14 Profitable SEO Business Ideas You Can Start Today (2024)
Interested in starting an SEO business idea but not sure which one?
Launching an SEO business idea requires little overhead or capital, which makes it a relatively easy business idea to get off the ground.
Whether you want to start an SEO agency, a consultancy, or a digital marketing business, SEO experts are in high demand and can be a profitable venture.
We put together a list of 14 profitable SEO business ideas you can start in 2024
In this list of ideas, you can find:
- Home-based SEO business ideas
- Low investment online business ideas
- Profitable SEO business opportunities
1. Start a SEO agency
An SEO agency is a company that provides search engine optimization services to businesses. The function of an SEO agency is to help businesses rank higher in search engines through organic or paid means.
SEO is a rapidly growing industry, with experts across all aspects of the field already making six-figure incomes and expecting to see these earnings grow dramatically over the next few years. Getting into SEO today, before it gets too saturated, will allow you to establish a strong base in a new career, with an excellent chance for success.
It’s easier than ever to start your SEO agency. The tools are there, and the competition isn’t as stiff as it used to be. If you’re considering starting an SEO or digital marketing agency, it might be a good idea to learn how other digital agencies succeed.
How much you can make: $1,000 — $1,800,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $1,000 (?)
How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)
Rankings.io is a hyper-focused SEO agency that helps elite personal injury law firms dominate first page rankings and was ranked #858 in the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing companies in America for 2018, with a current revenue just under $300,000 per month, with plans for a record-breaking year.
2. Start a link building service
Building links is necessary as it helps businesses improve the site’s visibility. However, link building can be overwhelming, so business owners hire experts.
If you are interested in starting an SEO business, anything along with link building can be a profitable venture. To become a link-building expert, embrace learning new SEO techniques, focus on producing valuable content, and network with other content creators.
How much you can make: $5,000 — $416,666/month
How much does it cost to start: $1,000 (?)
How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)
Italian electrical engineer turned entrepreneur grows manual outreach link building service for profitable software companies and startups from zero to $10k in monthly recurring revenue in less than a year.
3. Develop a seo software
SEO software is a computer program that is designed to handle search engine optimization tasks by optimizing the website content, managing backlinks, and other SEO activities.
SEO is something that you need to do for your website or blog in order for it to get any traffic. Some of us are new to SEO, even if we are SEO experts. SEO isn't just a craft, but an art form as well.
Making your own SEO software is more than potentially profitable. It also lets you interact with the people who use your software and allows you to figure out best practices from the data you collect.
How much you can make: $2,000 — $500,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $5,500 (?)
How long does it take to build: 180 days (?)
Solo founder Todd Hooper bootstrapped Prerender.io from zero to $2.5 million in ARR over 5 years by releasing an open-source project on Github and turning it into an SEO-friendly version of React, Angular, and Javascript websites, and then offering it as a SaaS service for businesses.
4. Start a content writing company
Content writing involves writing, editing, and publishing content in a digital format. Examples of content include a blog post, product description, and podcast script—eBooks, press releases, or landing page content.
Becoming a content writer allows you to work as your boss. Therefore, you choose whatever working schedule suits you and take a manageable workload. Moreover, content writing helps you develop essential skills you may not obtain from regular writing.
Content writing is a highly-on-demand service, as companies compete for the online audience who often begin their shopping journey by searching for relevant and educative content online. Therefore, a content writing company is an excellent source of passive income.
To start a content writing company, research the market and choose a suitable niche. Sketch a proper business plan and create a website. Hire a pool of talented writers and leverage modern technology to streamline operations.
How much you can make: $1,000 — $250,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $550 (?)
How long does it take to build: 30 days (?)
Scribly.io, a subscription-based copywriting service providing high quality content that helps businesses scale at roughly 50% of the cost of hiring in-house, created by Dani, a first-time entrepreneur who started with just a few hundred dollars worth of projects and with the help of three other writers; as of last month, Scribly.io topped $14K monthly revenue.
5. Build a real-time chat app
Chatbots have a massive implication in easing things for businesses and customers. For instance, when customers come to your website, they have an easy time figuring out where to look for information. Chatbots help to:
- Improve dwell time
- Facilitates better searches
- Help get better ratings
- Collect data for better insights and improvement
Website owners are looking for ease of navigation, and that’s what real-time chatbots offer. Thus, starting a real-time chatbot development business can be a great business.
How much you can make: $7,500 — $83,333/month
Lithuanian developer turned open-source guru builds and grows Live Helper Chat, attracting thousands of clients, and generates $90k/year, all in his spare time, without any marketing or investors.
6. Start a seo consultant business
An SEO Consultant provides professional advice to businesses helping them optimize their websites so they rank high in search results. Demand for SEO services and consultants is rising rapidly across industries as companies need search optimization to compete effectively.
If you are an SEO expert, you can start an SEO consulting business and earn decent profits by offering your services.
