WE BUILD STORES - NEWSLETTER ================================================== The Pretty Frontend and The Ugly Backend: How Boring Technology Finds £49k/Year Opportunities Week 45, 2025 Tuesday 4 November 2025 Where 26 years of Experience Delivers in One Hour What Twenty Six Hours of Not Knowing Cannot _My phone buzzes at 6:03am._ Subject: "ELITE Domain Alert: telford-plumbers.co.uk - Score: 85/100" A perfect geographic trade domain. Dropping in 48 hours. Nobody else knows yet. By 6:30am, I've placed the backorder. By 10am, I've deployed a complete plumber website on the domain using my trades template. Total time: 4 hours from alert to live website. £49/month recurring revenue from a domain that was sitting there waiting to be noticed. _This is where boring technology actually wins._ Everyone's looking at my pretty Astro websites on Twitter. Nobody's looking at the ugly Django backend that woke up at 6:00am, scanned 10,000 expired domains, scored them against 100+ commercial keyword categories, and emailed me the three ELITE opportunities before I finished my coffee. The sexy frontend gets the applause. The boring backend makes the money. In This Issue ================================================== • _The Pretty Frontend: Astro trades template system_ - 4-hour deployment that clients actually pay for • _The Ugly Backend: Django domain intelligence_ - The 6am scanning nobody sees but changes everything • _How They Work Together_ - Finding telford-plumbers.co.uk and deploying in the same morning • _The Commercial Scorer Algorithm_ - 100+ keywords, location bonuses, ELITE identification • _The £49k/Year Business Model_ - Why this beats agency work that charges £3k once The Pretty Frontend (What Everyone Sees) ================================================== My Astro trades template system is beautiful: • _10 complete pages_ - Home, Services, About, Gallery, Reviews, Contact, etc. • _PageSpeed Score: 95+/100_ - Faster than 95% of competitor sites • _Mobile Score: 100/100_ - Perfect mobile experience • _YAML configuration_ - Change business name, phone, colors without touching code • _4-hour deployment_ - From blank to live site faster than agencies quote This is what gets shared on Twitter. This is what clients see and pay £49/month for. But here's what nobody talks about: _How do I know which domains to deploy it on?_ That's where the ugly backend comes in. The Ugly Backend (What Nobody Sees) ================================================== Every morning at 6:00am, while I'm still asleep, a Django Python script wakes up and goes to work: _Domain Intelligence Tasks (Automated):_ • Scan thousands of expired domains from drop lists • Run commercial scoring algorithm against each one • Check trades keywords: plumber, electrician, builder, roofer, etc. • Check UK location bonuses: telford, birmingham, manchester, london • Score domain length (shorter = better) • Calculate ELITE status (70+ points = email alert) • Export top domains to Google Sheets • Send email alerts for immediate action This isn't sexy. This isn't getting applause on social media. This is boring Python code running CRON jobs at dawn. _But this is where I win._ The Commercial Scorer Algorithm ================================================== Here's what my Django backend actually does when it finds "telford-plumbers.co.uk": _1. Keyword Match Score (0-40 points)_ • "plumber" = Trades keyword match (+15 points) • "plumbing" variants recognised • Multiple keyword categories available: trades, services, ecommerce, industries _2. Commercial Intent Score (0-30 points)_ • Service-based business intent detected (+20 points) • Local service pattern recognised • Direct commercial application obvious _3. Length Score (0-15 points)_ • 16 characters (root domain) • Perfect length for memorability (+12 points) _4. Location Bonus (+15 points)_ • "telford" = Major UK city match • Geographic service targeting = ELITE • Tony's local market = Perfect fit _5. Multi-Keyword Bonus (+10 points)_ • Location + Trade = Multiple categories • Compound value multiplier _Final Score: 85/100 = ELITE_ Email alert sent at 6:03am. Domain backorder placed by 6:30am. Website deployed by 10am. _This is boring technology doing unglamorous work at 6am that compounds daily._ How They Work Together ================================================== Here's the actual workflow: _6:00am - Django Backend Wakes Up:_ • Scans yesterday's domain drop lists • Runs commercial scorer on 10,000+ domains • Identifies: telford-plumbers.co.uk (85/100 ELITE) • Sends email alert to my phone _6:30am - I Place Backorder:_ • Check email over coffee • Review ELITE domain details • Place backorder with registrar (£10-20) _7:00am - Domain Acquired:_ • Backorder successful (no competition) • Point DNS to Netlify _10:00am - Website Deployed:_ • Copy Astro trades template • Edit config/telford-plumbers.yaml: • Business: "Telford Plumbers" • Phone: Get local number • Services: Emergency plumbing, boiler repairs, bathroom fitting • Service areas: Telford, Shrewsbury, Wellington • Colors: Blue theme • Run `npm run build` • Deploy to Netlify • Connect custom domain _Total time: 4 hours from email alert to live professional website_ _Monthly recurring: £49/month_ The pretty Astro frontend does the client-facing work. The ugly Django backend found the opportunity before anyone else knew it existed. Real Examples from My System ================================================== Here are actual domains my boring backend has flagged: _ELITE Geographic Trades (70-85 points):_ • telford-plumbers.co.uk • birmingham-electricians.co.uk • manchester-roofers.co.uk • london-locksmiths.co.uk _High-Value Services (60-75 points):_ • emergency-plumber-london.co.uk • approved-electricians.co.uk • local-builders-telford.co.uk _Generic Commercial (65-85 points):_ • storage-space-uk.co.uk • van-hire-birmingham.co.uk • car-parking-manchester.co.uk Every single one found by Python code running at 6am. Every single one is a potential £49/month client. _The Django backend doesn't sleep. It doesn't take weekends. It doesn't miss opportunities._ The £49k/Year Business Model ================================================== Here's why this works: _Traditional Agency Model:_ • Charge £3,000 upfront for website • Client pays once • Hope they come back for updates • Constantly chasing new clients _My Boring Technology Model:_ • Find perfect domain at 6am (automated) • Deploy trades template in 4 hours • Charge £49/month recurring • Client gets hosting, updates, support included • Never chase payments (Direct Debit) _The Math:_ • 100 clients × £49/month = £4,900/month recurring (£58,800/year) • 200 clients × £49/month = £9,800/month recurring (£117,600/year) • 1000 clients × £49/month = £49,000/month recurring (£588,000/year) But here's the critical difference: _I'm not finding clients. I'm finding domains that ATTRACT clients._ "telford-plumbers.co.uk" ranks immediately for "telford plumbers" in Google (exact match domain advantage). Customers find the website. They see professional site with call tracking. They book service. _The domain does the marketing. The Astro template handles the conversion. The Django backend found the opportunity._ Why Boring Technology Wins Here ================================================== Let's be honest about what's doing the actual work: _Astro + Tailwind (The Pretty Part):_ • Static site generation = Fast, cheap hosting • Component reusability = 4-hour deployment • Tailwind CSS = No design complexity • YAML config = No coding required _Django + Python (The Ugly Part):_ • Celery scheduled tasks = 6am automation • PostgreSQL database = Domain tracking at scale • Commercial scorer = 100+ keyword intelligence • Email alerts = Actionable intelligence delivered • Google Sheets export = Client-ready analysis _Together:_ • Django finds the domains worth building on • Astro builds beautiful sites in 4 hours • Clients pay £49/month recurring • System runs mostly automated _The boring stack handles both the glamorous frontend AND the unglamorous backend._ The Competitive Moat Nobody Sees ================================================== While everyone's arguing about React vs Vue, I'm building competitive advantage they don't even know exists: _They're optimising:_ • Build configurations • CSS-in-JS libraries • State management patterns • Framework performance benchmarks _I'm optimising:_ • Domain discovery algorithms • Commercial scoring accuracy • Deployment automation velocity • Recurring revenue infrastructure _They're building websites. I'm building a domain intelligence engine that FINDS the opportunities to build websites on._ That's the entire difference. The pretty Astro frontend is table stakes. Every developer can build nice websites. _The ugly Django backend scanning domains at 6am? That's where I have zero competition._ Try This Tomorrow ================================================== Want to see where boring technology actually creates business value? _Build Two Things:_ _1. The Pretty Part (Frontend):_ • Pick Astro or another static generator • Build ONE perfect template • Make it configurable (YAML/JSON) • Deploy in under 4 hours • 95+ PageSpeed score _2. The Ugly Part (Backend):_ • Pick Django or another proven framework • Build ONE automated scanner • Run it daily at 6am • Email yourself opportunities • Track results in database _Then connect them:_ • Backend finds opportunity • Frontend deploys solution • Client pays recurring • Repeat daily _You'll know it worked when you wake up to opportunities you didn't know existed yesterday._ That's not speed. That's not velocity. That's automated business development. The Revolution Nobody Talks About ================================================== Everyone's focused on making the pretty frontend prettier. The real advantage is building ugly backends that do unglamorous work while you sleep. _Astro makes beautiful websites. Django finds the opportunities to build them on. Together, they make £49/month recurring revenue on domains nobody else noticed._ The next time someone tells me Django is "legacy", I'll show them my 6am email alerts finding ELITE domains before they hit the market. The next time someone says Astro is "too simple", I'll show them a 4-hour deployment that scores 95+ on PageSpeed. _Boring technology wins because it's reliable enough to trust with the ugly backend work that actually makes money._ The pretty frontend gets the Twitter engagement. The ugly backend gets the Direct Debit notifications. I'll take the Direct Debits. -------------------------------------------------- P.S. Next week: The daily checklist that runs my entire business in 27 minutes every morning (including the 6am domain check that found £147k of opportunities this year). P.P.S. Want the commercial domain scorer algorithm? Reply with "DOMAINS" and I'll send you the complete scoring system with 100+ keyword categories and the exact ELITE threshold calculations. -------------------------------------------------- _Tony Cooper_ We Build Stores - Where The Backend Finds What The Frontend Builds tony.cooper@webuildstores.co.uk 07963 242210 CONTINUE READING THIS WEEK'S NEWSLETTER Get the full insights, client examples, and strategic frameworks that could transform your business approach. Read online: https://webuildstores.co.uk/newsletter/2025/week-45 ================================================== Tony Cooper Founder We Build Stores tony.cooper@webuildstores.co.uk 01952 407599 You're receiving this because you've engaged with We Build Stores content or requested our insights. Website: https://webuildstores.co.uk We Build Stores Ltd, Registered in England & Wales