updown.io

An online service to monitor the status of websites

updown.io allows users to monitor the status of a website by sending a regular HTTP request to the website and checking if the website responds. Users will then receive notifications via email or SMS when the website is unresponsive. The service also supports integration through API, webhook, Slack, Telegram, and many other platforms.

The product was built and developed from 2012 by Adrien Rey-Jarthon, a French software engineer.

Revenue model

updown.io generates revenue through a pricing model based on the usage limit of the service, with a fair and affordable price, calculated based on the number of websites and monitoring frequency, suitable for both individual users and businesses.

With this model, the product brings in revenue of around $4,000/month, according to the author's sharing on Indie Hackers.

Marketing strategy

updown.io was initially promoted through word of mouth from Adrien's friends. He then applied paid advertising through Google Ads, but the results were not very positive as the conversion rate was extremely low. He continued to invest in targeted ads through channels such as RubyWeekly, WebobsWeekly, and Twitter, and received relatively good results, thanks to targeting the right customer group.

However, according to Adrien, the most effective promotion channels for him are completely free channels such as Hacker News, Product Hunt, and Slack, bringing a significant number of registered users to the product.