15 Seo & Lead Generation Service Success Stories [2023]
Lead generation focuses on attracting prospects to a business and increasing their interest by nurturing them and converting them into customers. Lead generation experts help businesses collect information about potential customers and turn them into leads.
To become a lead generation expert, you must learn the fundamentals of lead generation and gain experience in various digital marketing areas.
Here are some real life success stories of starting a SEO & lead generation service:
1. Website Rental Coaching ($504K/year)
The daily workload at his 9-5 job at General Electric as an HR left Luke unfulfilled from his career, and while he was searching for a profitable side gig, he realized that websites are like digital properties. With a top-ranking lead generation website, he could rent it to local businesses and earn a steady monthly income. Luke quit his job at the 6-month mark and hit six figures by the one-year mark of starting this business.
How much they make: $504K/year
How much did it cost to start: $8K
Current team size: 0
Luke Van Der Veer's Website Rental Coaching business teaches people how to create passive income by renting lead generation websites to local businesses, which has helped him generate $42,000 per month as of April 2022.
2. Franchise UK ($600K/year)
Joel Bissitt, founder of Franchise UK, had always dreamt of being an entrepreneur. Drawing inspiration from UK business icons like Richard Branson and Alan Sugar, he started the business at the age of 19 with just £1000 of funding. Through his expertise in SEO and a user-friendly website design, Franchise UK has experienced rapid growth, achieving a 50% increase in turnover last year and attracting some of the world's largest brands.
How much they make: $600K/year
How much did it cost to start: $1K
Current team size: 5
Franchise UK is the UK’s largest franchise directory helping franchise businesses to grow by generating quality franchisee recruitment leads online, with a 50% increase in turnover last year and big plans to further expand in different directions over the coming years.
Learn more about starting a SEO & lead generation service:
Where to start?
-> How much does it cost to start a SEO & lead generation service?
-> Pros and cons of a SEO & lead generation service
Need inspiration?
-> Examples of established SEO & lead generation service
-> Marketing ideas for a SEO & lead generation service
Other resources
3. Pearl Lemon ($960K/year)
In August 2017, Deepak Shukla founded Pearl Lemon after experiencing a moment of disappointment and a renewed seriousness about starting his own company. With a background in marketing and a drive to be successful, Deepak focused on building a pipeline of clients through cold outreach, LinkedIn, Upwork, and more. Today, Pearl Lemon generates between 80-110K per month and has expanded into various niches, with plans to continue growing and attracting 1000 leads per month within 18 months.
How much they make: $960K/year
How much did it cost to start: $50
Current team size: 27
Deepak Shukla founded Pearl Lemon in 2016, and as of February 2022, the company generates between $80-$110K per month providing SEO and B2B lead generation services to clients ranging from small businesses to public companies.
4. Wealth Lead Generation ($120K/year)
Maria, the founder of Wealth Lead Generation, came up with the idea for her business through her experience as a freelancer and her passion for marketing. After successfully helping a fintech startup raise 7 figures through social media advertising and PR, she realized the potential of digital advertising and decided to start her agency. She focused on creating specific offers that addressed the pain points of her target audience and spent time listening to the market to refine her services. Through hard work and perseverance, Maria's agency quickly scaled to a team of 5 and achieved impressive revenue growth.
How much they make: $120K/year
How much did it cost to start: $200
Current team size: 5
"Wealth Lead Generation grew from a side hustle to a 6-figure business in 2021, generating an average of 250% increase in revenue for their clients through digital advertising campaigns on social media with a team of 5 people."
5. Regex SEO ($480K/year)
Dmitrii Kustov, the founder of Regex SEO, came up with the idea for his data-driven internet marketing agency while working as a PHP developer at a digital agency. After being given the ultimatum to learn SEO or get fired, Dmitrii immersed himself in the intricacies of SEO and quickly became the head of the agency's marketing department. In 2015, he decided to start his own business to provide individualized, results-driven marketing solutions for businesses.
How much they make: $480K/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
Current team size: 18
Learn how Regex SEO, a data-driven internet marketing agency, grew from a one-man company to a team of 16 full-time employees and over 30 contractors, with $1M+ annual revenue pre-COVID, by prioritizing individual approach, hard work, and retention of good people.
6. PinMeTo ($6M/year)
How much they make: $6M/year
Current team size: 82
Learn how PinMeTo has become a global leader in location marketing and local SEO technologies, trusted by major brands like H&M and 7-Eleven, with 3000+ accounts in 100+ nations, and more than 70 employees who represent 17 different nationalities and manage millions of data points annually.
