Rare Candy growth playbook

Fix three templates in one sprint. Listings: render the item name, grade and price into <title> and the meta description on the server. Card pages: "Umbreon ex 161/131 Prismatic Evolutions price: $1,215 raw, PSA 10 $4,614 | Rare Candy", a corrected description, an H1, the price table in the first HTML, and Product schema with an offer when a Rare Candy listing exists. Set pages: the card list and top chase cards in the HTML. Then measure impressions per template in Search Console.

Price queries ("umbreon ex 161 price") are what collectors type, and a title with the price wins the click. It turns the new hire's first 90 days into lifting thousands of live pages instead of starting from zero, and it is the base the programmatic roadmap builds on.

[ ] Listing <title>: item name + grade + price + "| Rare Candy"
[ ] Listing description: never empty, never the seller disclaimer
[ ] Card title: name, number, set, raw price, top graded price
[ ] Card description: fix "current for value" wording
[ ] H1 and price table in server HTML
[ ] Product + Offer schema where a listing exists
[ ] Set page: card list in first HTML
[ ] Search Console annotation on release day

• Prices change daily and titles go stale

  Regenerate titles with each price refresh and round to the dollar.

• Thin pages for cards with no price

  Leave price out of the title when there is no data, rather than showing $0.

• HiringGrowth Marketer, SEO and Lifecycle (posted October 2, 2026; reports to the Director of Growth): "Our blog drives over a million search impressions a week and converts well. But a blog only scales as fast as people can write. We have data on every card, set, product, and price, and we want pages for all of it." By day 90: "The first programmatic page types are live, starting with current Pokémon sets", a "repeatable build and quality-control workflow", and "Reporting connects search impressions to signups and revenue". The role also builds "Instapack pages ahead of launches", sets "quality checks for accuracy, duplication, and brand voice", and helps "test whether offers like bonus candy actually improve retention", including a push test "on new users who scanned their first card but haven't bought yet".Source
• Your websiteShop and collection listing pages (checked October 23, 2026): the shop sitemap lists 4,354 listing URLs and the collections sitemap 716 more. In a sample of nine listing pages fetched at two different times, every one served an empty <title></title>; the item name appears only in the social-preview tag (og:title, e.g. "Charizard Ex #201 2023 Pokemon Japanese Sv2a-Pokemon Card 151 PSA 10 SAR | Rare Candy"). Meta descriptions were empty on some listings and a seller's standard defect disclaimer on others. The listings do carry Product and Offer structured data.Source
• Your websiteCard catalog pages: the catalog sitemap index lists 1,385 per-set sitemaps (810 Magic: The Gathering, 456 Pokémon, 60 One Piece, 27 Gundam, 26 Lorcana, 5 Riftbound). The Umbreon ex #161/131 (Prismatic Evolutions) page's own data holds a raw price of $1,215.47 and 36 graded prices, but its title is "Umbreon ex #161/131 - Prismatic Evolutions (161/131)" with no price, game or brand, and the description template reads "View card stats, abilities, set details, and current for value Pokémon" (the same wording, ending "current for value Magic: The Gathering", on MTG cards). The only structured data is a breadcrumb list, and the HTML served before JavaScript runs has no heading, price or card details.Source
• Your websitePokémon TCG Pocket sets are in the same catalog as the physical game: "Browse all 110 cards from Pokémon TCG: Pokémon TCG Pocket—Team Rocket's Ambition"; their card pages have no prices and the same "current for value" description.Source

Add a "Buy on Rare Candy" block that lists matching shop listings by grade, live auctions for the card, and any Instapack that contains it. Keep the eBay sold link as a price reference below it. When nothing is listed, offer "Want this card" so the collector gets alerted when one is.

Search traffic to card pages becomes marketplace revenue, and the "want" alerts become a lifecycle list.

• Poor matching between listings and catalog cards

  Start with graded slabs that carry set and number.

