How to build a lead generation website

A lead generation website is a site that brings in people who need a service and collects their details on a form, with consent, so the lead can be sold to a business. To build one, pick a service, plan the pages, write a short form, place consent language by the submit button, store consent records and connect a buyer.

Do you need your own lead generation website?

Before you build anything, decide where the lead will submit. There are two ways to run a lead gen business, and they ask for very different work. This guide is part of how to start a lead generation business.

If you already rank in search or already own forms that convert, building your own lead generation website and selling the leads can make sense. If your strength is buying traffic, a publisher program carries the page, the consent setup and the buyer routing for you. The trade-offs are covered in hosted landers vs your own landers and lead gen affiliate vs lead seller.

How to create a lead generation website, step by step

1. 1

   Step 1: Pick one service and one market

   Choose a single service, such as roof replacement or car accident claims, and the states or cities you will cover. One service per site keeps the pages focused and makes results easy to read. Check that buyers want leads for that service in those states before you build.

2. 2

   Step 2: Ask buyers what a lead must contain

   Each buyer sets the fields and criteria it needs, such as ZIP code, project type or accident date. Get these in writing from the buyer or broker you plan to sell to. Building the form first and asking later often means rebuilding it.

3. 3

   Step 3: Choose a platform and domain

   Any platform that loads fast on a phone, produces crawlable pages and lets you control the form markup will work. Pick a domain name that describes a guide or a request service, not a business you are not, such as a made-up contractor or law firm.

4. 4

   Step 4: Plan the pages

   Start with a landing page for the service, a short explanation of how the request works, an About page that says who runs the site and how it is paid, a privacy policy, terms and a contact page. Add topic pages if you plan to rank in search. The section below lists each page.

5. 5

   Step 5: Build the form

   Ask only for what the buyer needs. Use clear labels, the right input types for phone and email, and validation that catches typing mistakes. A multi-step form can ask the easy questions first and contact details last.

6. 6

   Step 6: Place the consent language

   Put the consent text directly above or next to the submit button, in readable type, naming who may contact the person. The next section explains placement and why it matters.

7. 7

   Step 7: Record consent for every lead

   Store, for each lead, the exact consent text shown, the time of submission, the page URL and the data entered. Many lead sellers use a session recording service that produces a consent certificate. See TCPA record keeping.

8. 8

   Step 8: Connect delivery to your buyer

   Leads reach buyers by direct post or by ping/post, where buyers bid on a short version of the lead before the full lead is sent. Agree the format and test it with real test leads. See ping/post explained.

9. 9

   Step 9: Test, then launch small

   Submit test leads from a phone and a desktop, confirm each one arrives with its consent record, then send a small amount of traffic. Judge the site by leads that sell and are not returned.

Where consent language sits on a lead gen form, and why

Most MVA and home improvement leads are followed up by phone and text. Under the FCC rules in 47 CFR 64.1200, telemarketing calls and texts to a wireless number made with an autodialer or a prerecorded voice need the person's prior express written consent. The rule defines that consent as a written agreement, which can be signed electronically, with a clear and conspicuous disclosure that the person authorizes the seller to contact them that way and that agreeing is not a condition of any purchase.

"Clear and conspicuous" is why placement matters. Consent text that is hidden, tiny or far from the button is hard to defend as something the person saw. In practice, lead gen forms place it like this:

1. Directly above or beside the submit button, so the person reads it as part of the action of submitting.
2. Visible without scrolling, clicking or opening a link on a phone screen, which is where most form fills happen.
3. In type that is easy to read, with enough contrast against the background.
4. Naming who may call or text, which is the buyer or buyers the lead may be sold to.
5. Stating that consent is not a condition of purchase.
6. Tied to an action the person takes, such as pressing a button whose label matches the consent text, rather than a box checked for them in advance.

Do not let anything on the page cover the consent text, such as a chat widget, a sticky bar or a cookie banner. Write the wording with your own counsel; copying another site's consent block does not make it fit your buyers or your form. The parts of a consent block are explained in consent language: what publishers must not change, and the wider rules in is lead generation legal. This section is general information, not legal advice.

Lead gen site pages and what each one does

For the layout of each page type, with a block-by-block wireframe and a lead generation website template, see lead generation website examples. For organic traffic, see SEO for lead generation.

What to write on a lead gen site

Under the FTC Act, advertising must be truthful and not deceptive, and advertisers must have evidence to back up their claims (FTC advertising FAQs). For a lead generation website, that means:

• Say plainly that the site connects people with providers and does not do the work itself.
• Do not promise outcomes, such as a settlement amount or a set price for a roof.
• Do not use a name, logo, address or reviews that suggest you are a contractor or a law firm.
• Match the page to the ad. If the ad says "free quote", the page should lead to a quote request, not something else.
• Describe what happens after the form in words a person will understand: they may be called or texted by a provider.

Accident and injury sites also fall under attorney advertising rules in many states. See attorney advertising rules for MVA traffic and ad claims to avoid in home improvement offers.

Launch checklist for a lead generation website

• The site loads over HTTPS and the form works on a phone.
• The consent text is visible next to the submit button on mobile and desktop, with nothing covering it.
• Each test lead arrives at the buyer with its consent record.
• Phone and email fields reject obvious typing mistakes.
• About, privacy, terms and contact pages are live and accurate.
• No page claims to be the provider or promises an outcome.
• Each traffic source and ad has its own sub ID or campaign tag, so you can see which one produced sold leads.
• You know the buyer's return terms and how returned leads are reported.

Protect the data you hold. The FTC's guide Protecting Personal Information sets out plain steps: know what you collect, keep only what you need, and secure what you keep.

Common mistakes

• Building the form before asking buyers what they need. Missing fields make leads unsellable.
• Consent text below the fold or behind a link. It is hard to show the person saw it.
• No consent record. Without proof of what the person agreed to, buyers can reject or return the lead.
• A brand that looks like a provider. It misleads visitors and creates problems with ad platforms and buyers.
• Long forms on mobile. Every extra field is one more place for a person to stop.
• Judging the site by form fills. Only leads that sell and stay sold earn money.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

• Start a lead generation business: Every decision, in order.
• Lead generation website examples: Six page types and a page template.
• Hosted landers vs your own landers: Who handles the page and consent.
• Lead generation landing pages: What one landing page needs.
• TCPA consent record keeping: What to store for each lead.

Already generating leads on your own forms? Sell your leads instead.