Earn by Sharing Broken Website Links and App Bugs - Key Up Ideas

Earn by Sharing Broken Website Links and App Bugs

A platform that pays users for reporting broken links, expired pages, and app bugs found during everyday browsing or app use.

Business Type

Bug Bounty

Minimum Investment

$10,000

Expected Income

$3,400,000

Gender Focus

Unisex

Difficulty Level

Medium

Startup Costs

$14,000

This unique online business idea transforms digital frustration into a revenue stream. Users encounter broken links, 404 pages, expired redirects, or app glitches daily - but usually just ignore them. This platform rewards users for reporting such issues across websites and mobile apps. Once submitted through a Chrome extension, mobile share feature, or quick web form, each report is verified by AI and human reviewers. Points are granted for valid findings, which can be converted into money, discounts, or donations. Businesses and developers subscribe to receive these reports in real-time, saving them from user drop-off, SEO penalties, and lost conversions. For users, it’s a passive way to earn money by simply flagging things that already frustrate them. The platform creates a two-sided marketplace: frustrated users on one end, grateful brands on the other.

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Step-by-Step Guide to Success

1

Build a web platform and browser extension to allow 1-click bug and link reporting.

2

Create mobile app extension for app-share-based reporting (e.g. 'Share to ReportBug').

3

Develop a validation engine to score and categorize reports for quality and uniqueness.

4

Recruit early users via tech forums, Reddit, and student communities.

5

Partner with site owners, ecommerce platforms, and app developers to subscribe to live bug reports.

6

Gamify reporting with badges, leaderboards, and payout tiers.

7

Add bulk reporting dashboard for power users (QA testers, accessibility reviewers).

8

Offer referral rewards and bonus points for discovering issues on high-value client sites.

Core Areas of Focus

Consumer-Powered QA

Turns average users into a decentralized quality control network for the internet.

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Important Highlights

Keep these key points in mind as you move forward

Perfect for students, digital explorers, and casual users who encounter bugs but never report them.

Businesses spend millions on user testing—this offers a fraction of the cost with real-world coverage.

High ROI for site owners: a $10 fix might save thousands in lost traffic or sales.

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Key Advantages

This business idea stands out because of the following core advantages

  • 1-Click Reporting Tools

    Extension and mobile integration make reporting bugs as easy as bookmarking.

  • Auto Categorization AI

    Sorts reports by type (link, crash, UI, redirect, UX) and flags duplicates.

  • Reward System with Cashout

    Users earn points per verified report and can redeem for cash or crypto.

  • Business Dashboard

    Clients get actionable bug reports before users churn or SEO drops happen.

Competitor Overview

Learn more about the key players in the industry.
These competitors offer valuable insights into market trends, customer preferences, and successful strategies.
Use their approaches to inform your own unique positioning.

UserTesting

Visit Site

Bugcrowd (white-hat security only)

Visit Site

Target Demographics

Understanding our key audiences helps us tailor the business approach effectively

Primary Demographic

Everyday users of apps and websites

Secondary Demographic

QA testers, accessibility reviewers, microtask enthusiasts

Alternative Strategies for Success

If the primary approach doesn't deliver the desired results, consider these backup plans to keep moving forward.

Introduce challenge-based bug bounties (e.g. spot 3 broken links on site X)

Create a self-service client portal for small businesses

Add bug API for third-party apps to forward user complaints directly

Revenue Streams Overview

Discover the core ways this business model generates income and explores potential for growth

Revenue Model

Freemium for brands, commission on payouts

Pricing Approach

$29–$399/month for businesses; free for users

Additional Revenue Opportunities

In addition to the primary streams, here are additional revenue sources

Premium bug prioritization reports

Explore this channel for additional financial growth and stability.

Developer toolkits for live issue feeds

Explore this channel for additional financial growth and stability.

Sponsored bounties (e.g. $5/report on campaign pages)

Explore this channel for additional financial growth and stability.