7. Straight Up Search ($360K/year)
ears, and it's an exciting time for Straight Up Search. We have a solid client base and have been able to consistently generate revenue month after month. Moving forward, we plan to continue providing exceptional SEO services to our clients while expanding our team and client portfolio. With our strong foundation and track record of success, the future looks bright for Straight Up Search.
How much they make: $360K/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
Current team size: 4
Straight Up Search is a leading full-service bespoke SEO agency with a portfolio of 35 clients generating an average monthly revenue of $30,000, successfully securing PR mentions and high authority backlinks from big publications such as The Independent and Shopify.
8. WEBRIS ($750K/year)
How much they make: $750K/year
Current team size: 11
Case study: How a serial entrepreneur used the SEO Sprint Methodology to grow his Florida-based digital marketing firm from scratch to $1.1 million ARR within just over a year.
9. Get Found XL ($540K/year)
Justas Markus, the co-founder of GetFound XL, originally started the company as a content marketing agency. They quickly found success, acquiring three clients within the first month. After a year, they made the decision to focus solely on building links, which has allowed them to optimize their processes and deliver high-quality services to their 40+ clients.
How much they make: $540K/year
How much did it cost to start: $1K
Current team size: 5
A link building company co-founded by Justas Markus has grown to make an average of $35k per month in recurring revenue with a focus on delivering high-quality services through manual processes and focusing on fewer markets.
10. My Media Pal ($144K/year)
James Kuck, co-founder of My Media Pal, came up with the idea for his business after experiencing the struggle of generating inbound local leads for his construction company. He discovered the power of local SEO and decided to pivot, creating My Media Pal as a digital marketing agency that helps local businesses with web design, SEO, and paid ads. Eventually, they realized the value of owning the assets that generate leads and shifted their focus to rank and rent, offering optimized websites and exclusive leads to local businesses.
How much they make: $144K/year
How much did it cost to start: $2K
Current team size: 1
My Media Pal is a successful digital agency that has morphed into three divisions, including a rank and rent business focused on generating local service leads, bringing in an average of $12,000-$15,000 per month.
11. Get X Media ($180K/year)
Corey Hayes, the founder of Get X Media, came up with the idea for his business after seeing a growing demand among his entrepreneurial friends who needed assistance with website design and business cards. Recognizing the opportunity, he expanded his services to include customized apparel printing and a comprehensive suite of digital marketing solutions, leading to rapid growth and revenue in the six-figure range.
How much they make: $180K/year
How much did it cost to start: $5K
Current team size: 3
Seasoned web designer Corey Hayes started Get X Media, a marketing agency that offers website design, customized apparel printing, and comprehensive digital marketing solutions that has experienced significant growth, with a remarkable increase in traffic 13 times higher than before and approximately doubling year-over-year, achieving a retention rate of 98%, and hoping to triple growth this year.
12. Pneuma Media ($2.4M/year)
David Riggs, founder of Pneuma Media, came up with the idea for his website design, development, and SEO agency while working as a management consultant. After realizing that many businesses struggled with their websites, he decided to leverage his skills and expertise to help them improve their online presence. With a slow and steady approach, Pneuma Media has scaled from $0 to $2 million in under 2 years, attracting clients through content marketing, outbound sales, and partnerships.
How much they make: $2.4M/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
Current team size: 5
A website design, development, and SEO Agency, Pneuma Media was able to scale from $0 - $2M in under 2 years using content-focused SEO campaigns as their main product, a process that is supported by Lean Thinking and reviewed in monthly "autopsies," and driven by cold outbound and networking, formalized partnerships, and communications including Slack, monthly meetings, and the Quarterly Business Review.
13. NAV43 ($1.14M/year)
Ben Dankiw, co-founder and CEO of NAV43, came up with the idea for his technical digital marketing agency while working as a marketing coordinator. With a strong analytical mindset and experience in Google Ads, he realized the impact he could have on brands at a larger level. After partnering with colleagues and building a client roster, they scaled the business to an MRR in the 6-figures and continue to attract and retain customers through their SEO and PPC services.
How much they make: $1.14M/year
How much did it cost to start: $25K
Current team size: 7
NAV43 is a technical digital marketing agency specializing in SEO, CRO, and PPC services, known for its SEO delivery, averaging an MRR in the 6-figures with a client roster across e-commerce, lead generation, and publisher sites.
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