Un/Under-developed domains

[OPC]

I have an in general question. I have been meaning to ask it several times, however, I didn't wish to hijack any threads, nor did I intend to direct it at any one person. I'm curious though, is there a rule (written or unwritten) that suggests one must sell any and all domains that are either not fully developed, or are under-developed, but time is currently scarce?

I have a few sites floating around, some developed somewhat, others totally under-developed, and still others totally unorganized and full of content. I admit, I've considered selling each of them at one time or another. Technically, I've farmed myself out doing work for other people quite a bit, and have taken on many more projects in the last few months to the point where I have to pencil in time to work on my own sites. I'm sure everyone can relate.

I've also created a mess out of a site or two that I own, as I didn't exactly know what I was doing when I started work. And again, I've considered selling each website at one point or another.

As inclined as I may have been to sell, however, I do not think it would be prudent of me to do. If the sandbox theory is correct, that each new site is on probation from competing for highly competitive key phrases, then letting my sites "season" a bit is prudent.

If the age of a domain matters at all for search rankings or pagerank, then holding onto an underdeveloped site would also make sense.

If I have a monster of a domain as far as the url is concerned, but don't have the time or the know-how yet to optimize and market it, perhaps a few pages on the site and time (for me to learn and come up with a plan) is in order.

This would additionally apply to a site I've made a mess out of. If I made a mess of things, and don't yet know how to fix it, the domain isn't going to hurt anything if left intact while I continue to learn.

I can't come up with a compelling reason to sell a domain that I've purchased at the moment. In fact, the only reasons I can come up with is if a webmaster made me an unsolicited offer I couldn't refuse, I decided to get out of the business totally, or if I were trying to raise capital.

I'm curious, am I looking at this correctly, or is there an unwritten rule that dictates I should either be building, or selling? If so, please send the url as a citation to said rule

[Ridge]

As inclined as I may have been to sell, however, I do not think it would be prudent of me to do. If the sandbox theory is correct, that each new site is on probation from competing for highly competitive key phrases, then letting my sites "season" a bit is prudent.

I've never been shown proof of this, and with over 50 sites myself, I can data that suggest at least most sites don't get sandboxed as long as you populate it with good content. There is exceptions, but ya know

The whole thing is this, if you plan on being an affiliate, you have to have patience and sink some money into sites. If the domain is premium, which there is just a few real premium domains then I might save it. Otherwise, a domain is a domain pretty much for broad niches.

[TheDonk]

I used to sell my sites when I needed the cash, and I know a lot of us have done that. I think I know what you mean when you say you 'don't know how to fix it yet'. I had a site that I built that...once I realized it was fuckered, I also didn't know what to do with it, so I sold it. I knew the site had lots of potential, but I didn't know where to start with the fix. For me, it was about getting rid of a headache. If you have a site that makes you say "oh lord, what the hell am I gonna do with this mess, it 'might' be better to sell it, take your money and move on.

On the other hand, I'm trying very hard to not sell any of my sites anymore. I have one site that I would like to sell at some point, but not until it's in a better position, and it's a decision I'm making out of choice, not by force (needing the cash). I know there are plenty of others here that are like me in that they've sold sites to raise cash to survive, then look back and wish they had done other things to raise cash, instead of selling their sites. Selling your site (unless it's to unload a high-maintenance, low producing site) is a short-term cash infusion, but in the long-run probably a bad idea.

Like Randy, I'm not sure I believe in the sandbox either, but obv it takes time to generate enough content/backlinks/respect for a site to rank high for tough keywords. If you believe in that, then letting the site age and keeping it is even more important if you want to give yourself a better chance at success. Why have a bunch of new sites if you feel they need to be aged in order to reach their peak?

Personally, aside from that one site I'd like to sell one day, I don't want to sell anything. About 4-5 months ago I started thinking more about the types of sites I wanted to own. I realized that I didn't want giant monstrosities that would require I spend all day babysitting them. I wanted sites that I could build, generate a few links for, then slowly add content and generate more backlinks for. For these types of sites to be successful, I knew I had to start going after smaller niches, and after the most effective converting niche keywords I could find. So, I started buying a bunch of those types of domains, and now I'm developing a bunch of them. What I'm saying is that I think what is most important, and something most of us don't think about, is that we should build sites that suit the lifestyle we want. Why bother building sites that when you're done with them you hate managing them and want to sell them anyway? If you build a site that requires management/maintenance within a range that you are happy with, then you'll want to keep it. So, build sites that suit your lifestyle goals, and sell the ones that can't be successful built in ways that satisfy your management/maintenance goals.

[OPC]

Randy - I don't necessarily agree with the sandbox theory either. I threw that in for argument's sake.

Donk - Great, perfect response! I agree that the site I build should suit the lifestyle I am seeking. I also agree that unless I'm looking to get a short time cash boost, that's the only compelling reason I could find to sell my site, aside from someone making an offer I'd be foolish to refuse.

My question arose from the influx of site sales citing lack of time to develop. I have many sites that I currently lack time to focus on to the extent I'd like to, but I'm still holding onto them. I was beginning to think I was looking at it wrong...