platforms let you add environment variables easily by giving you form fields when you publish. As with the command line, env vars sent through the form don’t matter in Crane Cloud and can be changed. For now, use the prepend hack until I come up with a better way to do it.

The Dockerfile

Take a look at the Dockerfile. I would like to use the same steps to set up PHP and Apache on my own computer. However, as you may have seen, the next process can be made better. Let’s not change it for now.

FROM php:7.1.23-apache
WORKDIR /
COPY . /var/www/html
RUN echo "ServerName localhost:80" >> /etc/apache2/apache2.conf
RUN docker-php-ext-install pdo_mysql
CMD ["/usr/sbin/apache2ctl", "-D", "FOREGROUND"]
    

The local PHP version I used for coding helped me choose the base image. This picture also comes with the web server, Apache. Learn how the picture you chose is put together. I might have been able to pick a better one.

This picture is based on Debian. That is, apt is the package manager in case you need to install any other packages, and /var/www/html is the usual DocumentRoot for Apache. That’s why I copy files to that spot; if you don’t, you’ll get this message when you run the container: “No index file found in the DocumentRoot.”

Copy and WORKDIR

Let’s talk about copy and WORKDIR. The first command sets the working directory for all tasks that follow, and the second command copies files to a directory that is close to the working directory. These two can be used in interesting ways, according to me:

• It wouldn’t change anything if we set WORKDIR to /var/www/html and copied. That means that even the COPY command now points to /var/www/html, and the present directory (.) also points to that directory file. I’m sorry if that was hard to understand, but I hope you get it.
• For some reason, though, I always leave out the WORKDIR directive, especially if I’m not going to be running commands that depend on certain folders later on. For example, in Node.js, I would set the WORKDIR to where the package.json file is stored. This way, when I run yarn install or yarn start, they will be in the right place with the right files.

You tell Apache what the ServerName is on Line 4, so it doesn’t have to guess. Things may still work, like they do for me, but you get this message: “Could not reliably determine the server’s fully qualified domain name…”

I set the port to listen on 80 while I was doing that, but I didn’t use an EXPOSE command. Even so, port 80 is still the default. You know that line 4 is already there.

The next step is to install the MySQL driver for PDO, which doesn’t come with this image. At first, I tried to install it with apt, but it wasn’t in the repository! There is a helper tool called docker-php-ext-install that makes installing PHP extensions easier.

Next, we set the usual command, which is run when the container is created. That’s where the Apache binary is, but we don’t need to use the absolute path because we can find the location in the PATH environment variable (look at the picture). Instead, we can just call the binary apache2ctl.

Some people might ask, “Why not just start the server with CMD ["apache2ctl", "start"]?” It was my first try, so I know what you mean. But it turned out to be more difficult than that. In Docker, you need to change a few things about the code for it to work. “That simple command puts the Apache process in detached mode, but Docker only works when the main process is alive. The solution is to put Apache in the foreground,” it seems. That’s why the order was twisted.

If you understood everything above, this is how the real Dockerfile should look (or even better, based on your setup).

FROM php:7.1.23-apache
COPY . /var/www/html
RUN docker-php-ext-install pdo_mysql
CMD ["apache2ctl", "-D", "FOREGROUND"]
    

Okay, now you can build and release the app. Will be here to hear any thoughts.

FAQs

Q: Can Docker run PHP?

A: Yes. Docker makes it easy for PHP to run, so coders can use its platform-independent and isolated environment to run PHP apps quickly.

Q: How big is Docker PHP?

A: The original size of a Docker PHP image can change based on the dependencies and extensions that are included. Some optimization methods, such as multi-stage builds, reducing dependencies that aren’t needed, and compressing image layers, can greatly shrink the size of a Docker PHP image. Based on your needs, you can get a smaller footprint and make the picture size work best for you.

How to Fix “401 Error Unauthorised Access”

You might have run into a 401 Error Unauthorised Access while you were browsing the Internet. This is a problem that can stop your peaceful trip.

The 401 error number can stop us from moving forward and keep us from finding the digital wonders we want. So, in this blog, we’ll find out what’s causing this error and how to fix it quickly. So, let’s quickly find out more about the 401 error, which means “unauthorised access.”