Relevant Keywords

These keywords represent the key aspects and focus areas of this business idea:

Bug Bounty
Broken Link
Passive Income
Website QA
App Glitches
404 Reporting
Crowdsourced Testing

Team Structure for Success

To effectively bring this business idea to life, the following team structure and skill sets are essential

Browser Extension Dev

  • Chrome API
  • Contextual UI
  • Data capture UX

Product QA Lead

  • Bug taxonomy
  • False positive filtering
  • UX flaw scoring

Business Integration Manager

  • Client onboarding
  • B2B platform sync
  • Webhook alerts

Opportunities for Elimination

Silent Frustration Online

Gives users a reason to report rather than ignore bugs they find daily.

Opportunities to Reduce

Broken Link Damage

Helps sites preserve SEO, user trust, and conversion funnels.

Raising the Bar for Excellence

1. Enhancement Opportunity

User engagement in digital quality control

2. Enhancement Opportunity

Access to real-time UX bug reports for developers

Driving Differentiation Through Innovation

1

Decentralized Bug Network

Transforms frustrated users into paid QA testers for the web

Market Insights

Estimated Market Size

$9.4B QA & usability testing market

The potential value and opportunity within the target market.

Potential Customer Count

100M+ active browsers & mobile users daily

An estimate of how many customers the business can attract.

Forecasted Revenue

$3.4M/year with 20K reporting users and 500 business clients

Projected financial returns based on market assumptions.

Key Operating Regions

Discover the regions we target, along with a breakdown of specific areas within each zone

Global

  • US
  • UK
  • India
  • Germany
  • Brazil
  • Nigeria
  • Philippines

Risk Assessment

Market Risk

Low

Financial Risk

Low

Legal Risk

Medium

Time Commitment

Initial Hours

40

hours per week for the initial phase.

Long-Term Hours

15

hours per week for ongoing operations.

Core Skills Needed

Bug Pattern Matching

Needed for auto-labeling and client-side severity sorting.

UX Simplicity

Reporting flow must be frictionless and quick to encourage behavior.

Client B2B Delivery

Secure report delivery channels and duplicate handling.

Technical Requirements

Data Collection Layer

Data Collection Layer

Captures error codes, broken URLs, crash logs, and metadata on submission.

Scoring & Verification Logic

Scoring & Verification Logic

Confirms the bug is new, valid, and not spammed.

Partnership Opportunities

Website platforms (e.g. Shopify, WordPress)

Accessibility testers

Developer tools & QA teams

SEO agencies

Environmental Impact

Carbon Footprint

Minimal

Sustainability Initiatives

  • Reduces digital waste from broken funnels and lost visitors
  • Promotes inclusive, accessible web design

Compliance and Regulations

GDPR-Compliant Reporting

No private data is logged or stored from user submissions.

Enhance Your Journey with Community Resources

Discord community for top bug spotters

Dive into Discord community for top bug spotters and gain new insights and strategies.

Weekly bug hunt leaderboard

Dive into Weekly bug hunt leaderboard and gain new insights and strategies.

Badges and perks for elite contributors

Dive into Badges and perks for elite contributors and gain new insights and strategies.

Revenue Streams

Explore the various revenue opportunities for this business idea.

Business Subscriptions

Monthly fee for access to user-submitted bugs and improvement insights.

Sponsored Bounty Challenges

Brands pay for users to find flaws on high-traffic assets.

Why This Business Idea Excels in Customer Support

Explore how this approach prioritizes customer satisfaction through proactive and comprehensive support mechanisms.

Report validation delays

Payout disputes

Client data sync issues

Future Scaling Potential

Unleashing growth and innovation opportunities for the future

Additional Markets

  • Mobile app crashes
  • Accessibility issues
  • Game bugs (indie game testing)

Innovative Features

  • Browser automation to suggest issues
  • Browser game for bug hunting
  • Ranking for most impactful bug submissions

Certifications Needed

None Required

Operates as a crowdreporting service, not a hacking platform

Potential Partners

Cloudflare

Could benefit from massive early warning system for broken redirects and 404s

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