Forum Rank - Unique forum ranking & resource site

Forum Rank
http://www.forumrank.net
PR: 4
Starting Bid: $2,000
BIN: $5,500

Description:

Note: This site was previously listed for sale, but the buyer backed out due to personal problems unrelated to the site or the transfer. I'm asking that people please bid only if they are serious about this site. Much of this listing is a simple re-post of the previous listing, but I have made some updates to account for the last month.

The following is included in this sale:

Domains: forumrank.net/forumrank.org
Design .PSD files
The complete site - design, programming, forum skin, everything
The vBulletin license
Advertising creatives
All content in the site (as well as 5 unpublished, high quality articles)
1 month worth of hosting paid for from KnownHost.com

What is Forum Rank?

Straight from the homepage:

Forum Rank is a revolutionary new forum ranking system that uses a sophisticated algorithm to rank forums based on a number of specific criteria. The system is entirely automated and there is no limit to what size, genre, or age your forum has to be before you can add it.

Our AFR (Automated Forum Rank) system gives a fair playing ground for small to medium sized forum owners to compete with the "big boards." Although size does play an important role, we take into consideration a number of other factors such as forum activity, registration rate, and more. Forum Rank also offers a significant database of forum administration articles, interviews, and custom forum reviews in the hopes of helping new as well as old administrators make the most of their forums.

The Backend

This backend is 100% custom coded - you won't find any smidgen of code in this site borrowed from someplaced else.

The backend is extremely simple to use and made so that anybody can pick it up quickly (I'll of course give any help needed to the new owner(s)). The backend is also integrated completely with the vBulletin database so that users only need to register once. There is a file upload system so you'll never have to go into the FTP unless you want to. The usergroups on the main site are integrated with vBulletin's and allow you to create special staff positions with full restriction options. It also has its own web statistics software custom built that logs referrals, uniques, page views, popular content, IPSs, etc. There is also a built-in ad management system that allows you to add as many ad zones as you want as well as as many ads in the rotation as you want. The backend also gives you easy control over the sidebar "blocks" allowing you to re-order them, edit them, and create new ones as you please (some HTML knowledge is required for managing blocks).

Then of course there is the ranking system which is the main attraction of the site. The ranking system is completely automated and updates twice a day. Currently the update crawler is running on the same server as the website so the site runs rather slow when the system is crawling. Crawling doesn't take long, and I haven't received any complaints that having the crawler and the site on the same server takes away from user experience.

The Frontend

The frontend was custom-designed and coded for this site. It has been integrated into the CMS using an easy-to-use template system. If you ever wanted to create a new design or edit the current one, it would be as easy as editing vBulletin or Drupal.

The Server

The website is currently hosted on KnownHost.com. Although you can easily transfer everything to a new server, I would suggest you simply take over the current plan at KnownHost. Not only is KnownHost a great hosting company, but my programmer has spent a lot of time optimizing the server for the best performance. It is able to handle almost any spike in traffic without stumbling at all.

Additional Info

There is only one competitor to this site: Big-boards.com. Big Boards has been around much longer than Forum Rank, but it lacks something that Forum Rank offers. Forum Rank has a unique ranking algorithm whereas Big Boards grades solely on size. This is the biggest attraction to Forum Rank and with a little time and some growth it will be the separating factor.

Why am I Selling?

Forum Rank was created with the intention of selling it from the beginning. I've handled all of the development work - the design, the programming, the initial marketing, and a good chunk of content. Now it's time to pass the site along to someone who has the time and dedication to further develop the traffic.

If it does not sell for the price I'm asking I don't mind holding onto it for a few more months, developing it further, and relisting it. Please do not lowball me as I'm not interested in low bids.

Asking Price

I've set the BIN at $5,500. Keep in mind that this isn't a simple turnkey with some content thrown in. This is a 100% custom solution with a unique brand, idea, and model. I have spent a lot of time and money developing this site for sale, and I would appreciate it if only serious bidders would comment or contact me. With the right attention this site could easily be an overnight success.

Misc Info

If you have any questions you can contact me via PM or email at mattc [at] pwstudios.com. You can also get a hold of me via MSN (pwstudios@hotmail.com) and AIM (pwstudiosdotcom).

Acceptable method of payment is Escrow (I may also be willing to consider Paypal and Western Union).

Revenue Details:

The site has yet to be completely monetized. Currently there are some ad locations, but I haven't done hardly any marketing to push these spots. A few have been sold adding up to about $50/mo in revenue despite the lack of attention.

Traffic Details:

Traffic has been slow and steady over the last month as I have spent very little advertising it. However, a couple articles I've written for the site have gotten widespread attention (including a Digg frontpage). This has brought in a lot of traffic, and much of it has stuck and converted into return visitors. There is, however, a lot of room to grow.

Stats for December:
1,200 uniques & 12,924 hits

Stats for January:
14,408 uniques & 29,426 hits (was Dugg)

Stats for February:
3,000 uniques (all natural, no advertising whatsoever)

The main referrals have been Digg, StumbleUpon, and del.icio.us.

May I ask, have you attempted to buy the .com ?

Originally Posted by Dark Horse May I ask, have you attempted to buy the .com ?

Yes, but I haven't been able to get a hold of the .com owner, so I don't know what his deal is tbh.

Does your custom cms use any of vb's tables?

I assume it would use many of vB's tables especially for the member profiles and information. It is tied very closely with vB which is why I'm giving a vB license with the sale.