Quit or Pivot?
We’re at a Crossroads, and I want to know your take.
Hey there, friends.
Remember when Kerry and I launched GA4Hell.com and we got subscribers quite literally on day one? I wrote about it here. We had this bold idea: Google Analytics is a bloated beast, and we were gonna tame it with AI. 💪 We built a tool, launched it, got a bunch of people signing up for a demo. It was a total rush, especially given how little work it took to get started. Then, we cranked out dozens of reports, high-fived each other, and waited for the cha-ching.
Crickets. Nobody paid.
We dug into why, and y’all* were straight-up honest. The reports were slick but felt like a riddle wrapped in a mystery. “This is cool,” you said, “but it’s more questions, and GA4’s already too much.” Fair point. We pivoted fast, like entrepreneurs on too much coffee would do. Version two was out the door pronto: actionable insights. Instead of sending facts, we started sending data-supported ideas. We’d say, “Write these [10 blog posts] to acquire this specific set of buyers,” or “fix JSON schema to appear in the corresponding maps search,” or “publish case studies on this customers/products to develop topical authority” … and so forth. Better, right?
It was better, but it was still more work. We wanted to offer quick fixes you could do in 15 minutes, but in practice we offered enough suggestions to keep you working for 3 months, and we gave you those things for free!
Then, as we were in the middle of all this, while building and planning other projects, it hit us — Google Analytics was awesome, but the real game-changer was going to be **AI SEO**.
You know, that wild world where bots like ChatGPT, Perpexity, and Grok decide who’s the authority on, say, “best running shoes” or “how to bake sourdough.” If you’re not on those bots’ radar, you’re invisible to the internet of the future. So, literally today, we decided to pivot again. We’re still using your GA4 data—that’s our secret sauce—but now we’re turning our attention to making you the go-to source for AIs data. Think of it like this: we’ll use your analytics to hack the future of SEO, or at least make sure that you are the best positioned to have a role in that future.
Here’s where I get real with you though: I’m not sure if we’re pivoting too soon. I’m that guy who’s always chasing tomorrow’s problems, the stuff from yesterday is just boring. I mean, if we can solve a problem, then what’s the point of solving it? It feels like all the real value is in solving the unsolvable—AI SEO feels like the future, but maybe you, the customers, are still wrestling with today’s GA4 headaches. After all, GA4Hell has been around for only a couple of months, at best. Have we tried reaching out to enough people? Do we have enough data from current customers to judge what the next signup will do?
I don’t know. Do we just sit on this for six months to see what happens, or do we demand the answers right now? Can we get them? The challenge is that I can make something really fast, but then I cannot if it would take 3 days, 3 weeks, or 3 years to find out if the customers want it.
Should we stick with our original “make GA4 easy” mission or go all-in on this AI SEO wave? I’m here to learn, I am trying to learn, but I also don’t know what I don’t know. Do you have suggestions? Seriously, enlighten me—I’m all ears.
Oh, yeah, usually I try to share something you can learn, but I guess today is not one of those days.
—Kirill.
* What’s up with “y’all?” I am moving to Texas, that’s what’s up.
p.s. A few days ago I was on an epic podcast where I coded a directory website, live and in 15 minutes, using mostly just LLMs, prompt magic and some data scrapers. That episode won’t be out for a few more days, but if you are curious, do watch the Part 1, where I showed Nik how to rebuild his website, in a minute. Freaking LLMs, man!
If you are still here, I hope you also read the piece I wrote last week.
It was previously for paid subscribers only, but now it’s free for all—
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Hey there, friends! Remember unfolding a giant paper map in your car, squinting at those tiny roads, half-lost and totally frustrated? Twenty years ago, that was us. Then, GPS came along. Some folks swore their trusty maps were better, but in almost a blink of an eye GPS devices were outselling maps by a margin. Then, just like that, GPS moved to our phones, and the TomTom devices were gone overnight. Just as we got good at navigating by using our phones, another paradigm shift is happening as we speak — the cars now drive themselves, no need for maps at all!