Give us a bit of your background. Who are you, and what was your situation before building OpenGraph?
Hi, I’m Yuyu, a front-end developer based in Singapore. Before I started building OpenGraph, I was already working as a developer at ExpressVPN, balancing my professional life with being a father of two wonderful kids.
I’ve always been passionate about crafting websites that are both visually appealing and easy to use, with a strong focus on UI/UX design and SEO optimization. Building OpenGraph was an extension of that passion, as I wanted to create a tool that made managing OpenGraph meta tags easier for others.
What is OpenGraph, what problem does it solve, and how does it work?
OpenGraph is a free tool I developed to help website owners and developers solve a common but often overlooked problem: ensuring their sites look great when shared on social media platforms.
In today's digital landscape, we share links across a multitude of social media sites - Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Discord, and many others. Each of these platforms has its own way of displaying link previews, which are generated from a website's meta tags. However, it's not always easy or straightforward to check how your site will appear across all these different platforms.
That's where OpenGraph comes in. It provides a simple, bird's-eye view of how your website will look when shared on various social media platforms. This instant preview capability allows users to quickly identify and address any issues with their site's appearance on social media.
What led you to build OpenGraph?
My journey to building OpenGraph was a confluence of personal interests, market research, and identifying a gap in existing tools. I was reading about Exact Match Domains (EMD) and wondering if I could build and rank a simple tool using this approach.
While exploring SEO strategies and maintaining a blog, I struggled to preview how my content would appear across different social platforms. To address this, I frequently used tools like HeyMeta, which I found impressively simple and useful. However, I noticed a limitation - it only provided a general preview and lacked platform-specific previews for Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and others.
After some keyword research, I noticed potential in the term "opengraph". Seeing a chance to solve a problem I was personally experiencing, I purchased opengraph.xyz for $1.
This small investment kickstarted the development of OpenGraph, aiming to create a more comprehensive solution for content creators and marketers to optimize their social media presence.
How did you validate the idea?
My approach to validating OpenGraph was two-pronged:
- Initial Research: I conducted basic keyword research to gauge market interest and shared the concept within my professional communities to gather initial feedback.
- Real-world Testing: After launching the first version, I faced a challenge - despite implementing various technical SEO strategies, the site struggled to rank on Google for about a year.
Unexpectedly, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, OpenGraph began to gain traction. This organic growth provided valuable validation and motivated me to actively seek user feedback and continually improve the tool.
Could you describe the process of building the first version of OpenGraph?
Building the first version of OpenGraph was a straightforward process:
I leveraged Vue, Nuxt.js, and a 3rd party library to create the first version, as this was the tech stack I was most familiar with from my day job.
About a year later, I transitioned to using React for my projects. This shift created a disconnect with OpenGraph's original tech stack.
Despite growing traffic and improving search rankings, I found it increasingly difficult to maintain and enhance OpenGraph. The mismatch between my current expertise (React) and the tool's original framework (Vue/Nuxt.js) presented significant challenges.
How competitive was your space, and what steps did you take to stand out?
When I launched OpenGraph, there were two major competitors: HeyMeta and Metatags.io.
To stand out, I focused on user-driven improvements. I actively listened to user feedback and implemented requested features and enhancements.
I gathered and showcased user testimonials to increase social proof, which helped build trust with potential users.
I leveraged tools like FeedbackFish to streamline the process of collecting user insights. This approach proved invaluable for continuous improvement.
How did you launch OpenGraph and get your first customers?
I opted for a low-key approach, avoiding major public launches on platforms like Product Hunt or Reddit as I wasn’t confident it’s something I could be proud of.
Instead, I shared OpenGraph within the Trends.vs community I was part of. This targeted approach allowed me to reach a relevant audience.
The tool gained users gradually through word-of-mouth and organic discovery.
Since your launch, have you used any other marketing strategies to acquire or retain users?
My primary marketing approach was to make OpenGraph inherently shareable. I implemented features that made it easy for users to share URLs generated by OpenGraph.
This strategy led to users naturally sharing OpenGraph links on various platforms like GitHub, Jira, and Trello. As a result, OpenGraph gained backlinks organically, improving its SEO and visibility.
How was OpenGraph performing, and what led you to decide to sell it?
OpenGraph achieved significant traction, attracting 40K monthly visitors and 120K monthly pageviews, with 20% of traffic from the US.
The site's popularity allowed for selling sponsored slots, generating revenue with minimal additional effort.
Despite its success, I lacked a clear vision and motivation to further monetize the site. Over time, I also received multiple offers to purchase OpenGraph which led to my decision to sell.
What key lessons or insights have you gained from starting OpenGraph?
One of the most important lessons I’ve learned from starting this business is the value of patience, especially when results don’t come right away. It’s easy to feel discouraged, but staying focused and committed is crucial. Listening to user feedback is also incredibly valuable—it helps guide your decisions and priorities.
At the same time, it’s essential to understand your own worth and not let anyone undermine your value or the effort you’ve put into your work.
What advice would you give to aspiring founders who have tried a few micro SaaS businesses but haven’t found any success yet?
My advice would be to avoid jumping in without a clear plan. Start by doing some basic keyword research to get a sense of the demand and potential for your product.
It’s also important to invest in SEO early on—it might not bring immediate results, but it can have a significant impact on your long-term organic growth.
Stay persistent and focus on the fundamentals.
Where can people learn more about you and your work?
I’m working on being more active on X, but I often find myself spending more time building than sharing. Feel free to follow me on X and send a DM if you'd like to connect.
I also document and share my journey on my personal site, so you can check that out for more insights into my work.
