Micro lead generation/local SEO leads

[Hydra1348]

Hi all,

I'm considering launching a local SEO-based lead generation website in a niche I'm familiar with, and I've recently registered a domain for it. However, I'm seeking some guidance and insights. Firstly, I'd like to understand how anybody else here who might be doing this typically manages the phone numbers they set up to track the leads they generate and which tools they might use for this? Additionally, I'm curious about the strategies used to convince potential clients, such as tradespeople, to purchase these leads?

To clarify, there are a number of lead generation websites here in the UK, but it seems to be a lot bigger/more popular in the USA. I was really just wondering about the logistics of lead distribution. Who acquires the leads, and how do you then engage with your target market? In my case it would be small trade-focused businesses and I'd be thinking of charging maybe something like £10 per lead?

Is it common to affiliate with a network that purchases the leads generated from your website, or do you typically need to sell these leads yourself? If it's the latter, where would you typically find buyers for these leads? I have seen it mentioned elsewhere that it can be a good idea to supply a potential client with a number of leads for free before you ask them to start paying for the leads. How though might you provide the leads to the client so that they know the leads are from you?

Ideally I'd like to get a site to the position where it is "rank and rentable" but I realise that this may not be easy!

Any advice would be gratefully received and TIA to anybody who replies!

T

 

[donorossdale]

Great questions — you’re definitely thinking along the right lines before diving in. I’ve been running a few local SEO and lead gen sites (mostly home services/trades niches), so here’s what’s worked for me and others in this space:

1. Call Tracking & Lead Management
For phone leads, use a call tracking service like CallRail, Twilio, or NumberPool. They let you:

• Assign unique phone numbers to each landing page or campaign
• Record calls, view missed calls, and even track caller locations
• Forward calls directly to your client while logging the lead details

For web form leads, tools like GoHighLevel, LeadSnap, or Zapier + Google Sheets work great to manage and deliver leads automatically.

2. Selling the Leads / Client Outreach
When starting out, yes — offering a few free leads to local businesses is a proven trust builder. Tradespeople get bombarded with “lead offers,” so showing them real results upfront works better than any pitch.
Just make sure your test leads are clearly branded (e.g., include your site name in the email footer or caller ID).

3. Finding Buyers
Start small:

• Search Google Maps for local trades (e.g., “plumber in [city]”)
• Reach out via email or phone saying you’ve been getting inquiries for their service and ask if they’d like to test a few leads
• Facebook local business groups and LinkedIn also work surprisingly well

4. Rank & Rent vs Lead Selling
Lead selling is more hands-on but gives faster cashflow.
Rank & rent (charging a fixed monthly fee for the ranked site) is more passive, but it takes time to rank and build authority.
A hybrid approach often works best — start selling leads, then transition to rent once it’s consistently performing.

5. Pricing
£10/lead is a reasonable starting point depending on the niche and intent quality. For trades like plumbing, roofing, or electrical, high-intent leads can go up to £20–£50 each.