How He Hit $76K Monthly With SEO for Home Services

This week, Brian sat down with James Lincoln, founder and CEO of Goodly, a company doing local SEO and web development specifically for home services businesses. James’s path started back in 2018 helping his father-in-law’s carpet cleaning business in California between semesters at school, before he went on to build a review automation software company.

After stepping away to pursue an MBA and running low on cash to fund it, James built Goodly almost by necessity, cold calling home service business owners who needed better local SEO than what they were already getting from other agencies. What started as a way to cover tuition turned into a business that has crossed $1 million in lifetime revenue and doubled from $40,000 to $76,000 in monthly revenue within a single year.

We covered why James chose to keep building Goodly instead of using an SBA loan to buy a blue collar business as originally planned, the three things every home services client needs dialed in (Google Business Profile, website, and reviews), and why he tells new business owners to hustle their way to $250,000 in revenue before investing seriously in SEO.

The Key Takeaways

Below are the most essential insights from Brian’s conversation with James that you can apply to your home services business today.

1. From Cleaning Carpet With His Father-in-Law to Running an Agency

James got his start in home services in 2018 helping his father-in-law’s carpet cleaning business in California in between semesters at school. He assumed a college education would make it easy to grow the business, then quickly learned these companies are not as simple to scale as they look from the outside.

“I thought, oh man, I’m this college educated kid, I should be able to go figure out how to grow this thing. And come to find out, these things aren’t as easy to grow as you think they are. If it was as easy as you think, the business owners would pull it off.”

— James Lincoln

2. Running Out of MBA Money Forced Him Into the Agency

After a stint building a review automation software company, James quit his job and gave up his income to pursue an MBA with the plan of using an SBA loan to buy a blue collar business. When the money ran out faster than expected, he fell back on what he already knew, how to sell to and relate to home service businesses, and started cold calling to build cash flow.

“We were just running out of money faster than I thought. And I needed a way to make some cash. And I knew how to do this stuff. I knew the market. I knew how to sell to them. I knew there was a need.”

— James Lincoln

3. Doubling From $40K to $76K a Month, Then Skipping the SBA Loan

By the time James finished his MBA a year ago, he realized he already had a real business on his hands instead of one he needed to go buy. Goodly went from $40,000 to $76,000 in monthly revenue over that year and crossed $1 million in lifetime revenue, making the original plan to take on debt for a different business unnecessary.

“We just crossed a million dollars in realized revenue all time last month. It doesn’t make a ton of sense to go buy a business and take on a ton of debt when I have a business here that functions, and I can continue building. And I like doing it.”

— James Lincoln

4. Winning the Low End of the Market With Payment Plans

Rather than competing for clients willing to pay $3,000 to $4,000 a month for SEO, Goodly targets business owners who cannot afford that, charging $500 to $1,000 a month for SEO services and as little as $200 a month for a website on a payment plan instead of a large upfront fee.

“Rather than charging three grand up front, we put them on a payment plan and say, hey, it’s $200 a month and we’ll throw on maintenance, and you call us and you need help, we’re here.”

— James Lincoln

5. Eighteen Month Average Retention, Well Above Industry Norms

James points out that many agencies, especially higher end ones, turn over 40 to 50 percent of their customers every year because clients on big retainers often burn out after four to six months without seeing results. Goodly’s average customer sticks around for about 18 months, and some clients from the very start 24 months ago are still customers today.

“We just kind of get our hands dirty and get in there and do the work. And customers stick with us for 18 months. I’ve got customers from when we started 24 months ago. They’re still customers.”

— James Lincoln

6. The Big Three: Google Business Profile, Website, and Reviews

When Goodly brings on a new client, the Google Business Profile comes first and foremost, followed by the website and reviews. James is regularly surprised that business owners making six or seven figures a year are running with a Google Business Profile that has nothing dialed in, no targeting to their specific services or service area.

“It’s always for us, the Google business profile is number one, first and foremost, and then the website and reviews. Having a Google business profile versus having one that’s dialed in and targeted to your services and your market, it’s night and day.”

— James Lincoln

7. Checking the Box Isn’t Good Enough, on Forms or on Reviews

James sees home service owners settle for “good enough” constantly, whether that’s a bare bones Google Business Profile, a built-in review tool inside House Call Pro or Service Titan that technically works but underperforms dedicated software, or a website that still relies on customers filling out a form instead of texting. He is now building AI chatbots into client websites specifically to let customers text rather than fill out forms.

“It doesn’t make sense to fill out a form on a website. Why am I going to get a painting quote and fill out a form with my name and my email and my phone number and my address just to get a we will contact you soon?”

— James Lincoln

Looking Ahead

James’s advice for anyone just getting started is to hustle first and invest in SEO second. His own business is still built roughly 98 percent through outbound, and he tells owners under $250,000 in annual revenue to get leads themselves through ads, Facebook groups, door hangers, and cold calling before paying for SEO. He also warns people away from rank and rent sites and directory leads that leave you at the mercy of someone else’s lead flow, and reminds business owners that hiring an agency does not remove their own responsibility to understand what they are paying for.

“It’s on you to make sure you’re spending your money wisely. So educate yourself a little bit. That doesn’t mean go manage your Google business profile yourself, but educate yourself on how it works so you can have a meaningful conversation with whoever you hire to do this.”

— James Lincoln