How much you can make: $1,000 — $1,800,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $500 (?)
How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)
Digital Position, a digital marketing agency, was founded by Roger Parent, who was unhappy being underpaid at his job; the company is now generating over $330k/month in revenue, and aims to generate $5m in 2022, with a long-term goal of hitting $30m before Parent is 40.
7. Start a SEO & lead generation service
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.
How much you can make: $10,000 — $500,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $1,500 (?)
How long does it take to build: 90 days (?)
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.
8. Start a website building agency
Starting a website building agency is a smart career move. Why not own your time and leverage your skills? Building websites is where the money is at. You can earn 5-figures a week with just one client.
The global website building market size to grow from $7 billion in 2021 to $14.3 billion by 2026. A site-building business allows you to start your own business at home. Building websites for yourself and others is a great way to create a passive income stream that can be very rewarding to own.
How much you can make: $7,846 — $250,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $1,000 (?)
How long does it take to build: 30 days (?)
Cantilever Web Design and Development, with clients including IBM and small businesses, reached a revenue of over $750k last year with a gross margin of 50% by prioritizing Digital Hospitality, fostering high-quality relationships, and constantly improving their process and philosophy.
9. Build a SEO tool
SEO tools provide data and alerts about the health and success of a website. Website owners and businesses are looking for tools to help them quickly identify and fix SEO issues. Thus, starting an SEO business that focuses on developing SEO tools can be a rewarding career.
How much you can make: $2,800 — $850,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $1,000 (?)
How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)
Solo founder Todd Hooper bootstrapped Prerender.io from zero to $2.5 million in ARR over 5 years by releasing an open-source project on Github and turning it into an SEO-friendly version of React, Angular, and Javascript websites, and then offering it as a SaaS service for businesses.
10. Start a web development business
A web development business is a company that builds and takes care of websites. They typically use coding and design skills to create online spaces that meet the needs of individuals or businesses.
These businesses help ensure websites work well and look good, playing a key role in the online presence of their clients.
How much you can make: $6,600 — $350,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $3,000 (?)
How long does it take to build: 75 days (?)
Vuetify is a popular open-source user interface library, built with the Vue.js framework, that generates revenue through digital content and services such as paid digital content in the Vuetify store, direct support through consulting, ad revenue from Carbon ads on the documentation pages, and donations/sponsorships via GitHub and Patreon, generating an average income of $6,500 per month.
11. Start a youtube channel
For anyone looking to start a successful YouTube channel, there are plenty of YouTube channel success stories that can be used as inspiration and encouragement. In addition, YouTube has an established monetization system and boasts incredible popularity, making it a potential platform for revenue generation.
In this article, we'll look at different approaches you can use to help promote your channel and grow your viewers. While there's no quick and easy way to success, you can take these tips to build your own YouTube Channel Success story. If you love content creation, you can capitalize on YouTube's popularity to earn extra income.
If you want to join the Youtube partner program to monetize your channel, you will need to reach a minimum of 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours in the previous 12 months.
How much you can make: $800 — $4,500,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $500 (?)
How long does it take to build: 48 days (?)
Time commitment per week: Min. 5 hours/week
Learn how this entrepreneurial couple made $5-7k a month by helping others find legitimate work from home jobs and creative ways to make money online through their blog and YouTube channel, as well as offering two flagship products designed to help beginner freelancers and new bloggers accelerate growth.
12. Become a search engine marketing expert
Search Engine Marketing experts help businesses optimize their website’s visibility on search engines like Google.
The demand for SEM strategies is growing faster than the market can provide. Therefore, becoming a search engine marketing professional can earn you a decent income. To become a search engine marketing expert, you must learn how search engines work and understand the strategies and concepts of search engine marketing.
How much you can make: $40,000 — $800,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $3,516 (?)
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.
13. Start a digital marketing business
Digital marketing businesses serve local and international companies to expand their reach and grow revenue. A top reason digital marketing is so exciting is that the field is constantly evolving and is easy to learn.
If you plan to start a digital marketing business, educate yourself and understand how digital marketing agencies work. Then, focus on building your digital skills and advancing your career through online digital marketing courses.
To stand out, find a digital marketing niche and focus on the audience interested in your services.
How much you can make: $2,000 — $6,660,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $1,260 (?)
How long does it take to build: 58 days (?)
H-supertools founder Hasan developed a set of free SEO and digital marketing tools generating $2k per month in profit using Google Adsense, affiliate marketing, selling ad spaces, and email, plans to launch a membership option, and has attained over 80k registered users and 300k monthly visits in less than two years.
14. Start a SEO analytics
SEO analytics experts help businesses measure and report their website's SEO technical aspects. As an SEO analytics expert, you help act on the data to create growth of engaged organic traffic.
Demand for SEO professionals has increased worldwide due to the growth of digital awareness, technological advancements, and online competition. To become SEO analytics, learn how to use various SEO tools and learn SEO strategies.
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
