From free tools to full SaaS
I created a free tool a few months ago, and now it's getting 10-15 clicks every day from Google, as you see in the screenshot here. So... I researched a bit and realized that there is a solid SaaS opportunity on the site, I can have the main tool free but then can also build some paid features in the web app.
And not just this, take a look at another free tool I created before ChatGPT was launched, and it's still getting lots of traffic from Google and other referrers. Take a look at the screenshot here:
This one is getting 80-140 clicks a day consistently for years now, and I haven't done anything with it yet, but not anymore. I am working on it to bring some paid offerings in the app, currently, in the brainstorming phase. For research, I am analyzing other similar apps and also going through the data from Google Search Console, and it's been very helpful so far.
If you're wondering, I am not going to tell you what the app is about just yet because it's very simple, and the idea can be copied with just a prompt. But yes, I will eventually share more about these.
Honestly, "distribution" has always been important, but it has become even more important in the age of AI because "code" is not the moat anymore. In my case, I already have thousands of visitors coming to the tool and if I create the paid version, I will instantly have lots of potential customers.
Also, the concept of engineering as marketing is the most rewarding than ever in the current time, because creating free tools around your main product is simpler and faster than ever. If you want to experiment something with the lowest effort, just ask any LLM to give you ideas for free tools around you main product, create one, publish it in a subdomain, and forget it for a few weeks. If you see a positive traction, create the tool on the main domain, and do a redirect from the subdomain.
I think, this is the best use-case of AI for marketing.
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