Indie Dev Step One: Traffic First, Product Second
Indie Dev Step One: Traffic First, Product Second
Keywords: Indie Dev, Traffic First, MVP, Validation, Cold Start
"Build it and they will come." This is the biggest lie for indie devs. Reality: Thousands of apps launch daily; most die in silence.
Why Code is Cheap
In the AI era, coding cost is plummeting. What's expensive is: User Attention.
If you spend 3 months building a perfect app, and zero people download it, those 3 months are wasted.
Traffic-First Strategy
1. Build a "Fake" Product
Before coding, post Figma mockups or a "I'm planning to solve X" post on Reddit/Twitter.
- Likes/Comments/Beta signups?
- Yes -> Validated. Start coding.
- No -> Pivot. You saved 3 months.
2. SEO is King
Like this blog site. Instead of begging influencers, write high-quality SEO articles. When users search "AS pain tracker" and find PainMap, that traffic is precise and free.
3. Build an Audience
Start an email list or discord before the product exists. Even 100 followers are your cold-start seeds.
Conclusion
Don't build a 5-star hotel in the desert. Find the camel caravan (Traffic) first, then sell water (Product) by the road.