How to rent websites to businesses & make passive income:
1. Identify prospective clients/local businesses.
2. Reach out and offer your local lead gen website.
3. Create a business contract.
4. Send leads and automate site maintenance.
Renting websites to local businesses offers a promising way for passive income. In this business model, you'll create and rank websites for specific niches. If executed in the right way, you can make between $500 to $3,000 monthly for each rank and rent site. Additionally, you can scale this by creating more sites in other niches and locations.
Rank and rent's profitability is due to the need for local businesses to capture leads online. Hubspot says 65% of businesses struggle with traffic and lead generation. These businesses either lack the expertise or resources to develop their online presence. You can bridge this gap and create sites that capture leads for these local businesses. This provides value, increased traffic, and sales to potential clients.
Success stories include James Dooley. He owns over 1,000 rank and rent sites, and these have earned him over $100 million. James advises people to understand what services bring the most profit to clients. Ensuring client satisfaction and sales leads to positive conversions and recurring income.
I've been making money online since 2014 through Amazon FBA, SEO, and paid ads. In 2016, I got into lead generation. So far, I've had the most success with this business model. Currently, I own 50+ sites that each earn around $500-$2,500 monthly. In this article, we'll discuss how you can rent websites to businesses and make passive income. We'll also talk about the considerations before you rent out sites, provide tips to land clients, and other ways of making money online.
1. Identify Prospective Clients/Local Businesses Through Market Research
Identifying potential clients involves finding local businesses that need your services. You'll need to choose from various niches and locations that fit rank and rent. Your niche must meet the following criteria:
It must be a recurring, service-based niche that needs constant leads.
It must have high-ticket services with good profit margins.
It must have low competition and high customer turnover.
Some examples of niches that fit these are HVAC, roofing, and electricians. WebFX says 41% of marketers find it hard to generate more leads. These niches will need the leads you provide, as their customers won't need them for a long time after. They'll need new leads to provide their service and generate income.
Once you've chosen a niche, it's time to target a location. You can use Wikipedia's population list for a quick overview of possible cities to target. You can also use the US Census Bureau's QuickFacts. This lets you further segment your target city by age, sex, and even living arrangements. Your ideal target city should have a population between 75,000 and 250,000. Cities with a population below 75,000 won't generate enough meaningful leads. And cities with more than 250,000 may be too competitive to make sites for.
2. Reach Out and Offer Your Local Lead Gen Website
Reaching out to local businesses in your target niche and location is the next step. You'll then pitch how your site and service can be a valuable asset for their business. We're looking for businesses that fit our criteria from step 1.
For example, let's say our niche is drain unclogging, with the target location of Lynn, MA. Home Advisor says drain unclogging costs between $138-$238. This can also increase depending on the severity of the clog. Homeowners only need this service once a year. Lynn, MA, fits our 75K-250K population target with 101K, according to Wikipedia's data. These fulfill our rank and rent criteria.
Next, let's find actual businesses in that niche and area. A quick Google search shows the top 3 (Drains 365 Inc.) and 4 (A Plus Drains LLC) have less than 15 reviews. We can then offer our to these businesses. But first, let's get their contact info.
To do this, begin by researching their website for information. To get the most accurate results, cross-reference them to other official sources like BBB.org. We’re looking for decision-makers' names, emails, and phone numbers. Here’s what I found for A Plus Drains LLC:
Here’s the details for Drains 365 Inc:
Assuming that we already have a ranking site, it's time to craft a compelling pitch. Remember to emphasize the potential benefits and increased leads and sales. For example:
"Good day,
I noticed that your business is currently ranking in the top 5 of Google searches! However, I also observed that some of your competitors have more reviews. This could draw customers away from you, as online reviews are crucial for customers.
I manage a plumbing website that generates an average of 30 qualified leads per month. I’d love to help you capitalize on this opportunity. We have two approaches. I can sell the leads to you, or you can rent out my website. This would give you control over all the inquiries it generates. Both options provide flexibility based on your business needs and goals.
To build trust and show the value of this opportunity, I’d be happy to offer a trial period. I hope you can experience firsthand how these leads can help grow your business. This approach already generates leads, so you'll have less risk. It will allow you to see results before committing to any long-term arrangement.
I’m also open to negotiating terms and pricing that suit you best. My goal is to ensure a beneficial partnership that helps your business thrive.
If you’re interested in learning more, feel free to reach out, and we can discuss how this opportunity could work for you.
Best regards,
Ippei"
This pitch combines all the data we've gathered to create a pitch for a business with high potential.
3. Create a Business Contract
Creating a business contract outlines the terms of service. A well-crafted contract details the scope, payment terms, and duration of service. You should consult with lawyers to ensure necessary clauses are present and enforceable. This protects both parties and ensures clarity in the arrangement.