What Does the Error Code 401 Mean? (A Brief Summary)

The 401 (Unauthorised) status code is usually returned when your request fails because you don’t have the right credentials to access the site you’re trying to reach. The server will include a WWW-Authenticate response header that tells you how to try again by giving the necessary authentication credentials.

The 401 status code is different from the 403 (Forbidden) status code because you may still be able to access the resource if you have the right authorization. You might see the mistake with these names:

• 401 Needs Authorization
• HTTP 401 Error: Access Denied
• Error 401 in HTTP
• 401 Not Allowed
• Not allowed in

What Makes the “401 Error Unauthorised Access” Message Show Up?

We now know that “401 Error Unauthorised Access” means that the server won’t let the client in because the client’s authentication details are wrong. Let’s find out everything we can about what caused this annoying error:

1. Browser cache or cookies that have run out: Cookies are used by many websites to keep track of user visits. When you log in to a website, it usually leaves a “session cookie” on your computer. These tiny bits of information are the key to your online sessions. They contain a unique number that verifies your session. But if they expire or get messed up in your browser’s cache, they can block your way and give you the feared 401 error.
2. Wrong web address: A wrong URL is one of the most common things that can cause a 401 error. If you give the wrong username and password to a website that needs user registration, you will get a 401 error. So, know that the 401 error will laugh at you if you mess up the URL or give the wrong authentication information.
3. Unsuitable plugins: Plugins are used to add more features to a programme and are very useful. But sometimes a 401 error can be caused by a problem or incompatibility with a plugin, such as when a security plugin mistakes your attempt to log in as malicious behaviour.
4. URLs with security: When it comes to protected URLs, the server usually needs some kind of authentication to let the user access the desired resource (URL). But if a user doesn’t give the right credentials, the server can’t confirm the client’s request to access the protected URL. This causes a 401 error.
5. Restrictions on the .htaccess File: On servers running Apache, .htaccess files are used to control the directory and set access and rules. Yet, a single mistake in its setup, such as wrong authentication directives, messed-up file permissions, or confusing mod-rewrite rules, can cause the 401 error.

How to Fix the 401 Unauthorised Access Error (Quick Fix)

Now that we know why the 401 error happens, let’s find out how to fix it. So, this part shows how to fix the 401 Unauthorised Access error quickly.

1. Check the credentials for authentication

   Since the 401 error happens when a client doesn’t provide valid authentication credentials, you can fix it by entering the right username, password, or other authentication tokens.

   If you can’t remember your password, you can use the “Forgot Password” or “Reset Password” link on the login page to recover it. And if you’re using an API, make sure your API key is right, still works, and gives you all the permissions you need.

2. Clear the cache and cookies from your browser

   The browser’s cache and cookies make pages load faster and make it easier for users to navigate. But if the cached page is old or has been changed, there may be a difference between what’s saved and what’s on the server right now, which can cause the 401 error.

   If so, you can quickly fix it by clearing the cache and cookies from your browser. Follow the steps below to do this:

   1. Click the three dots in the top right part of your browser to open the menu and find “More tools.”
   2. Click “Clear browsing data”.
   3. Select “Cookies and other site data” and “Cached images and files.”
   4. Click the “Clear data” button.

   This is how it’s easy to clear your cache and cookies. If this doesn’t fix the problem, move on to the next one.

3. Clean out your DNS

   Here’s the thing: clearing your DNS (Domain Name System) cache won’t usually fix a 401 Unauthorised Error right away. BUT, if your DNS cache is telling you to connect to the wrong server or a server that you have already saved that is wrong, flushing the DNS might help, but this doesn’t happen very often.

   Here’s how you can clear your DNS anyway:

   1. Pressing the “Windows key” and “R” together will bring up the “Run” box.
   2. Type “cmd” and then click “OK” to start the command prompt.
   3. Type “ipconfig /flushdns” into the command line and hit “Enter” to do this.
   4. If it worked, the message “Successfully flushed the DNS Resolver Cache” will show up.

4. Turn off the security plugins on the website

   Some security plugins are made to stop traffic or acts that they think are strange. By doing this, they could sometimes stop real traffic or cause a 401 error. This could happen because the plugin was set up wrong, has too many security settings, or has a bug.

