How to grow a cleaning business? | Cleaning Lead Generation
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What Does “How to grow a cleaning business? | Cleaning Lead Generation” Talk About?
This episode of the James Dooley Podcast focuses on practical strategies for growing a cleaning business, with James Dooley and Kasra Dash walking through the full spectrum of marketing options available to cleaning company owners. Kasra opens by breaking down traditional advertising methods like billboards, TV, and radio, explaining why he steers away from them in favor of digital approaches. He then covers SEO, PPC via Google AdWords, social media posting, social media ads, and lead generation partnerships, giving honest assessments of the cost and effectiveness of each channel. Specific cleaning niches are referenced throughout, including oven cleaning, carpet cleaning, commercial office cleaning, cladding cleaning, roof cleaning, and pressure washing driveways.
James Dooley adds his perspective on the long-term business value of SEO, explaining that ranking pages create a consistent, independent source of inquiries that protects a business owner from relying on third-party platforms like Bark or Checkatrade. He also highlights the importance of directory listings on sites like Yell, Yellow Pages, and Yelp as both a source of inquiries and a local SEO signal. The conversation closes with both hosts recommending a three-pronged approach: partnering with a lead generation company like FatRank for immediate results, using social media to build trust through before-and-after content, and investing in SEO as a long-term asset that increases the overall value of the business.
“if I'm looking to set up a cleaning company and if I'm looking to sell that cleaning company I think that investing into SEO over the next two years it's just a no brainer it's going to it's going to increase the overall value of my business”
— James Dooley
Who Are the Guests on “How to grow a cleaning business? | Cleaning Lead Generation”?
James Dooley is a digital marketing expert and SEO specialist who brings a strategic, business-valuation perspective to online growth. Throughout the episode he draws on his understanding of how organic search assets translate into long-term company value, and he offers practical tips such as using time-lapse videos for social media and building local directory listings to boost rankings in a specific area like Essex.
Kasra Dash is a digital marketing strategist and co-host who provides a comprehensive breakdown of every growth channel available to cleaning businesses. He demonstrates deep familiarity with the cleaning sector, referencing multiple sub-niches and explaining in detail why options like PPC can be cost-prohibitive given tight profit margins, while making a strong case for SEO as reputation management and for lead generation as a zero-risk cash-flow solution through FatRank.com.
What Are the Key Takeaways From “How to grow a cleaning business? | Cleaning Lead Generation”?
Here are the key points discussed in this episode:
- Investing in SEO for a cleaning business website is a long-term strategy that builds topical authority, generates consistent inquiries, and increases the overall value of the business if you ever decide to sell it.
- PPC advertising through Google AdWords can cost between 50 and 130 dollars per lead, which is often too expensive for cleaning businesses operating on thin profit margins.
- Posting before-and-after photos and time-lapse videos of cleaning jobs on free platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest builds trust and acts as powerful social proof with no advertising spend required.
- Partnering with a lead generation company like FatRank allows cleaning business owners to receive leads immediately and pay only when a job is converted and paid, eliminating financial risk.
- Getting a cleaning business listed on local directory websites such as Yell and Yelp not only generates some direct inquiries but also serves as a strong local SEO signal that helps the business rank better for cleaning searches in its target area.
“you only pay when you've converted the jobs the only caveat to that is that not all businesses have accepted we need to be making certain that we are checking the company who's got a strong enough brand and testimonials and reviews online that they are good at converting the jobs”
— Kasra Dash
Is “How to grow a cleaning business? | Cleaning Lead Generation” Worth Listening To?
This episode is worth listening to because it delivers a structured, honest comparison of every major marketing channel available to a cleaning business owner, without padding or vague advice. Kasra Dash breaks down the real cost of PPC at 50 to 130 dollars per lead and explains exactly why that number is dangerous in a low-margin industry, while also showing why organic SEO and social media content can serve as cost-effective alternatives. The conversation is grounded in specifics, referencing actual cleaning niches, real platforms, and realistic timelines so listeners can immediately evaluate which strategy fits their situation.
