🗞 What's New: Google, cookies, and new opportunities for you

This week, Google announced that it will not remove third-party cookies from Chrome:

• This opens up new things you can build, like a user-friendly cookie manager, an advanced analytics tool, or easier integration features.
• If you're struggling to make your writing more effective, focus on the subject. Use evidence-based examples, and prioritize clarity.
• $23K MRR with a no-code website builder. John Rush invested $800K in an acquisition, and the platform plummeted. User feedback saved it.

Want your product seen by over 95,000 founders and businesses? Sponsor an issue of the Indie Hackers newsletter. Choose between 3 affordable tiers that can fit almost any budget.

from the Trendy Software Ideas newsletter

This week, Google announced that it will not remove third-party cookies from Chrome. Why is this is a big deal? Well, a huge percentage of web apps rely on cookies to function.

Google announced that third-party cookies would be removed from Chrome several years ago. The company even released a timeline for removing cookies, and revised that timeline several times.

That is, until two days ago, when they abandoned the plan altogether.

The state of third-party cookies in other browsers

Firefox blocks third-party cookies that track you, but it allows "functional cookies." Think Facebook login, Amazon Pay, etc. Websites require these cookies to work properly.

Safari also blocks most third-party cookies by default.

Chrome holds a 65% market share in the browser market, therefore this choice has big implications.

Most importantly, it opens up a whole range of opportunities for founders!

New opportunities for indie hackers

• User-friendly cookie manager: Privacy-conscious users will now be looking for more ways to protect their privacy after this change. Create a Chrome extension that tells users how many third-party cookies they have, how long they've been active, etc.

• An extension to completely block cookies: There are several of them already on the Chrome Web Store, and our guess is that they'll get a boost in popularity following this change.

• Advanced analytics: Marketers were hesitant to use tools like these because they relied on third-party cookies (which marketers were aware would soon disappear). Things have changed, and marketers' tools for analytics, retargeting, etc. will gain more acceptance.

• Make integrations easier: This is a feature, not necessarily a software idea.

We've seen a lot of online software that was previously easy to use (because of third-party cookies) become more difficult as the founders sought an alternative for keeping their software usable.

For example, if you provided an analytics service that relied on websites embedding basic code, you'd now need to provide a tutorial on how to convert the third-party cookie into a first-party cookie, which frequently involves the user to edit their server-side code.

This had an impact on adoption; the more difficult something is, the less likely people are to do it.

Google keeping third-party cookies means that you can now (again) offer simplified tutorials to users getting started with your software.

Discuss this story, or subscribe to the Trendy Software Ideas newsletter for more.

from the Trendy Software Ideas newsletter

🏅 How to stream the Olympics like a champ.

🤖 Why Big Tech wants to make AI cost nothing.

💲 Link to your product here. Our most affordable ad.

🔮 Three timeless ways to future-proof SEO.

🤔 Is remarketing still relevant?

🪒 Here's why thieves love to steal razors.

Check out Trendy Software Ideas to discover more software ideas inspired by recent news.

by Martin Baun

These are the most impactful lessons influencing my writing journey!

1. Balance perfection with completion

Perfection in art is impossible. Completing a creation is better than searching for perfection. It allows you to learn, analyze, critique, and grow. Chasing perfection leaves you unfinished. You never grow or improve, because you don't make mistakes to learn from.

My goal remains to complete as many tasks as possible. This helps me to continually develop my writing skills.

2. Subject first

Do not write on topics that you haven't properly researched. Having a focused point allows you to create the best content. Prioritize achieving clarity; the ability to connect with readers through text is a superpower.

Create a draft that you can revise, as needed. Remain focused on the subject, and using evidence-based examples to drive your point home.

3. Visual content helps

Implement visual content. It can be anything from videos, pictures, a play, a storyboard, etc. Take any topic you're interested in, and add a visual aspect.

Context is key. Visual content is meant to supplement your writing. Be intentional about where you place your visuals for maximum impact.

