For a long time, I misunderstood “independent development.”
I thought it meant:
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mastering frameworks
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polishing architecture
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reading endless theory
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and only then launching something
Six months passed.
Zero products online.
Zero dollars earned.
That’s when I realized something uncomfortable but liberating:
Making money with tool sites + Google AdSense is not a technical competition.
It’s a cognitive game.
What matters is not how much code you know, but:
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what users are already searching for
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what search engines reward
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what kind of pages actually convert traffic into dollars
This article is meant to correct your direction before you start running.
At the end, you’ll find two practical 7-day SOPs:
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one for complete beginners
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one for programmers who want to stress-test the core logic
No hype. No fantasies. Just a usable mental model.
Why you must build understanding fast (the 80/20 reality)
Many people want to become independent developers, but they start wrong.
They:
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learn everything first
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delay launching
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and never experience a full “money loop”
The result?
Knowledge inflation + confidence collapse.
The truth is simple:
Tool sites + AdSense reward understanding, not sophistication.
You’re not building a startup.
You’re placing small, quiet machines on the internet that solve boring problems—and collect rent.
The 80/20 mental model (one sentence)
A tool site + AdSense = solve a high-frequency, low-cost problem with a simple page → let search engines send traffic → turn intent into ad revenue.
That’s it.
Everything else is decoration.
The 4 core knowledge points that cover 80% of success
1️⃣ Search-first thinking (not programming-first)
Most beginners ask:
“What tool can I build?”
Wrong question.
The right question is:
“What are people already searching for, and why are existing pages so bad?”
AdSense income is passive.
It doesn’t rely on promotion.
It relies on search intent.
You only need to judge three things:
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Is there real search demand?
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Are current top pages ugly, slow, or confusing?
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Do users “use and leave” (perfect for ads)?
Good examples
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PDF to Word
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JSON Formatter
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Timestamp Converter
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Interest Rate Calculator
Bad examples
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Tutorials
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Entertainment tools
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Communities
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Platforms
📌 If you remember only one thing:
Find the search need first. Code later.
2️⃣ Minimalist tool pages (one tool = one page)
Google doesn’t reward feature richness.
It rewards problem resolution.
Most profitable tool pages are:
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ugly
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simple
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extremely fast
You don’t need:
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React
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fancy UI
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multi-page systems
You need:
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title = keyword
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one-line explanation
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input
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button
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output
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ads
A good tool page is usable in 3 seconds, and users leave immediately after.
Ironically, that’s exactly why it makes money.
3️⃣ Minimum viable SEO (not the full theory)
You don’t need “SEO mastery.”
You only need to reach the point where:
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search engines understand your page
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users stay long enough to finish the task
Beginners only need 5 things:
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page title = full search query
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clean URL
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the tool actually works
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fast loading
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original functionality
No backlinks.
No authority building.
No SEO plugins.
For tool sites, functionality itself is the strongest SEO.
4️⃣ AdSense monetization logic (not “just add ads”)
The same 10,000 visits can earn:
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$2
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or $50+
The difference is intent.
High-value traffic:
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work
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efficiency
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money
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problem-solving
Low-value traffic:
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entertainment
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reading
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curiosity
Beginners should target:
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overseas users
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office workers
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programmers
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PC usage
Avoid at first:
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entertainment niches
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pure content
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local Chinese traffic
The closer the search intent is to jobs and money, the higher the ad value.
Three “important” things you should delay learning
These feel fundamental—but they will trap you for months.
❌ Myth 1: Front-end frameworks (React / Vue / Next)
Why they feel necessary:
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everyone uses them
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tons of tutorials
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“professional” vibe
Why you can delay:
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80% of tool pages are just input → output
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native HTML + JS is enough
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Google doesn’t care what framework you use
What you lose temporarily:
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elegant code
What you gain:
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launch in days, not weeks
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faster pages
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better crawlability
Uncomfortable truth:
Most profitable tool sites have shockingly low technical standards.
❌ Myth 2: Full SEO systems
Why it feels basic:
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keywords
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backlinks
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authority
Why you can delay:
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your real problem isn’t optimization
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it’s building something nobody needs
Early tool traffic comes from:
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long-tail queries
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functional matching
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clarity
What you lose:
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faster ranking
What you gain:
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speed
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confidence
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real feedback
Using the right tool is already SEO.
❌ Myth 3: User systems / databases / logins
Why people want them:
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“future expansion”
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“user retention”
Why they must wait:
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AdSense tool sites work best with “use and go”
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logins reduce usage
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increase complexity
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increase legal risk
What you lose:
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retention fantasy
What you gain:
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ultra-low cost
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ultra-low maintenance
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ultra-fast speed
Independent developers should not cultivate users in stage one.
A simple self-check (to avoid future traps)
If a knowledge point does not:
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help you launch faster
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help you get search traffic
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help you increase ad value
👉 It doesn’t belong to your current stage.
The vending machine analogy (this will stick)
Think of tool sites like this:
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Search engine = subway entrance
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Search demand = thirsty people
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Tool page = vending machine
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AdSense = mall POS system
You’re not opening a mall.
You’re placing machines where people already walk.
7-Day SOP (Beginner Version)
Goal:
Go live. Be searchable. Be usable.
Day 1–2: Find the “gym entrance”
Search:
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“xxx calculator”
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“xxx converter”
Pick one keyword where:
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results exist
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top pages are bad
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solution is obvious
Day 3–4: Build the vending machine
Requirements:
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one page
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one function
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it works
No beauty. No perfection.
Day 5: Write the sign
Only write:
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page title
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one sentence explanation
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example
Day 6: Go online
Deploy it.
Open it on your phone.
Day 7: Do nothing
Tell yourself:
“I’ve completed a full loop.”
Confidence comes from completion, not learning.
7-Day SOP (Programmer / Advanced Version)
This version trains judgment, not just execution.
Day 1: Search demand ≠ ideas
Judge 10 keywords. Write why they work or don’t.
Day 2: Tool pages as machines
Analyze top tool sites. Identify why they make money.
Day 3: SEO clarity
Write title + H1 + first sentence for one keyword.
Day 4: Build minimum functionality
Make it usable. Nothing more.
Day 5: Monetization lens
Answer:
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who uses it?
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work or fun?
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annoying problem?
Day 6: Online reality
Deploy. Share with a friend. Confirm it exists.
Day 7: Reflection
Write:
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where did I struggle?
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what should I skip next time?
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what do I actually need to learn now?
You’re not building a tool in 7 days.
You’re installing an independent developer’s intuition.
A sober truth about AdSense projects
Google Ads monetization is not instant feedback.
It’s closer to:
planting trees without knowing which one becomes a money tree.
Some sites:
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earn nothing for years
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then suddenly explode
That’s why this model is suitable as:
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a long-term asset
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a “retirement-style” side project
You can:
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cultivate 2–3 domains per year
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test for 1–2 months
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spend ~$80 per domain
The real skill you gain is demand recognition, which also transfers directly to paid SaaS.
Final words
Independent development is not about brilliance.
It’s about clarity, restraint, and repetition.
Use awareness to see anxiety.
Use thinking to stay clear-headed.
Use action to keep growing.
Thank you for reading this far ❤
— Yun Taotao
Independent developer, 9 years of programming experience
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