I built a boring tool in 24 hours this week using Claude Code.
Why? I've always gravitated toward more passive ways to earn, even if it means earning less money per project.
It's why directories appealed to me in the first place.
But directories aren't the only passive income play. Boring tools follow the same model: build once, rank in Google, and collect ad revenue.
The experience reminded me just how incredible AI tools have become.
But it also reinforced something I already believed: if I had to choose between a portfolio of boring tools or a portfolio of directories, I would choose directories every single time.
Three Factors that Determine Passive Display Ad Revenue
Building this tool reminded me of the three most important factors when it comes to getting paid with display ads.
First is the niche. Your niche is what decides how valuable your website visitors are. And with higher value website visitors come higher advertiser demand. That's why a finance site with 5k monthly visitors can out earn a gaming site with 10x the visitors.
Second is location. Where is your traffic coming from? Advertisers pay you the most for traffic coming from tier one countries like the United States. Tier three countries like India pay considerably less for the same impression.
Third is commercial intent. This is the one I overlooked when building my boring tool. Advertisers want to show ads to people who are actively looking to purchase products and services. Without that intent, even tier one traffic can lead to lower RPMs.
My new boring tool, whitescreen.ai, is simple, but it has a wide range use cases that can appeal to hundreds of thousands of people from photographers, dead pixel testers, productivity hackers and more.
The problem is that it has virtually no commercial intent.
People visit, use it, and leave. The buyer's mindset just isn't there.
Directories: Slower to Build, Better to Own
I will say this: boring tools can be incredibly fast to ship. No database needed in most cases because you are not storing any data. The simplicity is real, even for non-coders like myself.
The reality is, I could not build a meaningful directory in a single day.
But speed isn't everything.
Directories have something most boring tools lack: valuable traffic with built-in commercial intent.
People browsing directories are almost always actively looking for products and services. That makes every visitor worth more.
Directories also have way more monetization angles. Featured listings, lead generation, affiliate links, sponsorships, display ads, digital products.
There's more room for creative monetization.
Boring tools are mostly limited to display ads (unless you build a high-intent boring tool like a mortgage calculator, very competitive) and that means your revenue ceiling is low.
At the end of the day, both need SEO to grow. Both need backlinks.
If I'm spending time and/or money building links, I want it going toward the project with more potential.
For me, that's 100% directories.
Will I continue building more boring tools? Most likely. They're fun, fast and full of lessons.
But when it comes down to building websites that actually guide people through more complex decisions, directories are still where I want to focus.
p.s. I made a video sharing the "why" behind building whitescreen.ai if you'd like to check it out right here.
