Learning journal
Logging my coding insights, system setups, SEO adjustments, and failures building software.
Launching StartupWire: Choosing the Tech Stack and Niche
Today I officially began building StartupWire. The goal is clear: create a self-sustaining tech news platform that filters clutter. I chose Next.js because of its excellent SEO capabilities out-of-the-box and Supabase to avoid database configuration headaches. My primary niche is Tech Startups and Applied AI developments.
The SEO Mistake That Cost Me Initial Indexing
During deployment, I misconfigured the `robots.txt` file and set `Disallow: /` instead of allowing access to the root path. Google Crawler ignored the website for a week. Lesson learned: always validate SEO configurations using Google Search Console immediately after launching, even in beta.
Exploring Revenue Models: Micro-Sponsorships & API Access
Instead of intrusive Google AdSense, I am exploring micro-sponsorships (e.g., text ads for developers) and charging for premium API access to aggregated, categorised startup news data. Programmatic SEO will drive the traffic needed to sustain this model.
Lighthouse Score 100/100: How I Achieved It
Optimized StartupWire images using Next.js `<Image />` component, set font-display swap on Google Fonts, eliminated render-blocking third-party scripts, and pre-fetched critical links. Speed is a key SEO rank factor!