What makes this episode particularly valuable is the combination of short-term and long-term thinking. James Dooley reframes SEO not just as a lead generation tool but as a business asset that increases company valuation, which is a perspective most cleaning business owners have never considered. The practical recommendation to pursue lead generation for immediate results, social media for trust building, and SEO for long-term independence gives listeners a clear, actionable roadmap rather than a single tactic. Anyone running or starting a cleaning company will walk away with a prioritized plan they can begin executing the same day.
Who Should Listen to “How to grow a cleaning business? | Cleaning Lead Generation”?
This episode is ideal for:
- Cleaning business owners who want to generate more leads and grow their client base without wasting money on ineffective advertising channels.
- Entrepreneurs considering starting a cleaning company who want to understand the digital marketing landscape before investing any money.
- Small business owners in trades or home services who want to understand how SEO and lead generation can reduce their dependence on third-party platforms.
- Marketing consultants or agency professionals who work with local service businesses and want a practical framework for advising clients in competitive but low-margin industries.
Where Can You Listen to James Dooley Podcast?
You can listen to James Dooley Podcast on all major podcast platforms:
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You can also subscribe using the RSS feed: https://feeds.transistor.fm/james-dooley-podcast
What Are Listeners Saying About This Episode?
“Finally a podcast episode that actually tells you what things cost. Hearing that PPC for cleaning leads runs 50 to 130 dollars per click made me immediately reconsider my ad spend. The breakdown between short-term lead gen through FatRank and long-term SEO investment was exactly the clarity I needed.”
“I run a carpet cleaning business and had no idea that getting listed on directories like Yell could actually help my Google rankings on top of driving direct inquiries. James and Kasra explain it in plain language without overcomplicating it. Really practical episode.”
“The point about SEO increasing the overall sale value of the business genuinely changed how I think about my marketing budget. I always thought of SEO as a lead gen cost but framing it as a business asset you can sell one day is a totally different mindset. Great listen.”
James Dooley: So James I've got a cleaning company today and I want to grow it what do you recommend
Kasra Dash: So if you're looking to grow a cleaning business then there's different methods you've got nutritional marketing billboard advertising TV advertising and radio advertising or being presented in like say like local magazines. Local magazines might work okay I would steer away personally from the traditional billboard TV and radio but that is one method that you could do to grow your cleaning business. The next play online SEO search engine optimisation I would strongly recommend in having a cleaning business website that's branded to yourself that's got positive reviews and stuff online and that you're trying to physically rank that cleaning business website that you have. So SEO is definitely a play that I would be doing building out content for what you do and building backlinks especially you can and trying to get as many testimonials any cleaning jobs of what you've done that if you can have like a before and an after photo they work quite well in the cleaning business so I'd be trying to get that maybe a video showing before the job before you've cleaned the job and after you've cleaned it they work really really well as well as being like case studies and if you can attach a testimonial to that I definitely be looking to do that play. You've got PPC which is Google AdWords very expensive I'd probably steer away from that unless you need to be generating leads today and it's very important that you need to be generating leads today that PPC can do that for you but you will be spending around 50 to 100 per lead if you're in the US 130 dollars maybe per lead it's quite expensive play especially when some of the profit margins might only be that or not much more than that so I probably stay away from a from a cleaning company looking to grow probably wouldn't go down the pay per click route personally. You've got on a cheaper kind of way of growing the business is doing social media posts so being active every day on Facebook on Twitter on Instagram on Pinterest again the pictures that you've done that day just post on social media if you've got a a video just on your iPhone or whatever and you've got a before and after post that on your social media try to upload it to the YouTube all these platforms are completely free to use so use it and also then it's potentially being seen in Google images and Google videos and YouTube which is the second largest search engine online. Then you've got social media ads which could work quite well you could choose a local demographic of where you want to work so in the United Kingdom it could be within Birmingham or Newcastle or Essex or London or whatever your demographic is you could work nationwide but start close to where you're best at converting and then expand upon there. So from there then you could run like Facebook ads or Instagram ads you could do YouTube ads if you've got some nice videos that's another play that you could do and could work well for growing a cleaning business. And then the last one is