The contract should specify how you'll monetize the website. Common pricing models include:
• Flat Rate (Monthly): Your clients pay a fixed fee each month for the website rental. This model can generate $500-$2,000 per month, depending on the industry and website quality.
• Pay Per Lead: Your clients will pay based on the number of qualified leads generated. Demand Generation Benchmark says the average cost per lead across industries is $198.
• Commission-Based: You'll receive a percentage of sales generated through the site. Earnings can vary based on the business type and sales volume.
Platforms like JotForm and DocuSign can help you create and manage your contract. These provide easy-to-edit contract templates or let you create custom contracts. Remember to consult your lawyer to ensure your contract terms are enforceable.
The contract should also address website maintenance responsibilities, content updates, and performance reporting. It establishes clear communication channels and dispute resolution procedures.
A non-compete clause may be necessary to prevent conflicts of interest. The contract should outline the termination process and any associated penalties.
Doing this right ensures a clear and enforceable agreement with your client. This minimizes risks and maximizes the potential for a business relationship with clients.
4. Send Leads and Automate Site Maintenance
In this step, we'll send leads to clients and automate site maintenance. This will ensure a steady flow of income and lessen the time required for upkeep.
To start monetizing your site, forward qualified leads to your client. You can do this through contact forms, phone calls, or email inquiries generated by the site. Use call tracking software like Callsling to streamline forwarding calls to your clients.
Automating maintenance tasks helps you scale operations. Here are great ways to automate site maintenance:
AI tools like ChatGPT and Jasper can streamline content creation.
Website monitoring tools such as Uptime Robot or Pingdom alert you to any issues.
To further reduce workload, hire virtual assistants from platforms like Upwork or Fiverr. VAs can handle tasks like content updates, link building, and basic site maintenance.
Use platforms like Stripe or Ontraport to streamline client payments.
To track and measure your client's rented website performance, you should:
Assess organic traffic using Google Analytics.
Track keyword rankings with tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush.
Measure conversion rates for lead generation forms.
Analyze user behavior with heatmap tools like Hotjar or Market Muse.
Rank and rent sites can generate $500 to $3,000 monthly. Doing this right helps you scale your operations and generate passive income.
5. Provide Free Leads on a Trial Basis to Your Clients
Providing free leads to your potential clients on a trial basis shows the value of your service. This lets your clients experience the quality and quantity of leads without committing. Additionally, it can improve satisfaction and relations with clients.
6. Scale Your Business and Secure More Clients
Once you've completed the first 5 steps, you can scale this and secure more clients for your business. This plays on rank and rent's greatest strengths, scalability and less maintenance. Once your sites rank and you've set up the right workflows, you can focus on creating more sites to rent out. Doing this right lets you earn recurring profits.
Here's how you can attract more clients and scale your business:
Offer a 1:1 Ratio for Websites and Local Businesses: Offering a one-to-one ratio for your sites ensures exclusivity with your clients. Exclusivity guarantees your clients receive quality service from your sites. This differentiates you from directories that sell the same leads to other businesses. Doing this increases the perceived value for clients.
Show a Portfolio of High-Performing Lead Gen Sites: Showing a portfolio of your high-performing sites builds trust and credibility with clients. WebFX says 37% of marketers' biggest challenge was getting quality leads. Potential clients will see concrete examples of your expertise and results. This provides a great way to show the potential ROI clients will gain from your sites.
Pricing Your Lead Generation and Rental Services
When pricing lead generation and rental services, several factors influence the monthly rate. These include the value of the site's rankings, traffic, and niche.
Local businesses can rent these sites for between $500 and $3,000 per month. Pricing can vary due to the potential leads and customers the site can generate for your client.
Consider the following when setting your prices:
Site authority and age
Monthly organic traffic
Keyword rankings
Niche competitiveness
Lead quality and conversion potential
A basic pricing structure might look like this:
Site Performance | Monthly Rental Price |
Low | $500 - $750 |
Medium | $750 - $1000 |
High | $1000 - $1500+ |
Your clients can expect to see a positive ROI as the websites already generate leads. Rank and rent websites can provide anywhere from $500 to $3,000 per month in passive income for you.
You should maintain competitive pricing while maintaining profitability. Regular market research helps maintain fair and attractive pricing for potential clients.
Offering tiered packages or add-on services can increase value and justify rental rates. These may include content updates, social media management, or lead tracking.
What Do You Need To Consider Before Renting Out Websites to Businesses?
Before renting your site to businesses, you need to consider SEO, content quality, and site optimization. Well-ranking and optimized sites generate more traffic and leads. Monster Insights says sites that are in the first position in the SERPs get almost 28% of all the clicks. It takes between 3 to 6 months to rank on the first page of Google, according to SEO.co. This affects rental prices for these sites and their desirability to clients.