   So, sometimes the 401 Unauthorised Error can be fixed by turning off security plugins or addons. Follow the steps below to turn off the security features on the site:

   1. Log in to the dashboard of your WordPress site.
   2. Click “Plugins” and then “Installed Plugins.”
   3. Find the apps for security in the list.
   4. Click “Deactivate” next to the name of the plug-in.

   After turning off the plugin, try to view the resource that was giving you trouble again to see if the problem has been fixed. If that doesn’t work, try the next idea.

5. Look into the Code

   Still getting a 401 error message? Check the WWW-Authenticate header of the site for errors to find out how to properly authenticate for the requested resource.

   If a protected site is requested without proper authentication, the server sends back a 401 Unauthorised Error and a WWW-Authenticate header. This header tells you what kind of authentication is needed and, in some cases, other information, like the realm (the part of the resource that needs authentication) or the parameters for a certain authentication method.

   For example, if the header says WWW-Authenticate: Basic realm=”Admin Area,” it means that the server wants Basic Authentication (username and password in base64 encoding) to enter the “Admin Area.”

   Here’s how it works:

   1. Go to the web page where the 401 error is being shown.
   2. To get to the developer prompt in Chrome, right-click on the page and click “Inspect.”
   3. Now, click on the tab that says “Network” to see a list of tools.
   4. Find the 401 status number by clicking the status header and looking for it.
   5. Click on the headers tab and then on that item.
   6. Find the WWW-Authenticate header in the return headers.
   7. The header will give you information about the passwords and possible ways to fix the problem.

After Trying to Fix the 401 Error, Check Your Website

Once you’ve tried the above fixes, it’s time to see if the 401 error is still there or if it’s been fixed.

But it would work if you just reloaded the page. But if you want to make sure your website is running properly, we suggest the following tests:

• Check your website’s different pages and sections to make sure they all load properly and that there are no other errors.
• If your website has things like contact forms, search bars, login boxes, and so on, make sure to test them to make sure they are still working.
• Make sure that your website works on different web platforms, such as Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge.
• Check your website on different systems, such as a desktop, laptop, tablet, and mobile phone, to make sure it works on all of them.
• Check the error logs on your server to make sure that no new mistakes are being recorded.

How to Stop the 401 Error Message from Happening

They say that preventing a problem is better than fixing it. And with as many ways as there are to fix the 401 error as shown above, you’d probably rather not get the error in the first place. So, here are some of the best ways to stop the 401 error:

• Use verification methods that are strong and safe.
• Update your systems often.
• Make sure that permissions and roles are set up properly to stop people from getting into protected resources who shouldn’t be able to.
• Keep records that are correct.
• Make sure your users know how important it is to keep their login information safe and to keep it up to date.
• Test your website often, especially after you make changes, to make sure everything works as it should.
• Use tools for website tracking to get alerts about errors like “401 Unauthorised Errors.”
• If you use APIs, make sure they are safe and that you have to sign in.

Some Other WordPress Errors

Unfortunately, the 401 mistake isn’t the only one you’ll run into as you browse. There are a lot more, and some of them are quickly explained in the table below.

Conclusion

The 401 Unauthorised Access error can be frustrating, but the simple methods in this blog post will help you fix it.

Check your login information, clear your browser’s cache and cookies, and look at the code to figure out what’s wrong. To stop this from happening again, use strong authentication methods, update systems often, set up the right permissions, teach users how to log in safely, and test your website often.

Also, we suggest using tools to check for errors and making sure that APIs have safe authentication. All in all, if you use the easy fixes we’ve shown you, you’ll be able to easily move through the digital world and lessen the effect of errors on your browsing.

Questions People Usually Ask

Q. How does 401 Error affect how fast and well something works?

The 401 Error, which means unauthorised entry, can slow down or slow down a server. When a lot of people try to get in without permission, it uses up computer resources and could make it take longer for real requests to be processed.

Q. What does “server 401 Unauthorised access is denied because your credentials are invalid” mean?

“401 Unauthorised access is denied due to invalid credentials” is the server’s response to a request for a resource that needs authentication. But the client’s credentials, like the login, password, API key, or token, are either missing or wrong.

