This document summarizes a presentation given by Ed Freyfogle of OpenCage on competing with large API providers like Google Maps. Some key points: 1) OpenCage has found success by focusing on geocoding as its sole offering and doing it well, rather than trying to replicate all of Google Maps' features. 2) It identifies weaknesses in competitors like expensive pricing and lack of privacy controls to carve out its own niche in the market. 3) The presentation argues for a stable, predictable API that just works, rather than trying to "beat" competitors, and stresses the importance of understanding customers' needs over flashy technology.

1. Competing with an API giant, lessons learned
OpenCage vs Google
Ed Freyfogle
APIDays Barcelona - 12 Sept. 2019
https://opencagedata.com
@opencagedata

2. How my API is killing Google
Maps while I live on the beach

3. How my API is killing Google
Maps while I live on the beach
* together with co-founder and team

4. How my API is killing Google
Maps while I live on the beach
* together with co-founder and team
* we’re doing well, but no one is getting hurt

5. How my API is killing Google
Maps while I live on the beach
* together with co-founder and team
* we’re doing well, but no one is getting hurt
* one tiny piece of Google Maps

6. How my API is killing Google
Maps while I live on the beach
* together with co-founder and team
* we’re doing well, but no one is getting hurt
* one tiny piece of Google Maps
* I actually live in an apartment

7. Goal:
Share some tips on how to think about competing

8. Why am I telling you this?
Lots of tech advice
Endless posts about having good docs
Limited advice about strategy and competing

9. Who am I?
OpenCage - Easy, Open, Worldwide, Affordable Geocoding

10. WTF is geocoding?

11. Where are we?
© OpenStreetMap

12. Barcelona
Diagonal, 547
08029
Catalonia
Europe
AXA Auditorium
Les Corts
Spain

13. Diagonal, 547
08029
Europe
AXA Auditorium
Les Corts
Spain / Rep. of Catalonia
NEW!
Barcelona
Catalonia

14. 41.3896,2.1370

15. placename lat/long

16. placename
forward
lat/long

17. placename
forward
reverse
lat/long

19. use any map you like
cache as long as you like
fix it
get creative
free as in beer
Open Data

20. Straight-forward REST API
JSON or XML, SDKs for 20+ programming languages
Example for 41.3896,2.1370
https://api.opencagedata.com/geocode/v1/json
?q=41.3896%2C2.1370
&key=YOUR-API-KEY

22. If it doesn’t make Euro, it doesn’t make sense
SaaS model
Free testing tier then various levels from €45/month
Hundreds of customers across 36 countries and
growing

23. The competition

24. The competition

25. How can we win?

26. What does winning mean?

27. Is this winning?
I give up. Ed and
OpenCage are
just too good!

28. Is this winning?
Fuck! I can’t
believe Ed beat
me to Mars

29. This is winning
Happy customers
Stable, growing business
Able to give back to community

30. Happy customers
Stable, growing business
Able to give back to community
No one needs to lose for us to win
This is winning

31. Mental model of winning is wrong

32. Mental model of winning is wrong

33. Need to find our space

34. Identify space / weaknesses
Terms & Conditions
Expensive and scary pricing
Too big to care
Privacy
Geocoding lost in the clutter

35. use any map you like
cache as long as you like
fix it
get creative
free as in beer
Open Data

36. Pricing
Flat fee
Soft limits, no “surge” or usage based pricing
No surprises. No tricks
Pay in any major currency

37. Pricing
Flat fee
Soft limits, no “surge” or usage based pricing
No surprises. No tricks
Pay in any major currency
End result: Predictable cost

38. Too big to care
Potential customers often compare our
service to Google’s

39. Too big to care
“What did Google say when you asked them
about this?”

40. Privacy
We want customers’ money, not data
Added an optional parameter. Use &no_record=1
and we keep no record of the query
Based in the EU, servers in the EU

41. Do one thing well

42. Do one thing well
geocoding

43. Do one thing well
We provide a geocoding API

44. Do one thing well
We provide a geocoding API
Maps? NO!

45. Do one thing well
We provide a geocoding API
Maps? NO!
Routing? NO!

46. Do one thing well
We provide a geocoding API
Maps? NO!
Routing? NO!
IP address to location? NO!

47. What about ….?

48. What about ….?

49. Help others

50. Do one thing well
We provide a geocoding API
End result: Understandable Offering

51. Other examples:
DuckDuckGo - privacy-focused search

52. Other examples:
Fathom Analytics - simpler, privacy-focused analytics

53. Not trying to pick on Google

54. APIs are infrastructure

55. APIs are infrastructure
Nail the basics

56. APIs are infrastructure
Nail the basics
Predictable (boring) is good

57. APIs are infrastructure
Nail the basics
Predictable (boring) is good
“Is just works”, said the happy customer

58. What customers care about
Does it solve my problem?
Can I depend on them?
Is the price reasonable?

59. Be patient

60. Be stable
https://status.opencagedata.com

61. Don’t get distracted
No one cares what technology is under the hood

62. Don’t get distracted
No one cares what technology is under the hood
BTW - we use Perl

63. Me with no time
for tech flame
wars too busy
skating my API and
business to
success

64. Me with no time
for tech flame
wars too busy
skating my API and
business to
success
* not actually me

65. What have we learned

66. What have we learned
Even giants have weaknesses
Find your space by doing one thing well
Simple and stable sells

67. Almost finished

68. If you like geo stuff...
… you’ll love Geomob
Evening event, 5-6 times per year, since 2008
Now in LON, BCN, MUC. Next BCN event 2 Oct.
4-6 speakers, doers, NOT marketing people
thegeomob.com

69. And one more thing ...
Happy to pay for an
open-source wrapper of our
API in any language we
don’t have, no matter how
obscure.

70. Ed Freyfogle
@freyfogle
https://freyfogle.com
Based in Tres Torres, Barcelona
https://opencagedata.com
@OpenCageData
https://thegeomob.com
@geomob
© OpenStreetMap, map by MapQuest
Questions? Get in touch