SEO strategies make it easier for search crawlers and people to find your sites. HubSpot says leads from SEO have a 14.6% close rate. These strategies include optimizing content, building quality backlinks, and improving site structure. They boost a website's visibility, traffic, and leads.
Content quality involves creating high-quality, relevant content that helps attract and keep visitors. HubSpot says companies that create blogs gain 55% more traffic and 434% more indexed pages. Their sites also gain 97% more backlinks compared to those that don't. It also contributes to better search engine rankings, establishes credibility, and increases conversions.
Site optimization, layout, and design are important for user experience. A well-designed and optimized site can make a positive impression on potential clients. Google Consumer Insight says 53% of site visitors will leave if your site takes more than 3 seconds to load. Mobile optimization is essential, as 59% of internet traffic comes from mobile devices.
How Much Money Can You Make Renting Out Websites?
You can make between $500-$2,000 monthly by renting out websites to local businesses. This translates to an annual income of $6,000 to $36,000 from one site. Experienced marketers often manage multiple websites at the same time. For example, I have about 80+ lead gen sites and work with 55 clients. These make about $52K monthly or more in passive income.
Three common pricing models for rank and rent websites include:
Flat Rate (Monthly): The flat rate model is often the most straightforward and predictable. Clients pay between $500 and $2,000 per month to rent a well-ranked website.
Pay Per Lead: Pay-per-lead pricing can be more lucrative for high-value industries. Website owners may charge $50-$200 per qualified lead, depending on the sector.
Commission-Based: Commission-based arrangements offer the highest earning potential but come with more risk. Website renters might earn 10-20% of each sale generated through their site.
You can start making money within 3-6 months of launching a rank and rent site. This can vary due to your chosen niche, existing competition, SEO and site quality.
How Long Does It Take To Generate Passive Income With Website Rentals?
It takes 3-6 months to generate passive income with website rentals. This can vary due to factors like niche selection, website quality, and local SEO efforts. This process can involve the following:
Website creation and optimization (2-4 weeks)
Content development (4-8 weeks)
SEO and ranking (8-16 weeks)
Client outreach and negotiations (2-4 weeks)
Skilled marketers may achieve results faster. Beginners might need more time to refine their strategy. These factors can affect the timeframe when you can start earning from your website:
Niche competitiveness
Website design quality
Content relevance and depth
Backlink profile
Local business landscape
Some website renters report earning $500-$3,000 per month from a single site. The income potential varies based on industry and location. For example, I've created this site in 2015. It took 15 hours to build and cost around $500 in overhead. This site produces 30-50 leads per month and generates $2,000 monthly.
What is the Rank and Rent Method?
The rank and rent method is a business model that involves creating websites for one service in one city. Then, you use local SEO techniques to rank your site on Google for relevant search terms. BrightLocal's 2023 data says 66% of consumers trust Google for local business information. Once your site generates leads and calls, you can sell these to local businesses.
These sites act as digital real estate, and you are the landlord. Backlinko says 4 out of 5 consumers conduct searches with local intent on search engines. Businesses can rent these sites from you to improve their online presence and sales. This benefits you with passive income and your clients with quality leads and sales.
Is It Profitable To Start a Rank & Rent Business in 2024?
Yes, it is profitable to start a rank and rent business in 2024, given the growing demand for local services. LocalIQ says 46% of all Google searches are local. Rank and rent leverages this demand and potential by generating leads for businesses. Site owners can earn between $500-$3,000 monthly per site and have the potential to earn more by scaling this.
Google says 76% of consumers who do local searches visit a business within the day. Businesses across industries need high-quality leads, and these sites provide that. Rank and rent's potential to improve traffic and sales for clients drives demand.
Success stories include my mentor, Dan Klein, who's been teaching this model since 2014. He's spent 18 months developing his rank and rent strategy and implementing it on his sites. These generate consistent leads for his clients. Dan now teaches his methods to over 7,000 students, making over 8-figures.
Why Choose Local Lead Generation as a Passive Income Source
Rank and rent offers a great way to make a fixed passive income online. But you can make more through local lead generation as you can make more through scalability. You can target the same location and offer leads to other businesses. This increases your profitability and control over your digital real estate.
Local lead generation works by creating niche sites that rank on search engines. Then you can sell leads to local businesses for $20 to $500 or rent them out for $500-$2,000 per month. You can scale this by creating more ranking sites in other locations. The best part is, you own these sites, and they act as your digital real estate, and you are the landlord.
For years, I've tried other business models, such as Amazon FBA, dropshipping, and paid ads. So far, local lead gen has made more consistent profits. I've created over 50+ local lead gen sites in niches like gold investment and tree care. Together, these make over $52K monthly in almost passive income. Try local lead gen with us today!