How to Make WordPress Allow Larger Media Files to Be Uploaded (7 Best Ways)

WordPress is a powerhouse with many themes and plugins that let you build almost any kind of website, from an online store to a business network. But when choosing WordPress hosting, you should first think about how well it works, how safe it is, and how well it is supported.

If you are building a WordPress site that has a portfolio with big image files or a video hosting site with a single media file that is several gigabytes in size, you might run into a problem where you can’t upload media files larger than 25MB.

This article will tell you WordPress’s maximum upload size and the best ways to check it and raise it.

How big can a file be that you upload to WordPress?

When you build a website, you have to add files like images, videos, themes, plugins, and so on. And if the upload file size is set to the minimum, it can be hard to upload big files. Depending on how your web hosting is set up, the largest file you can send to WordPress is usually between 2MB and 150MB. Most of the time, this limit is set at the server level by your hosting company to avoid timeouts. By default, the size of a file you can send to Kloudbean is 10MB.

How to Find Out What WordPress’s Maximum Upload Size Is Right Now?

To see how much you can add to your WordPress site, go to WP Admin > Media > Add New. At the bottom, you’ll see the current maximum upload size, as shown in the picture.

If the current maximum upload size works for you, you don’t need to change it. But if it doesn’t, don’t worry; there are many ways to increase WordPress’s maximum upload size.

How to Make WordPress Allow Larger Media Files to Be Uploaded?

These are the best ways to increase the maximum amount of media files that can be uploaded to WordPress.

1. Change the file.htaccess
2. Edit the functions.php file
3. Make or change the php.ini file
4. Raise the size of uploads on a multisite
5. Change the file wp-config.php
6. Using the Plugin Method
7. Get in touch with your hosting company

1. Change the file.htaccess

   If your web server uses Apache and PHP is set up as an Apache script, you can increase the maximum upload size in WordPress by adding the following lines of code to the .htaccess file:

   php_value upload_max_filesize is 64M
   php_value post_max_size 128M
   php_value memory_limit 256M
   php_value max_execution_time 300
   php_value max_input_time 300
           

   This will tell you how many Megabytes is the most you can send. Change the numbers to suit your needs. Both the max processing time and the max input time are measured in seconds. The processing time sets how long a single script can take to run. Pick a number that works for your website.

2. Edit the functions.php file

   If you can’t access the .htaccess file or prefer to change WordPress theme files, you can raise the size limits by adding the following lines of code to the functions.php file of your theme:

   @ini_set( 'upload_max_size' , '64M' );
   @ini_set( 'post_max_size', '64M');
   @ini_set( 'max_execution_time', '300' );
           

   Keep in mind that if you change the theme, the maximum upload size will go back to its normal settings until you edit the functions.php file of the new theme, as this code is added to your current theme.

3. Make or change the php.ini file

   You can create or edit the php.ini file to increase the maximum upload size. Use SSH or FTP to access the root directory of your WordPress site and look for the file named php.ini. If it doesn’t exist, you can create a new file and add the following code:

   upload_max_filesize = 64M
   post_max_size = 128MB
   memory_limit = 264MB
           

   If you create a new php.ini file, upload it to the same root folder using SSH or FTP.

4. Raise the size of uploads on a multisite

   If you are running WordPress on multiple sites, you can adjust the settings to increase the maximum file size for uploads. The available options depend on your network configuration.

5. Change the file wp-config.php

   Another way to increase the maximum file size for uploads is to edit the wp-config.php file. Use SSH or FTP to access the top directory of your WordPress site and locate the wp-config.php file. Open the file with a text editor and add the following code:

   @ini_set( 'upload_max_size' , '20M' );
   @ini_set( 'post_max_size', '13M');
   @ini_set( 'memory_limit', '15M' );
           

   Save your changes, and the maximum file size you can upload should increase.

6. Using the Plugin Method

   If you prefer not to write code or use SSH/FTP to access root files, you can use a WordPress plugin called “Increase Max Upload Filesize” to simplify the process:

   1. Go to your WordPress Dashboard.
   2. Click on “Plugins” and then “Add New.”
   3. Search for “Increase Max Upload Filesize,” and click “Install” and then “Activate” the plugin.
   4. Once the plugin is active, go to its settings and enter the desired upload size.
   5. Click the “Save Changes” button to apply the new file size.

