Performance marketing & lead gen

Books and taxes for rank-and-rent site owners.

Monthly rent from the local business using a ranked site's calls, the content and backlink spend that built the site months before it earned anything, and the swap when one tenant leaves and another moves in. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.

Book a call What we handle
  • From $197 a month
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever
JuneExample month
$5,300
what you made

June came in at $5,300. The roofing site that finally started ranking in April is now earning rent, and the eight months of content and link costs that built it are tracked against that income, not last winter's numbers.

  • Rent, Cascade Roofing siteSite rent income
  • Rent, Briarwood Plumbing siteSite rent income
  • Content writer, contract batchSite build costs
  • Domain renewals, bulkDomain and hosting renewals
  • Backlink outreach contractorSite build costs
Money in$14,200
Money out$8,900
Set aside for taxes$1,100
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

Rank-and-rent books go wrong in the same four places.

A generalist sees a pile of hosting bills and a few rent payments. Your business builds an asset over months before it earns a dollar, rents it out once it ranks, swaps tenants without losing the site's value, and manages dozens of these at once at different stages.

  1. 1

    Site build costs get expensed the month they are spent

    Content, backlinks, and outreach for a site that will not rank for eight months are real spending today, but if that cost is expensed the moment it happens instead of tracked against the income it will eventually produce, every new site you build looks like a straight loss.

    What we doTracks a site's build cost as its own item until the site starts earning rent, so a new build reads as an investment, not a loss.
  2. 2

    A tenant swap looks like the site stopped earning

    When a renter cancels and it takes a few weeks to find a new local business for that site, the gap can look like the site died, when really the asset itself never lost its ranking or its value.

    What we doTracks rent income per site across tenants, so a vacancy reads as a gap to fill, not a sign the site is worthless.
  3. 3

    Domain and hosting renewals for dozens of sites blur together

    Renewing thirty or more domains and hosting plans a year is a real, recurring cost, and if it disappears into one lump sum, you cannot see whether your portfolio's overhead is growing faster than your rent income.

    What we doKeeps domain and hosting renewals in their own line, so portfolio-wide overhead is visible against total rent income.
  4. 4

    No single site's real profitability is ever visible

    With thirty sites at different stages, some earning steady rent and others still building links, one blended number cannot tell you which sites are actually worth the ongoing content and maintenance cost.

    What we doTracks build and renewal cost against rent income site by site, so you can see which sites are carrying the portfolio.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a rank-and-rent portfolio.

Set up once for how you get paid and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.

Money in

  • Site rent incomeMonthly payments from the local business using each site's calls and leads.
  • Setup feesOne-time charges for connecting a new tenant to a site's phone number.
  • Non-exclusive lead feesLower per-lead payments when a site's calls are shared across more than one tenant.
  • Site sale proceedsA lump sum from selling a matured, ranked site to another investor.

Money out

  • Site build costsContent, backlinks, and outreach spent building a site before it ranks and earns rent.
  • Domain and hosting renewalsAnnual or monthly renewal costs across the full site portfolio.
  • Contractor writers and link buildersFreelance help for content and outreach, paid outside of payroll.
  • Call tracking softwareTools used to swap phone numbers between tenants and measure calls.
  • Rank tracking subscriptionsSoftware used to monitor where each site ranks.

What we watch for you

  • Rent per site

    What each site earns against its build and renewal cost, so you know which ones are carrying the portfolio.

  • Vacancy rate

    How many sites are between tenants at any time, so a gap reads as a fill job, not lost value.

  • Build cost payback

    How many months of rent it takes a new site to earn back what it cost to build.

  • The set-aside

    What you will owe, tracked against portfolio rent income every month, so April is a number you already knew.

Ask Gus

Things rank-and-rent site owners ask Gus.

Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.

I spent $2,000 on content and links for a site that won't rank for months. Is that just a loss right now?

No. I track that as the build cost for that specific site, so once it starts earning rent, you can see the investment paying off instead of a random expense.