• Your websiteThe only marketplace links in a card page's data are two eBay searches ("SEARCH_SOLD" and "SEARCH_OPEN"); no link to Rare Candy's own shop listings, auctions or Instapacks for that card was present in the page data.Source
• Your websiteApp page (get.rarecandy.com): "200 Million Cards Scanned", "2 Million Cards in Collections", "10.5K+ Active Shop Listings", "1 Million Instapacks Ripped"; a review says other trackers cap free scanning "around 100 cards" then charge "about $100 a year", while Rare Candy "still lets me keep going for free".Source
• Your websiteCard catalog pages: the catalog sitemap index lists 1,385 per-set sitemaps (810 Magic: The Gathering, 456 Pokémon, 60 One Piece, 27 Gundam, 26 Lorcana, 5 Riftbound). The Umbreon ex #161/131 (Prismatic Evolutions) page's own data holds a raw price of $1,215.47 and 36 graded prices, but its title is "Umbreon ex #161/131 - Prismatic Evolutions (161/131)" with no price, game or brand, and the description template reads "View card stats, abilities, set details, and current for value Pokémon" (the same wording, ending "current for value Magic: The Gathering", on MTG cards). The only structured data is a breadcrumb list, and the HTML served before JavaScript runs has no heading, price or card details.Source
• HiringLead Product Manager (first PM, reports to the CEO): "We've hit 20x revenue growth this year alone, the business is profitable"; "a 25-person team"; the guiding metrics are "weekly active users and new activated users". Engineering is also hiring a Web Engineer, a Fullstack Developer, a Go Backend Developer and an Android Developer.Source

Replace typed prices in "Top 10" posts with a live price component that reads from the card data, with an "updated" date. Re-rank the list automatically each week and show movement since publication.

Live prices keep the posts accurate and give returning readers a reason to come back.

• Rank changes contradict the article text

  Keep the text about the cards and let the numbers move.

• Your websiteBlog: 100 posts in the blog sitemap, mostly "Top 10 chase cards" set guides for Pokémon, Lorcana and Riftbound, with NewsArticle structured data. "Top 10 MEGA Dream ex Chase Cards & Hits" (December 3, 2025) lists Mega Charizard X ex at "$44.62"; its card page now shows $22.56. That post links to card URLs under /brands/pokemon/sets/..., which return 200 with their own canonical, duplicating the /pokemon/sets/... URLs in the sitemap; newer posts link to the sitemap URLs.Source
• HiringGrowth Marketer, SEO and Lifecycle (posted October 2, 2026; reports to the Director of Growth): "Our blog drives over a million search impressions a week and converts well. But a blog only scales as fast as people can write. We have data on every card, set, product, and price, and we want pages for all of it." By day 90: "The first programmatic page types are live, starting with current Pokémon sets", a "repeatable build and quality-control workflow", and "Reporting connects search impressions to signups and revenue". The role also builds "Instapack pages ahead of launches", sets "quality checks for accuracy, duplication, and brand voice", and helps "test whether offers like bonus candy actually improve retention", including a push test "on new users who scanned their first card but haven't bought yet".Source
• Your websiteCard catalog pages: the catalog sitemap index lists 1,385 per-set sitemaps (810 Magic: The Gathering, 456 Pokémon, 60 One Piece, 27 Gundam, 26 Lorcana, 5 Riftbound). The Umbreon ex #161/131 (Prismatic Evolutions) page's own data holds a raw price of $1,215.47 and 36 graded prices, but its title is "Umbreon ex #161/131 - Prismatic Evolutions (161/131)" with no price, game or brand, and the description template reads "View card stats, abilities, set details, and current for value Pokémon" (the same wording, ending "current for value Magic: The Gathering", on MTG cards). The only structured data is a breadcrumb list, and the HTML served before JavaScript runs has no heading, price or card details.Source

Make /brands/<game>/sets/... redirect permanently to /<game>/sets/..., or at least point its canonical there, and update the links in older posts. Check Search Console for /brands/ URLs already indexed.

One URL per card concentrates ranking signals on the page in the sitemap.

• Breaking app deep links

  Test app links that use /brands/ before redirecting.

