Hey everyone, I wanted to share my journey on creating my own SaaS (as a developer) because I couldn't afford the offering that was out there. I own an automation agency and like many business owners, I came across software that I thought would help my business grow. However, I was stopped by steep pricing. Instead of giving up, I decided to build it myself. Here's my story:

Initial Spark and Sticker Shock

It all began with a tweet by Jake Ward about SEO heisting—a tactic that uses repurposed competitor content to drive massive traffic. Jake's post revealed an impressive feat: redirecting 3.6 million visits to his site using this strategy. The tool behind this success? Byword. It piqued my interest, but the cost was a barrier—nearly $4 per article for a $100 monthly subscription. This pricing was out of reach for many small businesses, including my own consulting firm.

Deep Dive into Existing Solutions

Intrigued by the potential of SEO heisting but deterred by the cost, I decided to explore Byword’s capabilities through its free plan. What I found was a system that heavily relied on automated, superficial content generation techniques:

Generic Content: Byword generated articles based on keywords and titles, but these often lacked depth and context, making them less effective at engaging readers and improving SEO in the long term.

High Cost, Low Value: Despite the high cost, the articles required significant revisions to meet quality standards, demanding additional time and resources.

Building a Better Solution

Coming from a software development background and convinced that I could improve upon Byword's model, I set out to create a tool that would not only be more cost-effective but also produce higher quality content. Here’s how I approached it:

Research-First Methodology: Using Perplexity, I implemented a system that prioritizes up-to-date, relevant data as the foundation for all content. This ensures that articles are not only SEO-friendly but also factually accurate and valuable to readers.

Logical Structure and Quality: Leveraging OpenAI’s capabilities, I developed a feature to construct logically sound frameworks for articles, ensuring that each piece has a coherent structure that enhances readability and engagement.

Enhanced Content Quality: With the help of the Clawed API, the tool refines the initial drafts into polished, detailed articles that are ready for publication without the need for extensive manual editing.

Innovative Features and User-Centric Design

Beyond just creating optimized content, I integrated features that address the specific pain points of SEO professionals:

Automated Competitor Analysis: The software scans competitor sitemaps daily, automatically suggesting potential content heists. This not only saves time but also keeps the user's content strategy as current as possible.

Cost-Effective Scaling: By automating and streamlining these processes, I significantly reduced the cost per article, making high-quality SEO accessible for businesses of all sizes.

Challenges Along the Way

Looking to the Future

Developing this tool was not without its challenges. Balancing technical development with an intuitive user interface was crucial. Ensuring that the software was both powerful and easy to use required iterative testing and feedback. Additionally, maintaining affordability without compromising on the functionality demanded innovative solutions and careful resource management.

I honestly didn't think this project would turn into something I wanted as a product (more so for internal use for myself), but it's crazy how things play out. If you'd like to follow the project, please check it out.

Also feel free to ask me anything about the process, the build, etc. Always happy to help!!