I am often asked, what is digital leasing? The answer is simple. Digital leasing is where you build or buy digital assets, such as websites, and then rent them out to businesses for a fee. Think of it in the same way someone might rent out an apartment, but here, you are working with digital property. You make a website that brings in leads for, maybe, a roofing company or a dentist, and then local businesses pay you every month to get those leads. That is the core of it. It is not complicated, though there are a few layers to learn as you get started.
Some people overthink it. You do not need years of experience. And you do not need a big budget to start. But, you do have to treat it like an actual business. If you let a website sit with no content or no real effort to rank it, it will not magically make money. I have seen people create great websites with good domain names and then just ignore them. Nothing happens if you do that.
The Basic Process
The process for most people looks like this:
- Choose a profitable local service niche (plumbing, tree removal, etc.)
- Build a simple website targeting that niche with local keywords
- Rank the website using SEO (mostly by getting some backlinks and making sure content is actually helpful)
- Find a local business that wants leads and rent the website out (usually monthly)
- Collect income and repeat the process to build up more sites
To a beginner, the idea that you can publish a basic website, have it show up in Google, and then rent it for passive cash might sound a little too good. But it can and does work if you stick to the process. There is no need to get lost in theory. Just put up a site, drive some traffic, and offer to pass leads on to other business owners. That is it.
Is Digital Leasing Passive Income?
Lots of people look into digital leasing passive income because they want to make money while they sleep. That is appealing, obviously. But I would not call it entirely passive. You still have to keep your websites up to date, answer calls or emails from renters, and sometimes fix little SEO issues.
For most people, digital leasing becomes more passive over time. You do a lot of the work upfront. After a few months, once your sites rank and renters pay, you can usually check in once or twice a month.
There is a difference here from something like owning a stock or getting dividends. You are somewhat hands on, especially for the first few months. But, after you set things up, it can become a lot less work , I sometimes forget I even own a site that is sending leads to a roofing company, until the next payment hits.
Is Digital Leasing Legit or a Scam?
A big question many people type in is is digital leasing legit? There are scams on the internet. There are also bad courses or mentors in this space, just like any other. But, the business model itself is real. Businesses pay for leads; they always have. If you can get a website to rank for “plumber in Houston” or “emergency tree service Miami,” you can get paid for every phone call or email that comes in.
Some would say the biggest risk is buying an expensive course or coaching that does not deliver results. If you just want to learn the business yourself, there is tons of free info online. I lose patience with programs that promise “$10,000 a month” without effort, or instant riches with no work. That never lasts.
The Difference Between Digital Leasing and Ranking Local
I have tried both pure “digital leasing” and just ranking local for my own company’s leads. The difference? With digital leasing you are more focused on renting the asset. With ranking local, you might just want the leads for yourself or your own business. They are very close , there is overlap , but with leasing you treat your website as a rental property.
Of course, this only works if people actually want the leads. Some towns are too small, or your site might not get enough visitors. I ran a test site for “hot tub cleaning” in a small town once and no one wanted to rent it. No calls came in. You need demand for your site to be useful.
Digital Leasing Reviews: What Do Real People Say?
It is easy to find digital leasing reviews that claim massive success, but you learn more from average stories. Some people get their first deal in a couple of weeks. Others struggle for months. The biggest common factor is actually putting in the work and not stopping.
Almost every negative review I have seen is from somebody who built a basic site, wrote two articles, and then stopped trying.
It is uncomfortable to admit this if it is you, but you can always get back on track. One time I built a pressure washing site and let it sit for almost a year. I eventually went back to it, added new content, got a couple backlinks, and within a few months it started sending leads regularly. If I had quit, it would have done nothing.
How to Start Digital Leasing: First Steps
People overcomplicate launching in this space. Here is how to get started today:
- Pick one niche (for example, driveway sealing, carpet cleaning, or window tinting)
- Find a town with enough people and businesses
- Register a simple domain, maybe something like “SpringfieldPlumbingHQ.com”
- Build a basic website with about five to ten pages
- Add a clear contact form and tracking number
- Start getting backlinks (business citations, directories, ask friends to link you, etc.)