• Your websiteBlog: 100 posts in the blog sitemap, mostly "Top 10 chase cards" set guides for Pokémon, Lorcana and Riftbound, with NewsArticle structured data. "Top 10 MEGA Dream ex Chase Cards & Hits" (December 3, 2025) lists Mega Charizard X ex at "$44.62"; its card page now shows $22.56. That post links to card URLs under /brands/pokemon/sets/..., which return 200 with their own canonical, duplicating the /pokemon/sets/... URLs in the sitemap; newer posts link to the sitemap URLs.Source
• Your websiteCard catalog pages: the catalog sitemap index lists 1,385 per-set sitemaps (810 Magic: The Gathering, 456 Pokémon, 60 One Piece, 27 Gundam, 26 Lorcana, 5 Riftbound). The Umbreon ex #161/131 (Prismatic Evolutions) page's own data holds a raw price of $1,215.47 and 36 graded prices, but its title is "Umbreon ex #161/131 - Prismatic Evolutions (161/131)" with no price, game or brand, and the description template reads "View card stats, abilities, set details, and current for value Pokémon" (the same wording, ending "current for value Magic: The Gathering", on MTG cards). The only structured data is a breadcrumb list, and the HTML served before JavaScript runs has no heading, price or card details.Source

Build a three-step sequence after the first scan: day 1 "Your 23 cards are worth $X" with the top card, day 3 "Complete the set" showing missing cards with Rare Candy listings, day 7 an Instapack for the set they collect, with bonus candy tested against no offer.

Personal value is a strong hook, and pointing to missing cards makes the next purchase obvious.

• Push fatigue

  Cap at three messages and stop after a purchase.

• HiringGrowth Marketer, SEO and Lifecycle (posted October 2, 2026; reports to the Director of Growth): "Our blog drives over a million search impressions a week and converts well. But a blog only scales as fast as people can write. We have data on every card, set, product, and price, and we want pages for all of it." By day 90: "The first programmatic page types are live, starting with current Pokémon sets", a "repeatable build and quality-control workflow", and "Reporting connects search impressions to signups and revenue". The role also builds "Instapack pages ahead of launches", sets "quality checks for accuracy, duplication, and brand voice", and helps "test whether offers like bonus candy actually improve retention", including a push test "on new users who scanned their first card but haven't bought yet".Source
• Your websiteApp page (get.rarecandy.com): "200 Million Cards Scanned", "2 Million Cards in Collections", "10.5K+ Active Shop Listings", "1 Million Instapacks Ripped"; a review says other trackers cap free scanning "around 100 cards" then charge "about $100 a year", while Rare Candy "still lets me keep going for free".Source
• App StoreRare Candy: TCG Card Scanner rates 4.8 from 9,833 US ratings; version 3.4.0 (October 20, 2026) added bulk actions and improved scanner accuracy "for vintage and graded cards".Source
• HiringLead Product Manager (first PM, reports to the CEO): "We've hit 20x revenue growth this year alone, the business is profitable"; "a 25-person team"; the guiding metrics are "weekly active users and new activated users". Engineering is also hiring a Web Engineer, a Fullstack Developer, a Go Backend Developer and an Android Developer.Source

Remove the expired footnote and show today's fees, add 2026 record sales to the Hall of Fame, update sold and bid counts, and add a short "sell in 2 minutes" flow from the app.

Consignors compare fees and recent results; current numbers win more supply, which feeds the marketplace.

• Higher fees look worse

  Show what sellers receive at each tier.

• Your websiteSeller page (sellwith.rarecandy.com): "12,500+ items sold", "200,000+ bids placed", Featured Auctions "hosted on livestream by Leonhart", a Hall of Fame led by a "$125,000" PSA 10 Umbreon promo sold in July 2023, and a fee table whose lower rates carry the footnote "*through 7/31/23".Source
• Your websiteApp page (get.rarecandy.com): "200 Million Cards Scanned", "2 Million Cards in Collections", "10.5K+ Active Shop Listings", "1 Million Instapacks Ripped"; a review says other trackers cap free scanning "around 100 cards" then charge "about $100 a year", while Rare Candy "still lets me keep going for free".Source
• HiringSocial Media & Community Associate (part-time, posted September 21, 2026; Growth department): posting "five days a week on TikTok and Instagram", "Creator content is out the door within a day", working "the comments, DMs, Discord, and Reddit", with X and YouTube Shorts "as we scale"; by year one "Every drop and product launch has a post plan" and "We're a presence in the places collectors hang out, not just on our own feeds". The post says Rare Candy "grew almost 30x last year".Source

Add One Piece and Riftbound to the header and footer game menus, and link each hub from the homepage and from the blog's Riftbound guides.

