I’m about to walk you through one of the sneakiest yet smartest ways to make money online—Rank and Rent. I know, the name sounds like you’re investing in property or doing something with apartments, but nah. This one’s all digital. No tenants, no toilets, no 3 a.m. “my heat’s not working” texts. Just you, a few websites, and businesses willing to pay you to be found on Google.
Here’s how it works in plain English: you build a website around a specific service in a specific city. You get that site to show up on Google for searches like “emergency plumber in Tampa” or “best dog groomer in San Diego,” and then you rent that online “space” to a real business that wants those leads. It’s like digital real estate. You own the land (aka, the ranked site), and they pay you rent to live on it (aka, get the phone calls and form submissions).
You’re not selling products, not managing ads, not creating TikToks. You’re just building little lead machines and letting them work for you.
Let’s walk through it like I’m helping you build your first one, step by step.
First thing—pick your niche. You don’t want to go broad like “restaurants” or “contractors.” That’s asking to get crushed by massive competition. You want something weirdly specific, like “mobile dog grooming in San Diego” or “24-hour locksmiths in Boise.” Less competition means it’s easier to rank. And here’s a pro tip: go for niches where one sale is worth serious money. Think dentists, HVAC, lawyers, anything where clients are worth hundreds or thousands. Those folks don’t mind dropping $500 to $1,000+ a month for leads.
Once you’ve locked in your niche, you need to figure out what people are actually typing into Google when they need this service. That’s your keyword research. This isn’t just guessing—it’s finding the exact phrases like “best mobile dog groomer for large breeds near me” or “emergency AC repair open late.” That kind of search tells you someone’s not browsing—they’re ready to buy. There are tools like Ubersuggest and Ahrefs that can help with this, or you can just do some Googling and peep the autofill suggestions.
Now we build. And no, you don’t need to be a tech genius. Just a simple website that loads fast, looks clean, and hits those keywords in your titles, page descriptions, and content. Think of this site like a digital business card that actually does stuff—it tells Google what you’re about and makes it easy for real people to call or message the business.
Want to know why this hustle hits different? Because once you get that site ranking, it keeps bringing in traffic. It’s kind of like setting up a vending machine that never runs out of snacks. That long-game stuff reminds me of this article we did on turning old furniture into cash—same idea: build something once, let it keep working.
Alright, back to the build. After your website’s live, you’ll want to set up a Google Business Profile (that’s the thing that makes businesses show up on Google Maps). Here’s where it gets a little creative—if you’re not physically in that city, you’ll need to find a workaround. Some people use virtual addresses or partner with someone local. It’s doable, just takes a little hustle.
Now it’s time to rank. And this is where the “magic” happens, but honestly, it’s more about being consistent than casting spells. You’ve got to show Google that your site is real, useful, and worth showing to people. One way to do that is by building citations—basically, getting your business name, address, and number listed all over the internet. Think Yelp, YellowPages, Facebook, and tons of niche directories. It’s boring but powerful.
Then you work on backlinks. These are just links from other websites to yours, and they act like little “votes” for your site. The more quality votes you get, the better you rank. This part takes time—sometimes you’ll write guest posts, sometimes you’ll reach out to blogs or local publications. But again, it’s super worth it once you see those rankings move up.
Oh, and your site? It needs to be nice. Not fancy, just fast, mobile-friendly, and easy to navigate. Google cares about user experience. If people hit your site and bounce right off, that’s a red flag to the algorithm. Keep it clean, make it helpful, and update it every so often so it doesn’t look abandoned.
Now for the fun part—renting it out.
Once your site is getting traffic, you’ve basically got digital gold. The phone’s ringing, the contact forms are coming in, and now you go find someone who wants those leads. An easy way is to look at businesses running ads for those same keywords. If they’re already paying for clicks, they’re way more likely to pay for actual leads.
You can reach out and say something like, “Hey, I’ve got a site that’s already ranking for your service in your area. Want the leads? They’re yours—for a monthly fee.” Keep it casual. Focus on the value. You’re not just offering a website—you’re offering them paying customers.
You can also join local Facebook groups, visit small business networking events, or poke around forums to find folks looking for marketing help. And if you show them how many calls or messages you’re already getting? Even better.
Now, here’s a bonus move most people don’t talk about—parasite marketing. Sounds gross, I know, but stay with me. It’s when you use already-powerful websites (like Medium or LinkedIn) to rank content faster. Instead of trying to rank a brand-new site, you create a blog post on a platform that Google already loves. Something like “Top 5 Mobile Dog Groomers in San Diego” with a link back to your site. Boom. Extra traffic, extra authority, and another door for people to find you.
If you’re into playing the long game with side hustles, Rank and Rent fits in perfectly with stuff like starting a house cleaning side hustle or building a photo booth biz—you build something up front, and it just keeps bringing in cash.
But let’s keep it real—it’s not all easy money and first-page rankings. This hustle takes patience. You won’t rank overnight. Some sites won’t hit. Some leads will go cold. That’s just part of the deal. You’ve got to be cool with failing, adjusting, and trying again.
That’s why mindset matters. If you’re in this expecting to get rich in two weeks, you’re gonna be disappointed. But if you treat it like a slow build, something you’re learning and improving at with each site, then yeah—this can 100% replace your 9-to-5. Or at least pay your rent and keep your weekends free.
And here’s the underrated part—finding your tribe. Talk to other people doing this. Join Facebook groups, follow creators in the SEO space, and just trade tips. You’ll learn faster and feel less stuck when something doesn’t go as planned.
Also—celebrate your wins. Even if it’s just your site hitting page two for the first time or getting your first call. Those little wins stack up and keep you going. Don’t just grind silently. Give yourself props. That mindset stuff? It’s what separates the dabblers from the ones making real money.
So if you’re tired of side hustles that feel like endless hamster wheels, Rank and Rent is one of those models where your work compounds. Build the asset once, tweak it, and watch it grow. It’s not flashy. It’s not trendy. But it’s stable and smart—and that’s a combo worth paying attention to.
Thinking about building your first site? Let me know and I’ll show you how to pick a niche that doesn’t make you want to rip your hair out.
Wanna keep the momentum going? Definitely check out this post on how one guy made $21K from side hustles. It’s full of good reminders that there’s more than one way to win the game.