- Watch to see when Google starts sending traffic
- Reach out to local companies , tell them you own a site that gets calls and ask if they want to rent it and try it out
You will find that the hardest part is usually just waiting for results. SEO takes patience. Sometimes you overthink it. But if you stick with it, your site will rank and businesses will want those leads.
Digital Leasing Business: Is It Easy To Scale?
If you want to grow, you can repeat the process. There are people with fifty, even a hundred, sites. But each one takes some work in the early stage. Scaling is not magic. Often it is just “do more of what works and less of what does not.” If you do not enjoy some trial and error, you might find this business boring.
A small table to compare effort and difficulty by stage may help:
| Stage | Time Input | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| Pick Niche | 1-2 hours | Low |
| Set Up Website | 5-10 hours | Moderate |
| Secure Rankings | 1-2 months | Medium-High |
| Find a Renter | 5-15 hours | Medium |
| Maintain Site | 1 hour/month | Low |
Eventually, you can outsource content, website setup, even outreach. At the start, most people do it all themselves.
If you want less risk, test small. Create one site, prove to yourself that local businesses want to rent sites, and then grow.
Digital Leasing Review Example: Personal Experience
Here is my own “review” from trying this business. I started with pool cleaning, in a mid-sized town. I paid $8 for the domain, $12/month for hosting. I wrote a few articles about pool maintenance, set up a phone tracking number, and got a couple local directory citations. Three months later, my phone started ringing. I found a local business after trying three companies, and rented the site for $200 a month. My costs were less than $50 in total. I have now done this for several industries.
It is not always that easy. Sometimes it has taken me six months to see results, especially in larger cities with more competition. You have to be patient. There are no guarantees, but the upside is real if you do the work. Many people give up during the “waiting” period while Google slowly ranks the site higher.
Joshua T Osborne, Digital Shortcuts, and Other Mentors
The digital land business has a few popular personalities, like Joshua T Osborne, who offers courses on building up this kind of passive revenue. I have browsed some Joshua T Osborne reviews. People either love or hate these programs , some feel they are worth every penny and others feel disappointed. I tend to think you do not need to buy any course unless you want hand-holding or private coaching. Everything in digital leasing is available for free on YouTube or blogs, if you are persistent.
There are also things like Digital Shortcuts programs, which promise to help crack SEO faster or get quicker wins. I am suspicious of anyone who claims you can get rich very quickly. Real results come slowly, and that is consistent in my own experience. Still, for people who really want to skip making mistakes, some structure can help.
Common Mistakes and What Not to Do
- Chasing very small towns or neighborhoods where there is no business demand
- Buying an expired domain with a sketchy history (if it was used for spam, it may never rank)
- Never adding new content (Google loves fresh info, especially in competitive markets)
- Focusing too much on “design” and not enough on SEO
- Waiting for “proof” that your site will make money before ever reaching out to businesses
Most of these are just traps. I have fallen into several myself , especially the one about focusing too much on how a site looks, instead of making sure it is actually ranking.
How Much Money Can You Make?
Sites in smaller towns might rent for $100 to $400 per month. Larger cities or niches with higher lead value (like foundation repair or roofing) can reach $1,000 per month or more. There is no limit. Bigger portfolios bring in more income. Expect to start small, and grow with patience.
There is a strange satisfaction the first time you get paid by a business for a website that you control. It feels a lot like finding cash in your pocket. But you will not get there unless you push through the early doubts.
Finishing Thoughts
Digital leasing is not magic. It takes time, effort, and some simple skills. The upfront work sometimes feels tedious, but the rewards build over months, not days. If you treat it like a business, stick with it until you see real results, and avoid the trap of endless “research” with no action, you will build an asset that can keep paying you for years. Start with one website, push through the boring middle, and be open to learning as you go. That is really all you need to do.