Building Niche Tool Websites: From Keyword Research to Sustainable Traffic

Want to build something that actually makes money? Stop building the next big social app and start building tiny tools that solve tiny problems. Seriously.

I've watched too many indie makers spend months on "revolutionary" apps that get three users. Meanwhile, someone's making $2k/month from a simple password generator. Which sounds better to you?

Why These Little Tool Sites Actually Work

Here's what nobody tells you about niche tools:

• People know what they want: When someone searches "tip calculator," they don't want a social platform for restaurant reviews. They want to calculate tips.
• One job, done well: You're not building Slack. You're building one thing that works perfectly.
• They stack up: Build five tools that make $500/month each. Math is pretty clear on that one.
• Google can't kill you as easily: Algorithm changes hurt, but if you've got ten sites, you're not dead from one hit.

Before you start building, validate your idea in 48 hours first. Don't skip this part (trust me).

Step 1: Find Keywords That Actually Pay

This is where most people mess up. They pick keywords because they "sound good" instead of doing the boring homework.

Look for words that scream "I want a tool": Calculator, Generator, Converter, Checker, Planner, Tracker, Builder... you get it.

Here's what I do:

1. Throw these into Semrush (or whatever keyword tool you can afford)
2. Filter for stuff that's not impossible: Volume ≥ 600, Difficulty ≤ 29, CPC ≥ $0.10
3. Export everything to a spreadsheet because we're going to do some math

The KDROI Formula (yeah, I made this up):

KDROI = (Search Volume × CPC) ÷ Keyword Difficulty

Higher KDROI = build this first. Lower KDROI = maybe later.

Real Example: Phone Number Generator

Let me show you why this keyword is gold:

• People actually search for it (consistently, not just during some random trend)
• It has decent CPC, meaning companies pay to show ads for it
• The competition isn't insane
• I can build it in a weekend (generate formatted numbers = not rocket science)
• Room to expand: different countries, bulk generation, API access

See? Not complicated.

Step 2: Figure Out What People Actually Want

Don't just build what YOU think they want. Look at the search results and figure out the different reasons people might search for your keyword.

For phone number generator:

• Developers: Need fake numbers for testing apps
• International users: Want numbers in specific country formats
• Researchers: Want to understand how phone number formats work

This means I need: main tool + country-specific pages + some educational content.

Step 3: Build the Simplest Thing That Works

Here's where everyone overcomplications things. You don't need a fancy framework. You don't need a database. You need HTML, a button, and some JavaScript.

<header>
  <h1>Phone Number Generator</h1>
  <nav>US • India • Brazil • Germany • Japan</nav>
</header>
<main>
  <h2>US Phone Number Generator</h2>
  <p>Generate valid US numbers for testing.</p>
  <button>Generate</button>
</main>

And yeah, make sure your value proposition is clear. Here's how to write one that doesn't suck.

Your JavaScript can be embarrassingly simple:

function generateChinaNumber() {
  const prefix = '1';
  const second = Math.floor(Math.random() * 7) + 3; // 3-9
  const rest = Array.from({length: 9}, () => Math.floor(Math.random()*10)).join('');
  return prefix + second + rest;
}

That's it. That's the tool. It works.

Step 4: Connect Everything Together

Here's the SEO part that actually matters:

• Link from your homepage to every country page
• Link from each country page back to the homepage and to related countries
• Add some FAQ sections or format explanations

Google likes when you make it clear how all your pages relate to each other. Don't be mysterious about it.

Step 5: Go Global (If It Makes Sense)

If your analytics show people from Brazil using your English tool a lot, maybe translate it to Portuguese. Don't translate everything at launch—wait for the data to tell you where to focus.

Keep the same CSS, just change the text. Don't overthink it.

Step 6: Get It Live

1. Push to GitHub (because version control is good, even for simple sites)
2. Deploy with Vercel (connects to GitHub, deploys automatically)
3. Put Cloudflare in front for caching and SSL
4. Submit your sitemap to Google Search Console

This whole step should take like an hour, not a week.

Step 7: Watch the Numbers

You need to know if this thing is working:

• Google Analytics: basic traffic stats
• Google Search Console: what people are searching for to find you
• Conversion tracking: are people actually using your tool?

If people visit but never use the tool, your tool sucks. Fix the tool.

Step 8: Get Your First Users

Nobody will magically discover your site. You need to put in some effort:

• Submit to tool directories (ProductHunt, Hacker News if it's genuinely useful)
• Share in relevant communities (dev forums for developer tools)
• Write supporting content ("Why phone number formats are different by country")

Don't spam. Be helpful. People can smell desperation from miles away.

The Bigger Picture

Once your tool gets traction, turn that traffic into revenue. Here's what a realistic timeline looks like:

• Week 1: Pick keywords, build MVP, make it work
• Week 2: Add country pages, connect everything with links
• Week 3: Deploy, submit to Google, start getting backlinks
• Week 4: Localize if needed, write supporting content, improve based on user feedback

Then do it again with a different tool. And again. Each one gets easier.

The Honest Truth

This isn't glamorous work. You're not changing the world. But you're solving real problems for real people and making real money doing it.

Most indie makers want to build the next unicorn. Smart ones build tools that people actually pay for.

Ready to stop building vanity projects and start building profit? Indie10k breaks this whole process down into weekly missions so you don't get overwhelmed or distracted by the next shiny thing.