7. Get in touch with your hosting company

   If you prefer not to make these changes yourself, you can contact your web hosting company and ask them to increase the maximum upload size for your WordPress site.

   If you use Kloudbean’ managed WordPress hosting, you can easily increase the maximum upload size for all your websites on a single server using the platform’s tools. Log into your Kloudbean account, go to “Server” under “Server Settings & Packages,” and adjust the “Upload Size” field as needed.

   In Conclusion

   This article has explained various methods to increase the maximum file size that can be uploaded to WordPress. While some methods may not work with all web hosts, you can always contact your hosting provider for assistance. Ensuring that your website loads quickly and efficiently is crucial, so optimizing your uploaded files is essential.

   If you have any additional insights or methods for increasing WordPress’s maximum upload size, please share them in the comments section below.

   FAQs

   Q1. How can I get my hosting provider to let me raise the maximum file size I can upload?

   Most hosting companies offer a setting in the server configuration that allows you to increase the maximum file size allowed for uploads in WordPress. Check your hosting provider’s knowledge base for instructions, and if you can’t find the information, contact their support team.

   Q2: Will raising the maximum upload size slow down the speed at which the site loads?

   Increasing the maximum upload size for files in WordPress should not significantly impact the site’s loading speed. However, it’s essential to ensure that any files you upload are properly optimized to prevent slow loading times for your users and search engine crawlers.

How to Sell a Website: 7 Steps to Make Fast Sale

Do you have a website or an online store that is up and running? You might make more money if you sell it than if you keep it running. A lot of people can’t get rid of their websites, even though they don’t want to run them.

Or they don’t have time to keep it up. As a result, they might have a lot of money but don’t know what to do with it.

If so, you have come to the right blog post. There would be a lot of people and businesses who would want to buy your live page.

We’ll show you how to sell your websites for the right price down below.

Selling a website can be just as tiring as selling a house in some ways. Some may sell better than others. But if you know what to do, it’s easy to catch the attention of possible buyers and make a deal. Adam Audette, SVP and SEO leader at Blend360, said it best: “It’s a battle to get noticed online amidst all the noise and crowds.”

Let’s go over the steps that will help you sell your website quickly and for what it’s really worth.

How to Sell a Website Step-by-Step in 7 Steps

Here are the seven best ways to sell your website and make a good amount of money.

1. Understand Your Audience

If you try to sell a website without knowing who you might be selling it to, it’s like selling with your eyes closed.

There are different kinds of people who buy websites for different reasons. Business people, writers, investors, etc.

By figuring out who you want to buy from you, you can improve, change, or redo your website to meet their needs and goals. Also, your website will sell more quickly if it gets more people to visit it.

So, how can you know who you’re writing for in the first place?

Market study is the most important part of this. There are many ways to figure out who your audience is, such as using search engines and social media to look for clues or talking to people in person. Take part in the talk forums is a great way to do this.

Let’s say you want to sell an online store. Join the ecommerce discussion boards to learn about the most common problems that owners and managers of ecommerce stores have with their websites. Make sure your website talks about them, and you’ll improve your chances of getting good deals.

There are a number of things that people who want to buy websites are interested in, such as:

• Sources of traffic
• Channels for getting content to people
• Plan designs
• Ability to work
• Type of content

Find out what your ICP (ideal customer profile) wants and what your website has to give. It would be best to have detailed reports about your website’s traffic, content, website speed, etc. Then you can target your efforts and make more money for your business.

2. Find out how much your website is worth.

Know how much your website is worth before you try to sell it.

You can set the price of your website in different ways. This step is important if you don’t want to undersell yourself. Let’s look at how to set the right price for your website:

Have a rough idea. Most of the time, if your website makes good money and is in a popular niche, you can easily sell it for 20–30 months’ worth of earnings. So, if your site makes $1,000 a month, you can probably sell it for $20,000 to $30,000.

Check around for lists of websites. You can look for websites that have the same kind of passwords as yours and see how much they cost.

Think about the factors. The price of a website can depend on many things, such as the number of daily visitors, the business, the age of the domain, the website’s SEO ranking, and so on. When figuring out how much your website should cost, you should think about all of these things.