It is a one-line change that tells search engines and visitors these games matter.

• Menu clutter

  Group games under one menu.

• Your websiteHomepage: title "Rip, Scan & Track Pokémon & Other TCGs | Rare Candy", no H1, and no email signup found. The footer "Games" menu lists Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering, Lorcana and Gundam, though the catalog also has /onepiece and /riftbound hubs.Source
• Your websiteCard catalog pages: the catalog sitemap index lists 1,385 per-set sitemaps (810 Magic: The Gathering, 456 Pokémon, 60 One Piece, 27 Gundam, 26 Lorcana, 5 Riftbound). The Umbreon ex #161/131 (Prismatic Evolutions) page's own data holds a raw price of $1,215.47 and 36 graded prices, but its title is "Umbreon ex #161/131 - Prismatic Evolutions (161/131)" with no price, game or brand, and the description template reads "View card stats, abilities, set details, and current for value Pokémon" (the same wording, ending "current for value Magic: The Gathering", on MTG cards). The only structured data is a breadcrumb list, and the HTML served before JavaScript runs has no heading, price or card details.Source
• HiringGrowth Marketer, SEO and Lifecycle (posted October 2, 2026; reports to the Director of Growth): "Our blog drives over a million search impressions a week and converts well. But a blog only scales as fast as people can write. We have data on every card, set, product, and price, and we want pages for all of it." By day 90: "The first programmatic page types are live, starting with current Pokémon sets", a "repeatable build and quality-control workflow", and "Reporting connects search impressions to signups and revenue". The role also builds "Instapack pages ahead of launches", sets "quality checks for accuracy, duplication, and brand voice", and helps "test whether offers like bonus candy actually improve retention", including a push test "on new users who scanned their first card but haven't bought yet".Source

Turn each set page into a price guide: the most valuable cards, raw and PSA 10 prices, 30-day movement, pack and box prices, and the expected value of a pack. Start with the ten Pokémon sets with the most impressions, then MTG, Lorcana and Riftbound.

Price guides match the way collectors search, update themselves from data, and link down to every card.

• Cannibalizing blog posts

  Blog covers the story, the guide covers prices; link both ways.

• HiringGrowth Marketer, SEO and Lifecycle (posted October 2, 2026; reports to the Director of Growth): "Our blog drives over a million search impressions a week and converts well. But a blog only scales as fast as people can write. We have data on every card, set, product, and price, and we want pages for all of it." By day 90: "The first programmatic page types are live, starting with current Pokémon sets", a "repeatable build and quality-control workflow", and "Reporting connects search impressions to signups and revenue". The role also builds "Instapack pages ahead of launches", sets "quality checks for accuracy, duplication, and brand voice", and helps "test whether offers like bonus candy actually improve retention", including a push test "on new users who scanned their first card but haven't bought yet".Source
• Your websiteCard catalog pages: the catalog sitemap index lists 1,385 per-set sitemaps (810 Magic: The Gathering, 456 Pokémon, 60 One Piece, 27 Gundam, 26 Lorcana, 5 Riftbound). The Umbreon ex #161/131 (Prismatic Evolutions) page's own data holds a raw price of $1,215.47 and 36 graded prices, but its title is "Umbreon ex #161/131 - Prismatic Evolutions (161/131)" with no price, game or brand, and the description template reads "View card stats, abilities, set details, and current for value Pokémon" (the same wording, ending "current for value Magic: The Gathering", on MTG cards). The only structured data is a breadcrumb list, and the HTML served before JavaScript runs has no heading, price or card details.Source
• Your websiteBlog: 100 posts in the blog sitemap, mostly "Top 10 chase cards" set guides for Pokémon, Lorcana and Riftbound, with NewsArticle structured data. "Top 10 MEGA Dream ex Chase Cards & Hits" (December 3, 2025) lists Mega Charizard X ex at "$44.62"; its card page now shows $22.56. That post links to card URLs under /brands/pokemon/sets/..., which return 200 with their own canonical, duplicating the /pokemon/sets/... URLs in the sitemap; newer posts link to the sitemap URLs.Source

Add automated checks: flag graded prices out of order by grade, prices from few sales, and big jumps day to day. Hide or mark flagged prices as "limited sales" and send them for review.

