Weeks 7-8: Browser-Based AI, Holiday Dips, and Why Third-Party SEO Tools Are Nearly Useless

Source: Dev.to

📅 Weekly Update (Dec 19 – Jan 1)

TL;DR – Holiday slowdown gave us a 25 % traffic dip (normal), but we bounced back quickly, added two major tools, uncovered a surprising geographic split, and learned a big lesson about backlink data.

1️⃣ Traffic Overview

• A 25 % traffic drop during Christmas week is expected – people aren’t searching for PDF tools while opening presents.
• By Dec 30 traffic had recovered to near‑normal levels, bounce rate improved, and session duration increased – signs of a healthy product.
• The dip is seasonal, not structural.

2️⃣ Traffic Source Breakdown

• ChatGPT remains the dominant referral channel (75 % of traffic).
• Geography surprise: 26 % of traffic comes from Egypt and Saudi Arabia combined, even though QuickTools.one is built in English with no regional targeting.
• Possible reasons: underserved free‑PDF market, higher privacy concerns, or more aggressive ChatGPT recommendations in those regions.
• Actionable thought: keep an eye on this trend – it may justify future localisation or Arabic language support.

3️⃣ New Tools Launched

🖼️ Remove Background (AI, in‑browser)

• Link: (not provided)
• Runs entirely in the browser – no uploads, no API calls, no privacy concerns.
• Powered by ONNX Runtime Web + a quantised RMBG‑1.4 model (176 MB).
• Optimisations: progressive loading, WebAssembly acceleration, fallback for unsupported devices.

Keyword research (search volume / difficulty):

• Competitive space, but privacy‑first positioning gives QuickTools.one a clear differentiator (most competitors upload images to servers).

🌐 Convert to WebP

• Link: (not provided)
• Batch conversion, quality control, ideal for web developers optimizing site performance.
• WebP images are 25‑35 % smaller than JPEGs at comparable quality → better Core Web Vitals.

Keyword research (search volume / difficulty):

• Targeting the low‑difficulty “webp convert png” and related terms makes ranking far easier than the high‑difficulty “png to webp”.

Result: QuickTools.one now hosts 17 live tools.

4️⃣ Backlink Revelation

• 30× difference – third‑party tools severely under‑report backlinks for a brand‑new domain.
• Historical pattern: Ubersuggest showed 4 backlinks while GSC reported 56 (≈ 14×).

Why third‑party tools miss links:

1. Slower, less comprehensive crawlers.
2. Preference for established, high‑authority domains.
3. New, low‑authority sites get deprioritised.
4. Many links simply never get discovered.

Takeaway: Third‑party SEO tools can miss the majority of backlinks for new domains.

Next steps:

• Monitor the Egypt/Saudi traffic share, consider localisation.
• Keep building privacy‑first tools.
• Always validate SEO metrics in Google Search Console.

📊 Weekly Metrics & Highlights

🔎 SEO & Product Insights

1. Browser‑based AI is a real differentiator – Running ML models in the browser solves genuine privacy concerns; users handling sensitive photos or confidential documents appreciate that their files never leave the device.
2. Third‑party SEO tools miss the mark on new domains – Tools like Ubersuggest or Ahrefs free often under‑report backlinks (90 %+ missed). Trust Google Search Console for accurate data.
3. Holiday traffic dips are normal – A ~25 % drop during Christmas week is expected. Focus on longer‑term trends rather than weekly fluctuations.
4. International audiences are real – 26 % of traffic comes from Egypt and Saudi Arabia—potentially underserved markets worth targeting and possibly localising for.
5. Golden keywords hide in plain sight – “Webp convert png” (difficulty 17) vs. “png to webp” (difficulty 63); intent is identical, so test variations.
6. PDF tools are the core product – 91 % of usage is PDF‑related; image tools are secondary. Prioritise future development accordingly.

📅 Focus for Week 9

• Continue directory submissions from the 100‑site hit list.
• Monitor performance of the new AI tool in search.
• Explore adding more video tools (e.g., GIF → video).
• Track international traffic trends for growth opportunities.

🛠️ Tools Overview (All free, processed locally in the browser)

PDF Tools

• Merge PDF
• Compress PDF
• Split PDF
• Delete PDF Pages
• Extract PDF Pages
• PDF → Image
• Image → PDF
• Unlock PDF

Image Tools

• Resize Image
• Compress Image
• Crop Image
• Color Picker
• Remove Background (NEW)

Convert Tools

• Convert to WebP (NEW)

Video Tools

• Video → GIF

Document Tools

• Markdown → PDF

Developer Tools

• Favicon Generator

📚 Content & Outreach

• Daily updates on X: (details not provided)
• Weekly articles on Medium and Dev.to.

Tags: #BuildInPublic #IndieHackers #SEO #MicroSaaS #NextJS #SoloFounder #AI #BrowserML

📂 Directory Submissions (ongoing)

• SideProjectors (submitted as showcase)
• StartupRanking
• StartupTile
• PitchWall.co (Week 6, now live)

Goal: Consistent progress—few submissions per week, tracked in a spreadsheet. Individually small, but over months they compound into meaningful domain authority.