Just before the end of the year, I had dinner with Brian and Charlotte Gilbert, portfolio managers for Innovation HQ, the company that owns and operates Grants.com, MortgageCalculator.com, Unemployment.com, WhatIsMyIP.com, Earth.com, and many more descriptive domain names. They were excited to share the news that their company had just acquired DUIAttorney.com in a “seven figure deal.”
This is much more than a domain acquisition though. Operating online first as an attorney’s website, DUIAttorney.com has been a legal directory for the past two years. It has become a leading website for people looking to hire a DUI attorney anywhere in the US.
Many lawyers and law firms who understand the value of marketing on a site of this nature have locked in exclusivity on their region, and the company continues to field inquiries about advertising on a daily basis. As a result of the category defining domain name, as well as smart SEO, the website ranks very well in search engines for a variety of DUI-related terms.
The website has become a cash cow, and Innovation HQ’s acquisition will help the website grow, both in terms of traffic and revenues. The company intends to put a significant investment into marketing, search engine optimization, and content. All of these things will drive a strong ROI and enhance the value proposition for current and future advertisers.
Although seven figures might seem like a lot of money, I understand that the revenue multiple on this acquisition was very fair, and the company should see a strong return.
An official press release announcing this significant acquisition will be sent out by the company in the coming days.
Congrats to Brian and Charlotte Gilbert and the team at Innovation HQ.