Lessons from $40k in revenue: What actually works for solo founders

Hey IH! 👋
I'm building my second app (goodlogoai.com - AI logo maker) and wanted to share what I learned from getting my first app to $40k in revenue. Starting from scratch again, so figured I'd map out what actually worked vs what was a waste of time.

💡 What Actually Worked:

📈 SEO is the key (and it's painfully slow)

• SEO is boring. SEO is slow. But SEO actually works.
• It took me 3 months to see real traffic, but now it's my main source of customers
• Everything else I tried was either temporary or didn't convert
• If you're building for the long game, invest in SEO from day 1

🚫 Don't expect traffic from launches (but do them anyway)

• Product Hunt, Hacker News, BetaList - they're great for validation and backlinks
• But unless you're targeting their specific audience, traffic drops to zero after 48 hours
• I got maybe 50 signups from PH. But I got a DA 90 backlink that helps my SEO
• Launch for backlinks, not traffic

⚠️ Never buy backlinks on Fiverr (seriously, don't)

• I wasted $200 testing this. Google penalized me within 2 weeks.
• Those "DA 50+ backlinks" are PBN spam that Google can smell from miles away
• Build links naturally or don't build them at all
• One real backlink from a legit blog > 100 Fiverr spam links

📊 Track your entire user flow (PostHog changed my life)

• I was blind until I started tracking everything with PostHog
• Saw exactly where users dropped off: homepage → signup → payment
• Optimized each step and 2x my conversion rate
• You can't fix what you can't measure

🎯 Find low-competition keywords (this is the cheat code)

• Use Google Keyword Planner to find keywords with search volume
• Then check SERP and KD on free Ahrefs tools
• Look for "keyword gaps" - terms people search but aren't well-covered
• Start with low competition, build Google's trust, THEN go after competitive - terms
• I rank for 50+ keywords now, started with the easiest ones first

🌐 Stick with .com domains (yes, it matters)

• I learned this the hard way with my first project
• Google trusts .com domains from day 1
• .xyz, .ai, .io - they all start with lower trust
• Simple, memorable name on .com > clever name on weird TLD
• 80% of my traffic is people typing my app name directly into Google

🎥 YouTube is an SEO goldmine

• Started posting tutorial videos about my app
• Videos rank in Google search results
• YouTube is the 2nd biggest search engine
• Even bad videos with 50 views help your SEO
• Bonus: video thumbnails in search results = higher CTR

🛠️ Build free tools (best ROI activity ever)

• Free tools rank incredibly well on Google
• They get users into your funnel naturally
• Google sees high dwell time and ranks you even higher
• Example: I made a free "paint calculator" tool, got 1000s of visitors, 20% converted to paid

💬 Reddit is gold (but you'll get banned if you're pushy)

• Reddit hates advertising. Like, REALLY hates it.
• But if you're genuinely helpful and mention your tool naturally, it works
• I had 500 visits/day from Reddit... then got banned for being too spammy
• Don't make my mistake: be helpful first, promote second
• Pro tip: You're not targeting Redditors - you're targeting people who find those Reddit threads via Google search

✍️ Write conversationally (ChatGPT might cite you)

• Write like you're talking to a friend
• Natural, conversational content performs better
• Bonus: ChatGPT and other AI tools cite well-written, helpful content
• Don't obsess over GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) - it'll come naturally as your SEO improves

💭 Add a feedback button (your users are goldmines)

• Added a simple "feedback" widget in my app
• Users tell me EXACTLY what they want
• These people already paid you - they're your perfect customers
• Their insights are worth more than any market research

🎨 Get a good logo with your app name (yes, really)

• People remember visual brands
• Your logo shows up in bookmarks, tabs, social shares
• Makes you look legit even if you're a solo founder
• (Shameless plug: This is literally why I built goodlogoai.com 😄)

🎯 TL;DR:

• SEO > everything else for sustainable growth
• Launch everywhere for backlinks, not traffic
• Don't buy backlinks (Google will destroy you)
• Track everything with PostHog or similar
• Start with low-competition keywords
• .com domains still matter
• YouTube videos = free SEO boost
• Free tools = best lead magnets
• Reddit works but be subtle
• Write like a human, not an SEO bot
• Listen to your paying customers
• Invest in decent branding early

Currently at $40k revenue from app #1 Decoratly (AI interior designer), starting from $0 with app #2 (GoodLogoAI.com). Applying everything I learned this time around.

Happy to answer questions about any of this!

Anyone else finding SEO to be their main growth channel? Or am I just too impatient for paid ads?