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what's the latest on ranking lead gen sites

by tsgeric
11 replies
I haven't done this yet, but I am interested in setting up some lead gen in a variety of niches and selling the leads.

I think by definition these sites would be pretty thin, like not much more than the landing page.

Google is always trying to find authority sites for search returns. If wikipedia has an entry for it, the wikipedia page will show near the top. And it seems that when you search for busines+city, the returns are going to be all about citations, Google Local, reviews, for businesses that meet that criteria.

So, is it still possible these days to rank a lead gen site for "business + city", given that there is so much competition? Or, to be more precise, what would it take to rank them highly?

If somebody thinks the answer is to put a fair amount of content on it, can that person also provide examples (URL) of where that has been done well? It's hard to imagine a setup where the content (browsing) does not distract from the lead capture psychology (action!)
#gen #latest #lead #ranking #sites
  • Profile picture of the author MarkJez
    Yes, it very achievable to rank a lead-gen site high in Google. However, the site (preferably on an EMD) must NOT be thin on content. If it is then Google may penalise it, or worse, sandbox it

    If you choose a niche where there is not too much competition, a reasonably decent sized town or city, an EMD, and lots and lots of useful content with good on-page and off-page SEO, then it should succeed in bringing in leads for your client.

    Here's a good example of a lead gen site (also fits the "rental-site model").

    www.bestrhodeislandroofer.com (This URL is often given as an example of a great lead-gen website on the Warrior forum - so I am not divulging anything I shouldn't ).

    I recommend you build the site in Wordpress, although the above site is not WP.

    Mark J.
    UK
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    • Profile picture of the author tsgeric
      thanks Mark!

      Interesting to know that site is doing well. I see that the site is *not* designed with the sole purpose of getting the optin without allowing the browser to be distracted with anything else. It does provide content centered around the theme,while still keeping the name/presence of that company in front of the customer. I see the URL is in the header (as opposed to a company name), and the phone number/CTA is always present.

      Another thing I see is that they are purposely vague on where they are located. They are marketing to the whole state as opposed to any particular city. Rhode Island is so small maybe that actually works.

      Assuming we are trying to rank these sites for cities/niches, I was curious to see how well these sites compete with G+ and other local listings in the search results.

      the header mentions Belov Roofing and Siding. I looked them up. They have a site at http: // www. rhodeislandroofer. com/ . They are based in providence.

      I searched "roofer Providence, RI" and "roofing Providence, RI" and interestingly, they are nowhere to be found. For "roofer" there is a certain other company which simply dominates the results, followed by directory and review sites. And then for "Roofing" I see a lot of results from the likes of Yellow Pages, with almost no sites of individual companies.

      Maybe RI is a strange one, so I tried something different. A search for "roofing RI" and they were not to be found. a search for "roofing Rhode Island" and their G+ listing was near the top (4th down). (actually, that is for their "best" site, and it seems they created a listing without an address for Cranston, RI).

      This has been an interesting exercise for me. I think the moral of the story is simply to not take anything for granted and keep working at it.
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      • Profile picture of the author tsgeric
        I'm doing these searches from the West Coast USA. Maybe my results differ from what would be returned to a local searcher. (?)
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  • Profile picture of the author Jerry Chavez
    Originally Posted by tsgeric View Post

    I haven't done this yet, but I am interested in setting up some lead gen in a variety of niches and selling the leads.

    I think by definition these sites would be pretty thin, like not much more than the landing page.

    Google is always trying to find authority sites for search returns. If wikipedia has an entry for it, the wikipedia page will show near the top. And it seems that when you search for busines+city, the returns are going to be all about citations, Google Local, reviews, for businesses that meet that criteria.

    So, is it still possible these days to rank a lead gen site for "business + city", given that there is so much competition? Or, to be more precise, what would it take to rank them highly?

    If somebody thinks the answer is to put a fair amount of content on it, can that person also provide examples (URL) of where that has been done well? It's hard to imagine a setup where the content (browsing) does not distract from the lead capture psychology (action!)
    Lead-gen sites are good sites to rank on search engines because they have influence on prospective online clients for online businesses...
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    • Profile picture of the author shockwave
      IMHO, the "latest" in ranking lead gen sites is that it's relatively easy assuming it's a local lead gen site. Sure, there are certain local niches that are more challenging than others, but in the end, it's all mechanics - you just have to execute more/better than the other competitors.

      The REAL challenge with lead gen is finding someone to buy the leads or rent/lease the site.
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      • Profile picture of the author Charles Huber
        My team has gotten big into this for ourselves and 2 other people in the US, and soon to be the UK. The Rhode Island site is a great example and very similar to what we are doing. I am getting away from the velocity rank stuff I was doing for people on WF, the real honeypot is working the local markets. They are exactly what is needed for this day in age.

        CH
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      • Profile picture of the author Tangycontent
        Originally Posted by shockwave View Post

        The REAL challenge with lead gen is finding someone to buy the leads or rent/lease the site.
        In my experience, if you're working in the right niches, you'll never have to worry about finding buyers for qualified leads. This is purely a niche selection problem.
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        • Profile picture of the author shockwave
          Originally Posted by Tangycontent View Post

          In my experience, if you're working in the right niches, you'll never have to worry about finding buyers for qualified leads. This is purely a niche selection problem.
          Perhaps. Lucky for me, I've found affiliate programs to take care of this little problem. Now there's ALWAYS someone to buy as many leads as I can possibly generate.
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          • Profile picture of the author TheCG
            Originally Posted by shockwave View Post

            Perhaps. Lucky for me, I've found affiliate programs to take care of this little problem. Now there's ALWAYS someone to buy as many leads as I can possibly generate.
            Affiliate programs to sell leads to?

            How does that work?
            Signature

            Yes, by the way, I AM in the Witness Protection Program. I could tell you who I am but then I would have to kill you.

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            • Profile picture of the author shockwave
              Originally Posted by TheCG View Post

              Affiliate programs to sell leads to?

              How does that work?
              Find an affiliate network that offers PPCall, then generate leads. It ends up essentially being what you would be doing building a lead gen site and selling leads to a local business anyway.

              Pros:
              • They will buy almost all your leads
              • You typically don't have to worried about getting paid..etc (well, most of the time)
              Cons:

              • Usually you have to wait NET 30 to get paid for your leads unless you are doing really high volumes.
              • Sometimes the lead payout or some other parameter changes from what it originally was.
              • You will probably get paid LESS per lead doing it this way, than what you would if you found a local business to buy the leads. However, in my opinion, it's usually less hassle/headache.
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  • Profile picture of the author connorbringas
    Originally Posted by tsgeric View Post

    I haven't done this yet, but I am interested in setting up some lead gen in a variety of niches and selling the leads.

    I think by definition these sites would be pretty thin, like not much more than the landing page.

    Google is always trying to find authority sites for search returns. If wikipedia has an entry for it, the wikipedia page will show near the top. And it seems that when you search for busines+city, the returns are going to be all about citations, Google Local, reviews, for businesses that meet that criteria.

    So, is it still possible these days to rank a lead gen site for "business + city", given that there is so much competition? Or, to be more precise, what would it take to rank them highly?

    If somebody thinks the answer is to put a fair amount of content on it, can that person also provide examples (URL) of where that has been done well? It's hard to imagine a setup where the content (browsing) does not distract from the lead capture psychology (action!)
    That is a pretty broad question. In short, yes its possible. However, it depends on the keyword. Remember, business + city is still a keyword. If, for example, you wanted to rank for san diego dentist. This keyword would be much harder to hit then lets say Mesa AZ dentist. Get it?
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