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As a 14 year web development veteran, let me tell you. People who run small service businesses like Lawn Care, Pool Cleaning, Home Cleaning, Pet care etc don't care about having a website.
Why?
From what I've heard directly from them over 14 years as a web developer, they get enough business posting on facebook, IG and the like.
Or they get enough business through word of mouth referrals.
Which is great, but they're overlooking a whole other side of the business which is digital marketing.
Whether it's because they don't have enough knowledge on the subject or are just too busy running the operations of their business, they just don't have time to figure it out.
This is great news for us side hustlers who are open to embracing tech because we know that even though the overall market for these types of businesses is saturated, the competition in the digital marketing arena is weak or in some cases, not even there.
Once you have a website:
You can show up on search results.
You can run ads to it.
You can refer prospects to see your work.
You can connect to your google my business page to it.
You can take payments and invoice.
You can set up a whole bunch of automations to streamline your processes.
All of this is set up once in 1-2 hours and then takes a couple minutes a month to keep up with.
So to help you with all of this...
I did keyword research on over 50 home based service business side hustles and in this post, I'll share the top 10 with the lowest competition.
Then I'll walk you through how easy it is to set up a site so you can claim a first page ranking on google.
For the following 10 keywords I'll share screenshots from the analysis showing the keyword difficulty and the search volume in the US to get a broad sense of the competition no matter where you are in the country.
Screenshots show analysis as of 7/1/24.
Table and chair rentals are a great low competition business idea. With 7,000 people searching for "table and chair rentals" every month and very little competition, this niche is easy to enter into. This service caters to events like weddings, business meetings, and parties. By focusing on this specific need, you can quickly establish your business and later expand into other event rental services.
If you start with table and chair rentals, photo booth rentals are a great next step in the event business. With 16,000 people searching for "photo booth rentals" each month, there's a big demand. Photo booths are a hit at weddings, parties, and corporate events, giving guests fun photos to take home. Adding photo booth rentals to your services can help you attract more customers and make more money.
A mobile barber service is a smart and convenient business idea. With around 1,200 people searching for "mobile barber" each month, this service is in demand. People love the convenience of having a barber come to their home or office. Offering mobile barber services means you can reach busy clients who don't have time to visit a traditional barber shop.
Becoming a commercial painter is another great business opportunity. With 5,300 people searching for "commercial painter" each month and low competition, there's a big chance to succeed. Commercial painters work on businesses and large properties, which often means higher pay and more stable work compared to residential painting.
Offering cat grooming services is a unique and low competition business idea. With 5,200 people searching for "cat groomer" each month, there's a clear demand. Many pet owners need grooming services specifically for their cats, but there aren't as many businesses focusing on this compared to dog grooming. Providing specialized care for cats can help you stand out and attract loyal customers.
Starting a cat sitting service is another great business idea with low competition. With 11,000 people searching for "cat sitter" each month, there's a strong demand. Many cat owners need reliable care for their pets when they're away, but there are fewer options specifically for cats compared to dogs.
A couch cleaning service is a practical and in-demand business idea. With 4,700 people searching for "couch cleaning service" each month, there's a steady need for this service. Many people want to keep their furniture clean but lack the time or equipment to do it themselves.
An appliance moving service is a smart business idea with good potential. With 13,000 monthly searches for "appliance movers," the demand is clear. People often need help moving heavy appliances such as refrigerators and washers, and a dedicated service can cater to this specific need.
An appliance moving service is a smart business idea with good potential. With 13,000 monthly searches for "appliance movers," the demand is clear. People often need help moving heavy appliances such as refrigerators and washers, and a dedicated service can cater to this specific need.
Driveway repair is an in-demand service that can be a great business opportunity. Many homeowners need to fix issues like cracks, potholes, and stains in their driveways, creating a steady demand for professional repair services.
By focusing on low competition, high-demand services like those mentioned in this post, you can build a successful business with minimal upfront investment. From table and chair rentals to driveway repair, these opportunities allow you to leverage your skills and interests while providing valuable services to your community. With a bit of effort and the right tools, you can turn these ideas into a thriving side hustle or full-time business.
Now that you see the demand and the relatively low competition, all you need to be found by customers searching these services is a website.
To get a website, you have numerous options ranging in cost from free to 10s of thousands of dollars.
I'll show you how to get it for (almost) free and walk you step by step how to set it up today in as little as 1 hour.
Your domain name will be your website address. How people will be able to visit your web page.
To get your domain name, you can purchase it at registrars like Godaddy or Name Cheap.
These are great options but to simply the process of creating your website, we'll kill 2 birds with one stone and get a free one with the purchase of your web hosting.
A domain name usually costs about $8-$10 for the first year and $20 per year after that. You can get bigger discounts by purchasing the domain name for longer like say 3 to 5 years.
Web hosting is the next thing you need. If a domain name is like your address, your web hosting is like the house. It's where all the contents of your website live and how it is made accessible to visitors.
To get your hosting, I recommend Hostinger.
Hostinger is the only hosting provider I've worked with that offers affordable hosting and still includes everything you need like managed WordPress, daily backups, staging environments and really really good customer support.
I'll be doing a full review of Hostingers website hosting service in the near future and will be sure to come back and update this post when I do.
This is the lock badge you see before the website address in the URL bar. If a domain is like your address and hosting is like your house, then an SSL certificate is like a security system.
It protects your house and its occupants, an SSL certificate ensures that the data exchanged between your website and its visitors is secure and protected.
Domain, Hosting and SSL Certificate sounds pretty complicated but don't worry, you can get them all in the same place and you don't have to do anything but complete an order form. The rest all happens for you in the background.
A theme is essentially how your website looks. In WordPress, it gives us options to customize it to your brand but mostly, it's a framework that allows you to get most of your website done right out of the box.
For your WordPress theme, I recommend WP Astra. There are plenty of free variations of the theme to choose from that will work perfectly. I think the Earth theme works nicely but feel free to look around and see if any others might work better for you.
The process of setting all this up can be done in under an hour. All you have to do is:
Step 1 - Purchase your web hosting, domain name and SSL certificate all at once. I recommend Hostinger.
Step 2 - Set up WordPress. If you didn't use Hostinger, most hosts will still set up WordPress for you after you sign up for web hosting but if not, you need to set up WordPress.
Step 3 - Install WP Astra and the starter template plugin then import the Earth demo or whichever you decided to use.
Step 4 - Customize the theme by configuring your brand colors, adding your logo, adding photos and your content.
That's actually it.
I show you how to do all this in this video.