Use tools to figure out prices. There are a number of people who can give you quotes for your site. Siteprice.org and SiteWorthTraffic are two examples. You can only get rough figures from these tools. Sometimes, their ideas can be very different from what your site is really worth.

Tax is another important thing to think about when setting the price of your site. Most people who sell websites think that whatever price they get is profit. But they soon get tax bills that they don’t like and hate to pay.

When setting prices for your site, it’s a good idea to know what the tax effects are. This will help you figure out how much the website is worth in money. Website taxes are hard to figure out, so it’s best to talk to a tax expert before putting your website up for sale.

3. Reduce how much you have to do and make the processes run themselves.

Running a website takes a lot of work from each person. You know that already. But you should know that once you sell the website, you shouldn’t have to help the new owner run it.

In fact, if the possible buyer sees that your website depends a lot on you being there, they’ll probably just pass on the deal.

Yes, you’d be needed to make sure the handover went smoothly, and you might be needed for a while after the changeover, too. But if the buyer always needs you, it will bother both you and the buyer.

Here are a few things you can do to make sure the handover goes easily and that you can leave the process without any problems once the deal is done:

• Automate the tasks on your website. Use tools and plugins to automate common website jobs to save time and work. With Kloudbean, you can use SafeUpdates to update your WordPress plugins, make backups easily, and get reports on how your site is doing.
• Give jobs to the VAs. You have to do a lot of boring and repetitive things to run the website, like talk to customers, keep track of sales, etc. You can teach virtual helpers to do these kinds of things so that you don’t have to worry about them.
• Hire third-party services to help you with SEO and creating content.
• Make sure that all the credentials are given over safely so that you don’t have to worry about anything after the handover. Tools, passwords, emails, and so on.

Remember that buyers are most interested in websites that make money with little work on their part.

Why?

Because most investors want to grow their investments and find ways to make money without doing anything.

Even if someone has other needs, they wouldn’t want to be depending on you for a long time. So, fix the problems with how you run your website, and you’ll have a better chance of making a good deal.

4. Learn about the right places to buy and sell websites

As marketing and business grow and change, there are more and more of everything. Every second, something new pops up, like new software, search engines, blogs, or markets.

So, don’t put yourself in a box when you’re trying to sell your site.

There are many ways you can go about selling your website. Let’s look at a few:

Websites that sell things

It can be easy to compare selling a website to selling a house online. You can sell your websites on marketplaces and let potential buyers bid on them. You can try out different sites, such as Flippa, BusinessExits, Empire Flippers, and so on.

These tools are especially good at helping different kinds of website owners sell their sites. For instance, Flippa is well-known for selling websites that make less than $300,000 per year.

Think about using BusinessExit for sites that make a lot of money. Each platform has different commission rates. Flippa charges $49 to sell and 10% of the sale price. Empire Flippers, on the other hand, has different commission rates based on the list price, such as 15% for properties under $1 million, 12% for properties between $1 million and $2 million, etc.

Be careful: Know how commissions work on platforms before you list your websites to avoid costs you didn’t expect. Check out the suggestions below for other ways to sell your websites.

Talk of the Town

If you work in the same field as the people who visit your website, they would already be interested. It can be easy to sell something by word of mouth. So, if you decide to sell the website, you should let your friends know.

Even if they wouldn’t want it themselves, they probably know someone who would.

Groups on social media: e-commerce is easy to do on social media sites. You can look for groups and pages where people who might want to buy your website hang out.

You can also tell people about it on your social media pages, and those who are interested could get in touch with you.

5. Optimise your website before putting it on the market.

As was already said, SEO is a key way to find out who your target crowd is. But it is also the most important part of a good website. Without it, a website will fall apart and become useless.

SEO is now the first thing buyers ask website owners and managers when they ask, “Is your website optimised?””If the answer is no, they won’t think twice before moving on to the next big thing.”

So why is it so important to make sure your website is optimised before you sell it? Optimisation helps with:

• Search engines are better able to figure out why your website exists.
• Raise the rank of each page of your website on Google.
• Through keywords, you can get more of your target crowd to visit your website, which will lead to more clicks.
• Turn hits on your website into money for you or the people who bought it.

