#2 Buy a Blog: Cooking Italians

This week we’re spotlighting Cooking Italians, a simple blog written by a couple living in Naples who share traditional Italian recipes.

Despite being only a year old and without any investment in SEO or ads, it’s already serving up serious potential.

Metrics

The blog garners impressive engagement, with a 12-month average of about 300,000 page views and 180,000 visitors per month.

Their traffic is primarily driven by a network of Faceboook groups focused on Italian food. They also have a following on Pinterest, have over 1,000 email subscribers and a YouTube channel with just four videos but have collected a fair amount of views.

Content

Although the blog hasn't been updated in a while, it continues to attract a steady stream of organic traffic. This is excellent for a buyer, since the investment will continue to draw traffic without much effort.

The nature of the content, being recipes, means you don't need to constantly churn out new posts. As long as people search for Italian recipes, the content will remain relevant and continue to drive traffic.

Valuation

The blog is monetized through Google AdSense and Gourmet Ads, generating a profit of $1,763 per month. With hosting fees of just $10 per month via SiteGround, the overhead costs are minimal.

It was originally listed at $1,000 and Flippa’s auction has brought it up to $4,000 but it’s still a major bargain. You only have to hold it for 3 months to get your money back.

Growth Strategy

The first thing I would do, is give the blog a makeover. A redesign will please current users and attract new ones, reducing the bounce rate and increase user retention. Once the site looks polished, I can focus on bringing more traffic to it.

I would switch from Gourmet Ads to a higher-performing ad network (Monumetric, Mediavine) and start affiliate marketing for more revenue. I would also invest in SEO and backlink strategies to grow organic reach and visibility even more.

Once those easy wins are ticked off, I would focus on creating video content that complements the recipes. The videos can be leveraged on YouTube, Reels, and TikTok to build a larger following and, in turn, create more revenue streams.

Would you buy this blog? Check out their listing on Flippa.