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How I built a new product in just 15 hours

Hello, I’m Alex.

Since 2024, I have launched four projects.

The latest service was launched in just one day.

I want to share my approach to launching a service from scratch to an MVP. I also want to show my marketing strategy for promoting it.

Research

Every project begins with analysis.

I study existing services, their:

– Monetization strategies
– Design
– Structure
– Web traffic

The key here is to understand: does your idea have potential?

My product is a WHOIS service for searching information about domains. There are some other WHOIS services, but they are few. I can compete with them.

These services have good traffic, which means there is demand and interest among users.

Monetization

Monetization is the heart of any business. How can I make money from the service?

If the answer isn’t clear, or if I can’t easily see how to monetize the idea, I set it aside. This step is crucial because without a clear monetization plan, marketing and promotion lose their purpose.

For my new WHOIS service, I have a monetization plan to sell API requests for WHOIS domain information, targeting developers and startups.

Marketing

So this is my plan to promote the WHOIS service.

  • Blog: I’ll write articles and publish them on the service blog to drive SEO traffic.

  • Domains with Backlinks: I’ll find domains with backlinks, purchase them, and set up redirects to my WHOIS service. I’ll use my product Gone.Domains which I developed for finding expired domains with backlinks from authoritive websites like as Medium, Forbse, Product Hunt and other.

  • API marketplaces. I’ll publish my service on marketplaces like RapidAPI, APIs.guru, APILayer, and other platforms. These marketplaces allow you to list and monetize your APIs.

Design

Design is what grabs attention.

During my research, I look at competitors’ designs and think about how I can make mine better.

For my service, I decided to add a touch of Web 3.0: pixel fonts and a minimalist approach — simple but effective.

WHS.IS main page

Development

For development, I use my custom build based on Laravel, Docker, and other tools that allow me to deploy a project in just a few hours.

This includes GitLab auto-deploy, queues and caching with Redis, and free SSL via CertBot.

And all of this is completely free.

My build even includes SEO improvements, so the product is almost market-ready right out of the gate.

Result

After 15 hours of work, I have a functioning MVP.

WHS.IS API

It includes a free WHOIS tool for retrieving domain information on the main page, an example of an API request, pricing details, and a pre-order form.

The main idea behind launching new services quickly is to be ready for make first SEO, marketing, and promotion.

I like this approach — promotion first, development second — is focused on early launches and attracting customers. You gain a better understanding of your product from a marketing perspective.

👉 Full video on YouTube

My projects:

Find expired domains with backlinks
Domain investing blog
Domain tracker
WHOIS API service

If you are interested in my journey as a solo entrepreneur, you can find me on X or Telegram, where I post short notes about my progress.

posted to Icon for group Building in Public
Building in Public
on August 27, 2024
Trending on Indie Hackers
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