Why Your GitHub Repo Deserves A Landing Page

Facelift Your GitHub Repo

GitHub has over 100 million developers and more than 372 million repositories, including at least 28 million public repositories. 

So, how do you make your software project stand out? And does it even matter?

In this Substack series, I've been exploring the role of AI in startups. From how AI can create startups to its capabilities in crafting landing pages, although still early, it's evident that AI is reshaping the way we approach starting startups. This article dives into a slightly different topic: the importance of a landing page for GitHub repositories.

Michail and I have been hacking on a landing page generator called LampBuilder. It started as a curiosity to see how far we could push AI as a software developer. One of our early users created a landing page for their GitHub repo and this got us thinking, that maybe this could be an interesting niche. What if you could just drop in a GitHub URL, and let the AI work its magic?

For most of us, if we had to choose between spending 30 minutes on a landing page or working on our project, we’d rather work on the project - right? But now that it is possible to drop in a Github URL and let an AI generator take care of the rest, maybe this changes things. Maybe you should consider creating a quick landing page for your repo too!

Let’s explore further 👇

Why is the README not good enough?

Creating a landing page for your repository depends on your goal. Maybe you want to create a portfolio to share with a prospective employee or client, promote your project to attract contributors or get feedback on your project from potential users. For all of these cases, a README is perhaps a bit too much.

The purpose of the README is primarily to give an overview, setup and installation, usage guide, and licensing/attributions. While this is very informative it can sometimes be a bit dense and challenging to navigate, even with the inclusion of screenshots and emojis. The README tends to be technical and focused on how it works or how to use it. Immediately this eliminates a wider potential audience.

As an example, below I shared some screenshots from Yohei’s BabyAGI GitHub repo. As you can see it is very detailed and informative, but probably a bit too technical for the everyday person to find relevant. A critical piece of information is not obvious: what does it do?

The everyday user doesn’t care so much about how it works. They want to understand what it can do and they want to feel inspired. A landing page could be more fun, user-friendly and explain the value or applicable use cases. It allows for a visually appealing and organized “presentation”, making it easier for visitors to grasp the essence of the project.

In the screenshot below I have put together a landing page for BabyAGI using LampBuilder (free custom domain hosting). It is definitely way more digestible for a non-developer to get an idea of what the project is all about.

Reach a wider audience

A README primarily caters to the developer community on GitHub. A landing page could help you attract a wider network of potential users, collaborators, or even investors. But why is the non-developer audience important?

In many cases, the target user for software is not exclusively developers. Let’s take BabyAGI for example. While the first set of users is developers trying to implement BabyAGI in their projects, the ultimate outcome would be to create a tool that anyone could use. 

Yohei is leveraging Twitter to gather user feedback. A landing page could serve a similar purpose. Every day users may stumble upon it by searching for solutions online. A simple and clear landing page may help them grasp the value proposition of joining a waiting list, completing a survey, and/or helping promote your work.

There is a massive compounding benefit of being able to engage with potential users, getting feedback, and improving what you are working on.

Opportunities for monetization

Open-source doesn't necessarily mean non-profitable. Many successful open-source projects have found ways to monetize their work, ensuring sustainability and growth. A well-designed landing page can showcase your product or service offerings, attracting more customers and potentially leading to revenue generation.

Donations and sponsorships

Platforms like Patreon, Open Collective, and GitHub Sponsors allow developers to receive financial support directly from their users. A landing page can prominently feature links or buttons for supporters to make donations or become sponsors.

Premium features or services

While the core product remains open-source, developers can offer premium features, advanced configurations, or dedicated support for a fee. You could offer personalized training sessions, workshops, or consultation services. For example, you can hook up Stripe and Calendly to your landing page if anyone wants to schedule a 1-on-1 training call to help them get the repo up and running, get a code run through, or ask use case questions. 

Affiliate marketing

If your project is used by other tools or platforms you could consider setting up affiliate partnerships. By recommending the tools on your landing page you could earn a commission for every sale made through your referral.

Merchandising

If your project has a strong brand or community following you could sell branded merchandise like t-shirts, stickers, or mugs. Websites like Teespring or Merch by Amazon can help you set up your merchandise store with minimal hassle.

Personal and portfolio pages

Instead of a dedicated landing page per project, developers sometimes spin up a personal website to highlight their most important work. Referring once again to Yohei, the creator of BabyAGI, he created a pretty personal website to keep track of his work in a timeline. His website links to his Twitter profile where he unpacks key projects in more detail and uses it as a way to gain followers.

Perhaps one reason for not creating a landing page per project is the cost of custom domain hosting. Most providers charge at least $8/month. The cost quickly adds up for something that does not seem that important. [LampBuilder is one of the only providers I could find that offers free custom domain hosting.]

AutoGPT landing page

In the first few weeks, Auto-GPT’s Github popularity increased exponentially, faster than any codebase in history.

It is no surprise that AutoGPT has a dedicated landing page. While they are working on their project they are able to build up a waiting list, engage with their user base through relevant news updates, share a live roadmap, highlight mentions in other projects, link to socials, and introduce the team. They have two main calls to action: download the codebase from Github or join their Discord. All to keep their target users engaged while they make sure to build something people want.

AutoGPT is definitely an outlier in popularity, but the strategy to add a landing page for the project and build up a user base to engage with early on is something any developer could learn from.

Conclusion

In the vast ocean of GitHub repositories, standing out is more crucial than ever. A thorough README serves as an essential technical guide, but it falls short of conveying a greater value proposition and opening doors to wider reach and potential monetization.

A landing page, on the other hand, is a simplified, concise, user-friendly, and visually appealing way to convey what the project does, beyond the technical specifics. It can be used to gather feedback, attract contributors, and open monetization opportunities. 

With AI tools like LampBuilder simplifying the landing page creation process, there's no reason for developers to miss out on the benefits. In essence, if you want your GitHub repo to shine brighter and resonate with a diverse audience, spinning up a landing page is a no-brainer.