teaming up with a lead generation company so over at FatRank.com they work with a lot of cleaning companies could be oven cleaning carpet cleaning could be commercial office cleaning cladding cleaning roof cleaning pressure washing driveways all these different kind of subtopics within the cleaning sector FatRank are working with and the good thing about FatRank is that they'll guarantee you a return on investment. So there's no risk whatsoever that you only pay when you've converted the jobs the only caveat to that is that not all businesses have accepted we need to be making certain that we are checking the company who's got a strong enough brand and testimonials and reviews online that they are good at converting the jobs. I definitely from the word go look to the lead generation company because that's going to generate leads instantly I do the social media route and make it certain that you're building that up from a trust signal point of view and then I would be even though is a longer term kind of play be looking to spend and some money on SEO. So with regards to you from a cleaning business point of view someone's looking to grow get more leads make more profit what would you be looking to do
James Dooley: So obviously I understand that the value of SEO I know that it's not going to get me leads in the next 24 hours right but if I'm looking to set up a cleaning company and if I'm looking to sell that cleaning company I think that investing into SEO over the next two years it's just a no brainer it's going to it's going to increase the overall value of my business so well worth doing the actual SEO site for my own website also means that I'm not relying on a singular lead source. So for example if I'm investing into leads from Bark or Checkatrade or whatever else if those just decide to switch me off one day I've not got a business at that point at least if I'm generating my own inquiries it means that I've got my own consistent of inquiries coming in so that's one thing that I would do. Social media posts is another thing like let's say for example if you're doing driveway cleaning setting up a nice little video it could be like a a time lapse video where it could be like a four hour job that you do but it's actually condensed down into like 60 seconds so I would be doing stuff like that I would be posting before and after photos and then obviously going to you guys at FatRank for lead generation. One other thing as well that I think would work very well in this industry would be actually getting my websites submitted on directories like getting them listed on websites like Yell Yellow Pages Yelp if you're in America you would be surprised the amount of amount of inquiries it's not it's not 2002 by any means it's not like you're getting the big Yellow Pages through your door but you're going to get some amount of inquiries I wouldn't probably spend the the premium for or for Yellow Pages because I have heard that a lot of businesses don't actually get the ROI back but just getting listed on those directory websites can go a long way because of that as well that has a great SEO play it actually helps you rank better in your local area. So if you've got a website and you're based in Essex and then you go and get yourself 100 business directory listings in Essex that will help you rank your businesses better for cleaning in Essex
Kasra Dash: Exactly so yeah it's definitely a great SEO play for that and like you said I think what a lot of people don't understand if you are a cleaning company and you're contemplating whether to spend money on SEO or not don't just think of the return on investment that you're going to get this week and next week and next month. SEO is a long term investment that you need to be doing now even if you went and spend let's say 2,000 a month on SEO and you wasn't bringing that in directly in business yet in two three years time once you have the topical authority with lots of pages and the power from your backlink profile you then could be earning money without needing to spend any more money on SEO. So once you've got your your rankings there in position number one position number two in Google a lot of the time the other competitors are are not going to start building more links than you in a cleaning business it's not that competitive so it's a long term play that cleaning businesses should be doing but also the most important part of this is it's reputation management building it's making certain that your you can convert jobs better because if someone is searching your business name or brand you are being seen in the best possible light that you want to be seeing online. You've got lots of five star reviews you've got lots of case studies of amazing jobs of what you've done for strongly recommend doing SEO for the cleaning business but then also check out FatRank.com go to the contact us page give your details in see where you're based and what cleaning actual services that you're providing and see whether you are accepted by FatRank because if you are they provide you leads literally as of tomorrow and you don't pay a single penny for anything to do with the SEO or the PPC all the inquiries that are being submitted you only pay when you convert a job and been paid from the client. So it's another great play that you can do to help you grow your cleaning business got anything else to add onto that for the cleaning companies to try to grow
James Dooley: No I think I think you've answered it I know I know exactly how to grow my cleaning business now cheers Stu
Creators & Guests
Host
James Dooley is a UK entrepreneur.