If people are searching for a solution to the problem they have, there's demand for a product that solves that problem.
There's no guessing. You can see the search volume for different markets to determine its size.
People want what you're selling.
SEO helped me generate over $350k in the last three years (over $200k in 2020 alone).
Indiehackers that focus on SEO tend to have more success than those who don't.
I'll break down what makes it so valuable.
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If people are searching for a solution to the problem they have, there's demand for a product that solves that problem.
There's no guessing. You can see the search volume for different markets to determine its size.
People want what you're selling.
SEO is so different from social media, simply because the people typing in keywords are warmer leads.
If you're on FB and see a promotion, it's mildly annoying. If you're on Google, you're looking for that thing anyways.
They're ready to buy something.
You hear it all the time - people say to write on your own blog, host your own email list, etc.
SEO allows you to do just that. It drives traffic to the most valuable assets you have. You don't need other platforms.
You can do whatever you want on your website.
I pay ~$2.5k/month for 3k clicks using Google search ads.
I also get an average of 250 clicks/day through SEO, working out to be 10500 clicks/month.
That's ~$8750 in free traffic every month.
You don't need a ton of people on your website to make good money. Just the right people.
SEO allows you to double down on the traffic that is generating most of your revenue.
Other forms of marketing draw in users that just want to poke around, not buy.
You have to think about what's most valuable for the customer, and write content that is actually valuable.
This allows you to build your business sustainably, instead of trying a bunch of short-term marketing hacks.
This builds real businesses.
Using SEO, you don't have to constantly churn out new content if your content is incredible.
I built my entire business in the first few years based on ~4 targeted blog posts.
Make something valuable and it will serve you for years.
And that's a good thing. That means it's valuable. That means real businesses are investing in it.
It's real, valuable work. Not just vanity metrics. You're getting real people to your business.
If you're good at SEO, you're good at something valuable.
It doesn't matter who has the biggest audience, if there's people, they're searching things they're interested in on Google.
Because of this, you can get people from any audience into your front door.
You can start building your own.
Black hat SEO is mostly a thing of the past. You can't game SEO anymore.
Only the best content, the most relevant results, and the websites that actually help customers will win.
If you're the best, you can win. Big time.
Every day new queries are searched on Google, and the algorithms are generating relevant results for the traffic.
Even the most competitive niches and markets have incredible amounts of long-tail opportunity.
Start small. Start specific. Build value.
SEO lets you focus on systems, rather than day-to-day tasks that take up all of your time.
Automated traffic. Automated free trials. Automated customers. Automated growth.
Use new content to build momentum for your automation machine.
Simplest SEO strategy for Indiehackers:
Answer the Internet's questions with your product being the solution.
Write the best content for keywords your customers are typing into Google.
Search engines are part of what makes the Internet so powerful.
Search engines need to algorithmically bring up the best content/results, and you can be that result.
People will always be looking for solutions to their problems.
When you first start, not much will happen.
As you provide more and more value, Google will notice. People will notice.
The more people click on your results, the more Google trusts your content.
New content ranks faster. Old content ranks higher.
You don't have to worry about where your traffic will come from.
You don't have to figure out how to generate traffic today.
You can make reliable predictions about the future of your business.
New customers will to show up on your website every day.
It doesn't matter what you're selling or who you're selling to.
Maybe you're selling vidalia onions on the Internet like @searchbound.
If people are searching for it, and it's something they can buy, SEO works for you.
Okay, it's not "free". It requires time.
It's the perfect investment for an Indiehacker that doesn't have any capital to spend.
Invest your time into writing well, producing great content, and over time you can convert your time into capital.
Google HAS to serve results for just about any keyword users search for.
When you put out content, and index it, Google will start showing your content to test it's quality.
You get exposed to new traffic you never even thought of exploring.
A quick Google is one of the first ways many people start to address problems they're solving.
This is how you can beat out legacy products in your space.
People don't know about the competitors, but they see your product, and it works for them.
If people aren't searching for it, it probably doesn't matter. There's obvious exceptions, but it's a good rule to follow.
Make products people are searching for. Solve problems people actually have.
Write content that matters.
It doesn't matter who you are, where you're from, or what you look like.
If you put out the best content, Google will bring you traffic.
You do need skills. You don't need credentials.
Permissionless leverage. h/t @naval
A well written piece of content builds trust.
If you show up in the top 10 results you're seen as trustworthy.
If you deliver on your promise, people will trust you and follow your CTA.
More trust = more sales.