Google also punishes sites that are not optimised. Its algorithms only rank the web pages that load quickly, are easy to use, and are reliable. If you don’t optimise your website before you try to sell it, its organic exposure might go down.

There are a number of ways to improve websites today. In general, you should work to improve your site’s:

• Conversion numbers (how many people who visit your website do what you want them to do, like sign up for your newsletter)
• Visibility (making it easy for people to find your website when they look for it)
• Usability (making your website and its pages load faster and work better) is a way to improve its optimisation.

To be more detailed, you can make your website work better by using tools and methods like:

• CDN stands for Content Delivery Network.
• Using a better host, like a virtual private servers (VPS) host, can speed up the time it takes for a website to load.
• Getting rid of some of the tools, CSS, and JavaScript files on your website pages can help it load faster.
• Your website’s central management system (CMS) can be used to optimise your database. This will help speed up your site and cut down on the time it takes to load.

All in all, you need to do this if you want to sell your website for a fair price. If you don’t, your website will be “just another one” in the huge sea of materials available online. But if you have a site that is ready to impress potential buyers and has been optimised, you can even sign up for website trading services that will get you great deals.

They’ll take a cut, but it’s likely that they’ll help you sell for more than you could on your own.

6. Learn the right way to talk to people who are interested.

Listing the sites on different platforms is not the only way to get bids for your website. You can also go to the buyers yourself and make a deal with them.

Knowing and understanding your target group is different from approaching potential buyers. This has to do with who will be most interested in your website, which is important if you want to sell it quickly.

But narrowing down your target group helps you find buyers who are interested in what you have to offer. It will help a lot to sell websites. If you know how to deal with clients from a business perspective, it could help you a lot as you try to sell your website.

Some people who sell websites make the mistake of putting them up for auction on a marketplace that is meant for a bigger, more general audience. Sometimes, you have to look for possible customers in places where they are already.

If your website has a clear niche, try to sell it in a place where people buy other websites in the same field. Some common niches for websites are healthcare, digital marketing, making money online, coupons, blogging tips, food and recipes, etc.

7. Find the correct numbers to show buyers

People tend to believe what they see, and numbers don’t lie, so statistics are everywhere. If you want to sell a website, the person you want to sell it to will ask for numbers.

If you want to sell a website quickly, you won’t be able to convince a possible buyer by saying something like, “My website will make a lot of money in the long run.”

But if you add statistics to the report summary or an item, maybe in the form of a statistical animation, they will turn their heads and listen to what you have to say.

For example, look at the following overview of website data for a made-up website:

You can also show the same information in a more interesting way, like in the examples below.

Make your reports as detailed as you can so you can show what your website can really do and get a better price.

Most people who sell websites use SEMrush or Ahrefs to collect and show data about their websites. But Google Analytics makes the job much easier to do. It gives website numbers as a whole, which can then be made more appealing to buyers. And now that GA4 is out, you can get even better and more detailed results to help you flip websites.

No matter how you show a buyer the stats about your website, make sure they are:

• Dependable, true, and real.
• Backs up what you say about your site’s strengths and flaws.
• Isn’t too’stuffy.’
• Doesn’t make any broad or sweeping claims.
• is as clear as it gets.
• Gives possible buyers a general idea of what your website is about, why it’s important, and how it works.

When they look at your website’s statistics, they should immediately get a good idea of how valuable it is and how well it will do in search results. Don’t forget to talk about your high-ticket clients, especially those who buy from you again and again.

Tip: There are many free templates for showing website statistics that you can download if you don’t want to make a chart from scratch or show your client what Google Analytics says about your website.

Here’s how to sell your website the right way.

Selling your website can be a very hard thing to do in the modern world. Every day, new websites are made, making it easy to get lost in the crowd.

But if you have a great website and sell it to the right person, you can make a lot of money. Now that we’ve reached the end, you should know what to do to sell your site for as much as it’s worth.

Just check that:

• It works well,
• Put on the right websites,
• Has there been a good report on the methods and traffic sources,
• Made well enough to get people’s attention.

You’re all set.

Don’t forget that it’s your offering at the end of the day. Do everything you can to sell the site for as much money as possible. And if you don’t need money badly, don’t undersell yourself and do the right study before you sign a deal for your website.

I hope that your deals go well.

FAQs

Q1. How to Get a Client to Buy a Website?

Before you try to sell your website to a client, make sure you know the numbers behind it. Then you can sell it and get bids.

Q2. How Much Should a Website Cost to Sell?

You should be able to sell a website for 25–35 times what it makes each month. So, if a website brings in about $2,000 a month, you should think about selling it for about $50,000.

Q3. How Much Time Does It Take to Sell a Website?

It takes different amounts of time to sell a website. Once it’s on the market, it can take anywhere from 15 to 90 days to sell. Obviously, this time period can be longer or shorter, but this is when most websites sell.

Q4. How do I go about selling a website?

The best way to sell a website is to hire a website broker or list it on a website marketplace. They can promote your website on a number of social media sites and also act as middlemen to handle the whole sale process through escrow.

What does Private label mean?

Most goods sold in stores and online come from suppliers. Not many brands make and sell their products directly to customers. This sales channel strategy is becoming more famous, but it is still not very common.

In contrast to companies that sell video conferencing solutions or other SaaS, many companies sell goods without using their own name or branding. That is unless they engage in the production of private label products. If you don’t know what the word means, keep reading. We’ll tell you exactly what these things are. Then we’ll list the most important pros and cons of each.

What Is a Private Label?

A private label product is one that a store has made by a third party but sells under its own brand name. Everything about the product or goods is up to the retailer. That includes the product’s specifications, how it’s packed, and everything else.

Then, private label goods are sent to the store to be sold. From the customer’s point of view, these are the company’s “own brand” goods. For instance, a seller of collaboration software might start a private label line of conference call hardware. These things would be made by another company. But they would be sold under the brand name of the first business.

In most areas of consumer goods, there are both branded and private label lines. Some examples of industries where private labeling is most common are:

• Grooming and personal care: Nail salons, hairdressers, and other places may sell nail paint, shampoo, and other products with their own labels.
• Food & Drink: The store’s own name of condiments, sauces, and other food items.
• Clothing: Clothing shops on the high street often sell their own lines as well as branded ones.
• Pet Food & Accessories: Pet shops that sell their own food, toys, and other items.

What’s good about private labels

So, why is private labeling popular in so many niches? Simply put, it’s because this method is good for stores of all sizes in many ways. Here are the four most important ones:

1. Ability to change.

Some stores get all of their goods from sellers. So, they depend on them to respond to what the market wants. If customers start to want new lines or features, it’s up to the sellers to change what they have to offer. This can take a long time.

When a store has its own brand of goods made, it can be more flexible. They can act faster if they see a change in how customers act. With a quick online video call, they can tell the company making the product how to change it.

2. Control over how things are made.

Retailers don’t only have more power when they need to change quickly. Private labeling is also good because it gives you more control over production.

The store tells the maker of a private label product how to make it in every way. They can name the parts or ingredients. They can insist on exact specs, even for things as basic as the color or shape of a product.

3. Have power over prices.

When stores use private labels, they are in charge of the whole supply chain. They set and control the costs of production to make sure that the prices are the most profitable. The way things are made makes sure that the final edges are as healthy as possible.

4. Have control over your brand.

The problem with selling branded products is that people don’t love your business. They are loyal to the people who make their best things, not the people who sell them. You can put your own name and brand on private label goods and their packaging.

Private labels have some problems.

In online or retail, nothing is ever black and white. Private labeling has a lot of good points, but there is also one major possible bad point.

1. It’s hard to get people to like a brand.

In theory, putting your brand on goods is a great idea. In reality, though, it can be hard to get people to care a lot about a brand. In a niche, your private label lines often go up against well-known brands.

These brands that have been around for a long time have some big benefits over your private label lines. One thing is that they will be sold in a wider range of shops. Your own brand goods will be the only ones on your shelves. Brands that are national or international also have a much bigger budget for advertising their goods.

Conclusion

Private labeling is a choice that both internet and brick-and-mortar stores can make. It’s when a seller has products made to sell under their own name and with their own logo. The main good thing about this is that it gives stores more power. They decide what is made, how much it costs, and how it is branded. But it’s not easy to go up against well-known names and manufacturers.