One of my tenants canceled and it took three weeks to find a new one. Did that site lose its value?

No. I track rent income by site across tenants, so that gap reads as a vacancy to fill, not a sign the ranking or the site itself is worth less.

I renew thirty domains a year at different times. How do I know what that actually costs me overall?

I keep domain and hosting renewals in their own line across the whole portfolio, so you can see that total cost against what your sites bring in.

The tax side

The tax side of a rank-and-rent portfolio.

Most of what goes wrong here is timing an investment against the income it later earns. Build costs expensed too early, and site-by-site profitability nobody tracks.

What your return has to get right

Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.

  • Site build costs are a real investmentContent, backlinks, and outreach spent building a site are legitimate business costs. Keeping them tied to the site they built keeps your real return on each one readable.
  • Contractor 1099sAny US-based writer or link builder not on payroll who you pay $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list current all year.
  • Foreign contractorsA writer or contractor working outside the US usually does not get a 1099-NEC. A signed W-8BEN is generally the paperwork instead, and the accountant confirms exactly what applies.
  • The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when build costs and rent income are tracked correctly, site by site, all year.

Deductions rank-and-rent site owners miss

Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.

  • Domain registrations and renewals
  • Hosting for the site portfolio
  • Content writers and link builders
  • Rank tracking software
  • Call tracking and swapping tools
  • Home office or coworking desk
  • Laptop and monitors
  • Payment processing fees
  • Business phone and internet
  • Continuing education and courses

General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.

All year, not just April

A rank-and-rent year, on the books every month.

New sites move through building, ranking, and renting on their own timeline more than the season, but taxes still run on a calendar. Your team keeps you ahead of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.

  1. January

    Plan the year

    Last year's return gets started, your 1099 list for domestic writers and link builders is ready, and a monthly set-aside begins so April is already handled.

  2. April

    Filed. Done.

    Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, since the set-aside has tracked rent income across the portfolio every month since January.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether new sites built this year have started earning rent.

  4. October

    Before the renewal wave

    A wave of domain and hosting renewals typically lands as the year winds down. Before it hits, Gus looks at what's worth budgeting or setting aside before December.

What you get

Starts at$197a month

What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.

Book a call
  • Monthly bookkeeping

    Every transaction sorted into categories set up for rank-and-rent site owners. You never categorize a thing.

  • An accountant checks every transaction

    Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.

  • Your business tax return, filed

    Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.

  • The monthly number

    What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.

  • Your own bookkeeper

    A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.

  • On your books all year

    Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.

  • Cancel any time

    No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.

Straight answers

Questions rank-and-rent site owners ask first.

I spend money on content and links for months before a site ranks. Does that all count against this year's taxes right away?

It is a real deductible cost either way, but Gus tracks it against the specific site it built, so you can see the investment paying off once that site starts earning rent instead of it looking like a random loss.

A tenant left and the site sat empty for a few weeks. Did I lose money on that site?

The vacancy is a real gap in income, but Gus tracks rent by site across tenants, so it reads as a fill job rather than a sign the site's ranking or value dropped.

I have thirty sites at different stages. Can Gus tell me which ones are actually worth keeping up?

Yes. He tracks build and renewal cost against rent income for each site, so you can see which ones are carrying the portfolio and which are dead weight.

My content writer works from outside the US. Does he get a 1099?

Probably not a 1099-NEC, since he is not a US person. Gus flags his file so the accountant can confirm the right paperwork, likely a W-8BEN.

Do I owe sales tax on the rent I collect from a local business?

That depends on your state and exactly what is being sold, since rules vary a great deal. Your team keeps your books ready either way and flags it for the accountant to confirm.

My books are a mess since I scaled from five sites to thirty this year. Can Gus catch up?

Yes. Send the bank and domain renewal statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most owners know where they stand inside a week.

Is a real accountant checking my books?

Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.

What does it cost, and can I cancel?

It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.

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We keep books for the business next door too.

What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for

Book a call

Pick a time. That's the whole signup.

Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.

  • $197 a month to start
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever