I built a binary translator. The interesting part wasn’t the conversion.

Hey IH,

I’ve been building Binary Code Translator, a browser-based tool for converting text, binary, and numbers.

The core conversion is straightforward. The more interesting problem is helping someone understand what they’re looking at.

For example, 01000001 can mean the number 65, or the letter A when interpreted as ASCII. Both are valid. The answer depends on what the user is trying to decode.

That distinction shaped a lot of the product:

• A byte inspector that shows how text maps to binary.
• Explicit UTF-8 and ASCII options, with errors when the input doesn’t fit.
• OCR for extracting binary from images, with a chance to correct recognition mistakes.
• PNG, SVG, and text exports for saving or sharing results.

Conversion and image processing happen in the browser, and there’s no account required.

One thing this project has made me think about is how much explanation belongs in a utility. Someone pasting a binary string probably wants an immediate answer. Someone learning about encoding might need to see why that answer is correct. I’m trying to make both possible without cluttering the main workflow.

My acquisition plan is to focus on organic search, with dedicated tools and guides for specific conversion tasks. Whether that brings useful traffic is still something I need to validate.

For those who’ve built small utility sites: what helped you turn a one-time search visitor into someone who remembers and returns to your tool?

I’d appreciate feedback on the product, especially anything that feels confusing or unnecessary.