Tools we actually use

Where we bought the GetNicheIQ.com domain. Clean interface, competitive pricing, and none of the aggressive upsells you get from GoDaddy. The go-to registrar for micro site builders.

Where GetNicheIQ is hosted now. Cloudflare Pages is fast, free to start, and works beautifully for static websites. It also pairs well with Cloudflare Workers when you want to add secure AI features.

We use Cloudflare Workers to securely connect GetNicheIQ to the Anthropic API without exposing API keys in the browser. It is one of the simplest ways to add AI features to a static website safely.

Powers the contact form on GetNicheIQ.com. Free forever, no monthly fees, sends form submissions directly to your Gmail. Zero server setup required — just an access key pasted into your HTML.

The AI that built GetNicheIQ — much of the planning, drafting, and coding support. Claude Pro ($20/mo) is the single highest-value tool investment for a micro site builder. Also powers the niche validator on this site via the API.

The API that powers the live niche validator on this site. Pay-as-you-go pricing means you only pay when visitors actually use your tool. Pricing and free credit offers can change, so check Anthropic's console for current details.

Strong for ideation, content outlines, and keyword brainstorming. The free tier is genuinely useful. Works well as a second opinion alongside Claude — draft with one, critique with the other.

AI-powered research with cited sources. Invaluable for fact-checking articles before publishing and understanding the current state of any niche. Saves hours of manual research per article.

The most important free tool for micro site builders. Provides keyword and bid-range data from Google Ads, which can help with niche validation. Free with any Google Ads account, no spending required.

Tells you exactly which search queries bring visitors to your site, which pages are indexed, and what technical issues affect rankings. Install it on day one — there is no good reason not to.

Free traffic intelligence — where visitors come from, what they read, how long they stay. Essential for understanding which content is working and where to focus your writing efforts.

Maps every question, preposition, and comparison query related to your niche keyword. The fastest way to find long-tail article ideas your audience is actively searching for. Free tier allows a few searches per day.

The industry standard for competitive keyword research. See exactly which keywords your competitors rank for and where your gaps are. Worth subscribing for one month once your site is earning $200+/month.

Best-in-class for backlink analysis and keyword difficulty scoring. Like SEMrush, most effective when used for a focused monthly audit once your site has content and rankings to analyze.

Blog post images, social sharing cards, and simple infographics — all on the free tier. Canva's AI image generation creates custom visuals for articles without any design skill required.

High quality stock photos completely free with no attribution required. Thousands of professional images covering every topic. The first place to look when you need a blog post header image.

Free browser-based image compression by Google. Reduces image file sizes by 60–80% with no visible quality loss. Faster images can improve user experience and may support better search performance. Use before every upload.