How I'd grow Niceboard

Niceboard is a tool that lets you create a beautiful and customizable job board on your own domain without code.

The founder runs a job board for designers, and he decided to start Niceboard after a bunch of people asked if they could buy or use a version of his job board.

I have to say that Niceboard is one of the rare cases where I wouldn’t change anything on their homepage.

All the elements there make sense. If I was more interested in the niche, I’d definitely keep scrolling down the page to find out more.

I especially like the above-the-fold section:

- Copy: the header and the subheader offer all the info I need
- Visuals: I immediately understand what the product looks like after seeing an example
- CTA: Trying the product without signing up drastically decreases friction

My first guess was that Niceboard’s target customers are startups and small companies that display jobs on their sites.

But the vast majority of companies prefer to use applicant tracking systems. Niceboard’s audience are mostly online entrepreneurs with job board websites.

It’d be an uphill battle to try and convince established job board entrepreneurs to switch. Migration would be a huge hassle.

As Niceboard’s brand awareness and features grow, there’ll be those who will make the leap, but I wouldn’t go after them in the beginning.

Their best bet would be going after people who want to build a job board site or have recently started one. Migration wouldn’t be a problem.

But I think that someone who is just starting out isn't ready to spend $99/month for something that isn't generating revenue yet.

They might be willing to pay that amount (and probably even more) once their job board starts getting traction.

That’s why I’d come up with a gradual pricing structure that includes an entry-level plan for starters with limited features, but enough for their actual needs.

Before driving more traffic to the site, Niceboard must check its online reputation. The first thing prospects do is search for reviews.

Their low Product Hunt score is too prominent, and it’s low because their pricing was way off at launch, as the founder told me.

To get the first clients, things that don’t scale will be a must. This means being active in places potential customers frequent.

In this case, I’d start by monitoring online communities and engaging in relevant discussions to let people know that Niceboard exists.

I’d also keep an eye on people who recently launched a job board and contact them 1-1 to persuade them to switch, maybe with a special offer.

Since they’re just starting, their site should be small so migration shouldn’t be an obstacle.

Search is the channel where I’d concentrate most of my efforts.

Starting a job board isn’t discussed often, so most people aren’t aware of all the available options.

This means that they will probably start their journey by googling related keywords.

I’d start with Google Ads to immediately get relevant traffic.

Most beginners get scared after they see how pricey clicks on that platform can be, but if you have a high LTV and a good conversion rate, it doesn’t matter.

I’ve witnessed profitable campaigns with $20 CPCs.

I’d then try to get Niceboard featured in articles that are already ranking in the top spots for relevant terms like “how to build a job board website.”

- Short term: it will drive high-intent referrals.
- Long term: it will boost domain authority.

Pro tip: a huge chunk of the sites that create articles like “The best tools to do x” are content websites that monetize through affiliate links.

Having an affiliate program for your product and mentioning it in your pitch is a good way to get featured.

A good long-term strategy needs organic rankings and right now, their site lacks content.

Niceboard should create articles, prioritizing the ones that target bottom-of-the-funnel KWs like: “alternative to + [competitor name].”

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