4. Prepare the article title and image cover before writing

The title is important. It tells everyone what to expect in the written text, without giving everything away. It has to be interesting enough to captivate them to find out more.

The cover image adds to the title. Together, they work to build a reader's curiosity. I like crafting a title, then seeing what I can write from it. It's not the most conventional way to do things, but I enjoy the challenge.

5. Keep writing, even when it's hard

Writer's block is common, and sometimes you won't resonate with what you create.

Keep pushing through, and you'll discover deeper recesses of your creative prowess.

6. Accept feedback

Seek feedback from others. Take it on the chin, make changes, and grow. Study the patterns of what makes your articles succeed and fail. These criticisms will help you have the best idea of where your content stands.

Do not take feedback personally. This will help you improve, and push your content to be the best it can be.

For more thoughts, guides, and insights, visit my blog or my YouTube channel!

Discuss this story.

🗓️ I created six side projects over a weekend. Posted by Alexander Isora.

🔎 Getting early adopters in B2B. Posted by Nico.

💻 Build an ecosystem, not a startup. Posted by Arian Adeli.

📖 A beginner's guide to SEO. Posted by Tuiddy.

📹 Top three video generation products this week. Posted by Ayyoub Bhihi.

📧 10 essential cold email tactics. Posted by Peter Chudakov.

Want a shout-out in next week's Best of Indie Hackers? Submit an article or link post on Indie Hackers whenever you come across something you think other indie hackers will enjoy.

by Marc Andre

Each week, FlipMySite publishes an inspiring success story featuring a founder growing and selling an online business.

In June 2022, John Rush purchased a no-code website builder, Unicorn Platform, for $800K. Immediately after the acquisition, MRR dropped by 12%, and churn spiked. The platform suffered from technical issues and significant downtime, contributing to the problem.

These setbacks led John to make changes that drastically improved the business, and increased stability. Today, Unicorn Platform is at $23K MRR (44% higher than at the time of the acquisition), and is growing quickly.

From startup founder to acquisition pro

John Rush had significant experience as a founder before purchasing Unicorn Platform. When he came across Unicorn Platform, he decided that buying an existing business would be better than starting from scratch.

The deal closed in June 2022. The 5x valuation was fairly normal for a profitable SaaS business at the time, but John admits that he wasn't careful enough about the purchase price, and bought at the top of the valuation hype.

Post-acquisition decline

Shortly after the acquisition, things started going downhill. The platform was buggy and frequently inaccessible, and the downtime and poor performance led some users to cancel. This was difficult to fix because the code base proved to be an issue. Eventually, John and his own developers improved the platform's stability.

The removal of the seller from the business also contributed to the decline. As an indie hacker, the seller's personality was significantly tied to the business, and many customers felt connected to him personally. When he was no longer involved, some of those customers left.

John also wasn't as proactive in growing the business. The original founder had been grinding every day to promote the product everywhere, but when John bought it, he didn't do that. He did pretty much nothing, and hoped for organic growth.

The rebound

John sought feedback from users, and based on that, spent two weeks improving the platform. He also focused on actually communicating the improvements and new features to users.

Another key change involved a focus on SEO and social media. John promoted with stories like this one, and it created new interest.

Takeaways

• If you're thinking of buying a business, don't forget to consider the founder's involvement and influence.

• Don't expect to grow organically or passively. This is a mistake a lot of buyers make: They buy a profitable business, then do very little to promote it. Unicorn Platform's performance turned around once John took a more active approach.

Discuss this story.

by Tweetmaster Flex

I post the tweets indie hackers share the most. Here's today's pick:

Forward it to a friend, and let them know they can subscribe here.

Also, you can submit a section for us to include in a future newsletter.

Special thanks to Jay Avery for editing this issue, to Gabriella Federico for the illustrations, and to Darko, Martin Baun, and Marc Andre for contributing posts. —Channing