IdeaWell

Project ideas from Hacker News discussions.

Google is dead. Where do we go now?

Original Article

Hacker News Discussion

📝 Discussion Summary (Click to expand)

1. Ineffectiveness of Google Adwords for Small Businesses

Rising costs, bots, competition, and poor ROI have made Adwords unreliable, especially for SMBs.
"good riddance seriously i used to pay like $1~2 a click back in 2010s and remember feeling like a total scam. no way of knowing if those clicks were bots" – agentifysh.
"cost per click has gone up a lot over the years" – tomjuggler.

2. Inevitable Advertising Pollution of AI Search Results

AI's "golden age" is temporary; ads and SEO will soon dominate LLM outputs like current search.
"I give it maybe 12-18 months before AI results are polluted by advertising" – eterm.
"the product promotion text will be integrated into the responses" – nacozarina.

3. Shift to Social Media, Video, and AI Optimization

Alternatives like TikTok, Instagram, Reddit, YouTube ads, short-form video, and AI-friendly content (FAQs) are recommended.
"Reddit ads to be useful... Youtube Ads, Instagram Ads, Increase AI Visiblity" – senthil_rajasek.
"For ChatGPT... strong FAQ page and lots of content marketing" – hawtads.

🚀 Project Ideas

AI-Optimized Content Generator for SMBs

Summary

  • A web app that scans a small business website, generates FAQ sections, structured data, and LLM-friendly content (e.g., detailed service descriptions) to boost visibility in AI search results like ChatGPT or Gemini.
  • Core value: Levels the playing field for cash-strapped SMBs against big advertisers by making their sites the go-to source for AI recommendations, solving "SEO-garbage-in-garbage-out" and AEO/GEO needs.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Local SMB owners (e.g., entertainers, service providers) struggling with AI search pollution
Core Feature One-click site scan + auto-generate/deploy FAQ, schema markup, and prompt-engineered content blocks
Tech Stack Next.js, LangChain/LLMs (OpenAI/Claude), SerpAPI for validation, Vercel for hosting
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Revenue-ready: Freemium ($9/mo pro)

Notes

  • HN users lament AI results citing "spammy review websites" (nospice) and need FAQ/content for LLMs (sixtyj, hawtads); this automates it scalably.
  • High discussion potential on AI ethics/marketing shifts; practical for tomjuggler's Durban business.

Local Click Fraud Detector

Summary

  • Open-source dashboard that integrates with Google Ads, server logs, and analytics to detect bot clicks, invalid traffic, and competitor sabotage in real-time, with auto-blacklisting.
  • Core value: Saves SMB ad budgets from fraud (e.g., $1-2/click scams, bots), addressing "no way of knowing if those clicks were bots" without expensive tools.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience SMB advertisers on Google/TikTok/Instagram facing rising CPC and fraud
Core Feature Log analysis via Tirreno-like backend, geo/IP anomaly detection, ROI alerting
Tech Stack Node.js/Go backend, ClickHouse for logs, React dashboard, Docker deploy
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Hobby

Notes

  • Directly responds to reconnecting's fraud stories and tomjuggler's local market suspicions; quotes "click farms... no image loading = blacklist" as inspiration.
  • Utility for devs to self-host; sparks HN debates on ad ecosystem integrity.

Geo-Targeted Short Video Ad Builder

Summary

  • SaaS tool for local businesses to create/edit TikTok/Instagram/Reels ads from raw footage, with hyper-local targeting (e.g., Durban birthdays) and A/B testing templates.
  • Core value: Bridges AdWords gap for video-first discovery ("TikTok or it didn’t happen"), low-cost entry for non-video pros like entertainers.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Local service SMBs (e.g., events, magic shows) shifting from Google to social video
Core Feature AI clip editor, location-based templates, direct platform upload/scheduling
Tech Stack FFmpeg/CapCut API, React/Vite, Meta/TikTok Ads SDK, Supabase
Difficulty High
Monetization Revenue-ready: $19/mo unlimited exports

Notes

  • HN pushes video shift ("short form content", pigpop, senthil_rajasek); tomjuggler notes "lots of video editing in my future".
  • Practical for local niches; HN would discuss video algo gaming vs. merit-based promo.

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