Tax Info Website – $399K Profit – $1.5M Asking – 3.8x

Listing Type (?): Interesting Find

📸 Snapshot: Established in 1999, this tax information website operates on one of the web's most recognizable tax domains, generating $429K in revenue and $399K in SDE with just 1 hour of weekly owner involvement. The business monetizes through Google AdSense, Ezoic, and tax software affiliate partnerships, serving millions of Americans seeking tax guidance. What sets this apart from typical content plays is the 88% direct traffic—meaning users actively seek out the site rather than stumbling upon it through search. At 3.8x SDE, the asking price sits in reasonable territory for a profitable digital asset with this traffic profile.

✅ The Good:

• Direct Traffic Goldmine: 88% direct navigation indicates genuine brand recognition and user intent—rare in content businesses where Google dependency kills deals.

• Evergreen + Seasonal: Tax topics provide year-round baseline traffic with massive seasonal spikes during filing season.

• Low Maintenance Operations: Current structure requires minimal oversight with automated systems handling monetization.

• Diversified Revenue Streams: Nice 50/50 split between advertising and affiliate income reduces single-point-of-failure risk.

• Aged Domain Authority: Built on a memorable tax domain with 25+ years of trust and recognition.

⚠️ Watch Out:

• AI Disruption Risk: Tax guidance is exactly what ChatGPT and competitors excel at—users may skip websites entirely for direct AI answers.

• No Audience Ownership: Despite the traffic, there's no newsletter, app, or engaged community to insulate against platform shifts.

• Profit Trend Unknown: No visibility into recent performance trajectory—critical to know if earnings held steady or declined as AI adoption accelerated.

• "Passive" Is a Trap: Marketed as 1-hour weekly, but buying this without a growth plan is dangerous—and executing growth kills the passive appeal.

• Boring Topic Challenge: Tax content doesn't inspire passionate communities or social engagement, limiting audience-building opportunities.

💡 Bottom Line: This is an interesting find that breaks the mold of typical Google-dependent content sites. The 88% direct traffic provides real defensibility, but major headwinds loom. The key missing piece? Recent profit trends. If this business maintained or grew earnings while AI exploded over the past 2-3 years, it's proven resilient. But if profits have declined, you're buying a melting ice cube at 3.8x. Don't be fooled by the "passive" pitch—this needs active development to survive long-term, which means it won't stay passive. A decent buy for someone with a clear monetization strategy beyond ads and affiliates, but definitely not a set-and-forget income stream.

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