Let’s say you’re eyeing a content site or niche blog for sale. The seller claims it pulls in $2,000 a month from affiliate links and display ads. Sounds great — on paper. But to truly evaluate website earnings before buying, you need to look beyond screenshots and spreadsheets. 

Real income verification requires a clear-eyed view of monetization sources, traffic quality, and a seller’s willingness to be transparent. 

Here’s how to check site income claims, spot signs of fake website earnings, and separate healthy sites from shaky setups.

Start With Verifiable Income Sources and Logs

Before anything else, you need to know where the money’s coming from. Is it affiliate commissions, display ads, or digital product sales? The way a site earns its keep shapes everything, from valuation to long-term potential. 

And whatever the source, income claims should be backed by direct access to real data. That means pulling reports directly from platforms like PayPal, Stripe, or Amazon Associates, not just relying on secondhand information.

When learning how to check site income claims properly, full transparency isn’t optional.

Check for Consistency and Seasonality

A website pulling $2,000 per month might sound great — until you find out 90% of that came from a single one-time promotion. That’s why it’s important to evaluate income over a realistic time window, ideally 6 to 12 months.

To check for website income consistency, ask:

• Is revenue stable month to month?
• Are there clear dips or spikes tied to trends or events?
• Is the traffic source responsible for earnings sustainable?

These patterns matter, especially if you’re trying to figure out how to tell if a site makes money long-term or if it just hits a fluke streak now and then.

Watch for Website Monetization Red Flags

Not all earnings are created equal. Sometimes they’re downright suspicious. Keep your radar up for signs that the monetization model isn’t built to last, or isn’t even real at all.

Here are a few common website monetization red flags:

• Earnings are only tied to low-quality traffic (like paid clicks or bot visits).
• Inexplicable spikes in revenue without a traffic bump.
• Outdated monetization strategies that rely on banned tactics.

It’s one thing to spot creative income streams, but it’s another to realize someone’s gaming the system.

Look Closely at Traffic Sources and User Intent

Earnings don’t mean much without traffic to back them up. So while you’re combing through financial claims, don’t skip the traffic data. 

Look for a steady stream of organic visitors from search, solid time-on-page stats, and content that’s actually built around buyer intent, not just clicks for clicks’ sake. If the income is tied to fleeting trends or junk traffic, that’s a major red flag.

Use Common Sense and Third-Party Tools

At some point, it’s not just about what’s shown — it’s about what’s missing. If the numbers seem too good to be true, or the seller avoids giving access to crucial tools, don’t be afraid to walk away.

You can also plug the site into tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, or SimilarWeb to see estimated traffic trends. They’re not always perfect, but they can help spot inconsistencies when you’re unsure how to check site income claims through internal data alone.

Let Us Help You Evaluate Website Earnings Before Buying

If you’re serious about investing in websites, having a trusted marketplace in your corner can make a big difference. Motion Invest is built specifically for buyers and sellers of content sites, with built-in vetting to help you evaluate website earnings before buying.

Whatever avenue you choose, though, the bottom line is this: always do your homework, ask the right questions, and rely on platforms that value transparency. Because buying a website should feel like a smart bet, not a leap of faith.