I built a free rhyme tool for songwriters — here's what I've learned growing it from zero

I'm not a developer, but I had a simple frustration: every rhyme tool I tried dumped a massive flat list of words. When you're writing lyrics, that's almost useless — syllable count matters as much as the rhyme itself. You can't swap a 1-syllable word for a 3-syllable one and keep the rhythm.

So I built RhymeIt (rhymeit.org). It groups rhymes by syllable count so songwriters and poets can find words that actually fit their line. Free, no signup required, works on mobile too.

Where I'm at: Got a viral moment on r/internetisbeautiful which was exciting but traffic didn't stick. Now focused on SEO — built ~48 topic pages targeting rhyme-related keywords. Running organic outreach in songwriting and poetry communities on Reddit. Google AdSense is installed, waiting for traffic to build.

What I'm figuring out: SEO feels like the right long-term bet but it's slow. Reddit engagement works but only when genuinely helpful. Building an audience for a free tool with no viral loop is hard.

Would love feedback from anyone who's grown a free tool — especially around SEO and organic community growth.