1. Choose a market niche for your turnkey site. Websites that focus on niches are popular and can generate a significant revenue have the greatest chance of being sold. Think of industries that have a large advertising network. For example, a website on dog care serves a large audience and also has a wide range of companies who would want to advertise dog care products. In contrast, a site about raising ants will have a much narrower audience and less appeal to advertisers and entrepreneurs.
2. Sign up for budget web hosting. When attempting to create a turnkey website, minimizing your overhead costs will help you realize the greatest profit when selling the site. You also want a host that is able to transfer ownership of the domain and hosting account for free. Examples of budget webhosts that can do this include Fat Cow and Blue Host (see Resources).
3. Build the turnkey site. If building the site from a blank page, use a visual site editor (e.g. Dreamweaver) or a standard text editor if you are comfortable with your level of HTML expertise. Alternatively, purchase a professional website template. Templates are popular among those who create turnkey websites because they minimize the time it takes to get the site up and running. Avoid free website template sites as they often offer low-quality templates that are not always standards-compliant. Dreamtemplate is an example of a professional template provider (see Resources).
4. Propagate your site with keyword-targeted, original content. Include a minimum of five to 10 pages for the site. Think about the keywords that will attract advertisers. Stay focused on your turnkey website's overall theme. For example, a dog care site may have web pages on dog breeds; dog grooming tips; dog grooming product reviews; and dog feeding and nutrition guides. The more pages you include with the turnkey site, the higher your chance of selling the site quickly.
5. Insert advertising and affiliate programs. Popular examples include Google AdSense, Commission Junction and Amazon Associates. You may insert your own code, which the purchaser will then replace with his or her own affiliate codes. Alternatively, simply insert 'Ad Here' or similar text to notify the purchaser of the locations of ad spots. However, successful turnkey websites will come with affiliate codes pre-installed and income reports to show potential buyers of the site's income potential.
6. Upload the website to the web host you chose in Step 2 using your FTP software. Enter your server name and password into the FTP software to connect with the server. If you do not know this information, it may be found in the registration material sent to you by the host when you originally registered. Once connected, upload the templates and pages you've created. Your turnkey site is now online.
7. List the turnkey site you've created for sale. You may wish to post it for free on an online classified ads website such as Craigslist. Alternatively, list the site for sale on an online marketplace specializing in turnkey website sales. One of the most popular and well-known sites that do this is the Sitepoint Marketplace (see Resources).