I see so many developers (myself included) get stuck in "Tutorial Hell" or "Stack Paralysis." We spend weeks debating Next.js vs. Remix, or SQL vs. NoSQL, for a project that has zero users.
I stopped doing that. Now, I build backwards from the search query.
I look for what people are actually typing into Google, and I build the simplest possible artifact to answer that question.
The "Micro-Site" Strategy
Instead of building one massive, complex sports platform, I build hyper-focused micro-sites.
Example 1: The "Living Document" People search for "Texas Longhorns depth chart." They don't want a generic ESPN page that loads 40MB of ads. They want the list. So, I built [texasfootballdepthchart.com].
The Tech: It's a lightweight Next.js app.
The Data: It pulls from a headless CMS where I just manage the roster.
The Win: It loads instantly. It answers the query perfectly. Google loves it.
Example 2: The "Specific History" People search for specific rivalry histories. "Who won the Iron Bowl in 1985?" I built [ironbowlhistory.com].
The Tech: Astro.
The Data: Markdown files.
The Win: It's 100% static. It costs $0 to host on Vercel. It will never crash, no matter how much traffic it gets on game day.
Example 3: The "Logic Tool" People ask, "Is this fantasy trade fair?" I built a [fantasy football trade analyzer].
The Tech: A simple React form + a serverless function to fetch stats and run the math.
The Win: It solves a pain point immediately.
The Takeaway Your code doesn't need to be "clever." It needs to be useful. A static HTML page that solves a user's problem is better than a complex Kubernetes cluster that nobody visits.
Find a niche query. Build the answer. Ship it.
Top comments (0)