Accurate prices are what collectors trust a tracker for, and errors in search results cost credibility.

• Hiding real outliers

  Mark rather than remove.

• Your websiteGraded prices on the Umbreon ex #161/131 page include PSA 1 at $2,460.78 against PSA 9 at $1,201.29 and PSA 10 at $4,613.55, a lower grade priced above higher ones.Source
• HiringGrowth Marketer, SEO and Lifecycle (posted October 2, 2026; reports to the Director of Growth): "Our blog drives over a million search impressions a week and converts well. But a blog only scales as fast as people can write. We have data on every card, set, product, and price, and we want pages for all of it." By day 90: "The first programmatic page types are live, starting with current Pokémon sets", a "repeatable build and quality-control workflow", and "Reporting connects search impressions to signups and revenue". The role also builds "Instapack pages ahead of launches", sets "quality checks for accuracy, duplication, and brand voice", and helps "test whether offers like bonus candy actually improve retention", including a push test "on new users who scanned their first card but haven't bought yet".Source
• Your websiteCard catalog pages: the catalog sitemap index lists 1,385 per-set sitemaps (810 Magic: The Gathering, 456 Pokémon, 60 One Piece, 27 Gundam, 26 Lorcana, 5 Riftbound). The Umbreon ex #161/131 (Prismatic Evolutions) page's own data holds a raw price of $1,215.47 and 36 graded prices, but its title is "Umbreon ex #161/131 - Prismatic Evolutions (161/131)" with no price, game or brand, and the description template reads "View card stats, abilities, set details, and current for value Pokémon" (the same wording, ending "current for value Magic: The Gathering", on MTG cards). The only structured data is a breadcrumb list, and the HTML served before JavaScript runs has no heading, price or card details.Source

Each week, brief three hooks for the current packs (top hit reveal, pack odds, creator reaction), run them on TikTok, Reels and Meta, and scale the winner. Report cost per first rip and cost per new active user weekly.

A fixed rhythm turns lucky weeks into a system and ties creative to acquisition cost.

• Small budgets give noisy results

  Judge on cost per rip with a minimum spend.

• HiringSenior Creative Lead, Growth (posted October 2, 2026; $115,000-$145,000): owns "organic social, paid ads, creator and UGC content, and every major launch"; by day 90 "A structured paid-creative testing program is live", creator and UGC content "feeds into the same system as everything else, and the best of it gets adapted for paid", and there is "a creative performance report the team actually reads every week"; by year one "Every launch has a creative plan that runs for weeks, not days" and "Creative testing is a measurable reason our acquisition costs are going down". The post names co-founder Leonhart and the in-house creators.Source
• Your websiteInstapacks live on a separate subdomain, packs.rarecandy.com ("Open digital packs backed by real cards, keep your hits or exchange them for Candy. Amazing Top Hits. Fair Odds."). Its sitemap has 12 URLs; each pack is at /packs/<random id>, e.g. "Single Strike: Grand Line Adventure" at $9.99. None of the rarecandy.com sitemaps link to it.Source
• Your websiteApp page (get.rarecandy.com): "200 Million Cards Scanned", "2 Million Cards in Collections", "10.5K+ Active Shop Listings", "1 Million Instapacks Ripped"; a review says other trackers cap free scanning "around 100 cards" then charge "about $100 a year", while Rare Candy "still lets me keep going for free".Source

Create evergreen pages on rarecandy.com such as /pokemon/instapacks and /onepiece/instapacks that list current packs, top hits, odds, recent big pulls and a launch calendar, linking into the pack app. Add pages for upcoming packs a week before launch.

Evergreen URLs collect links and rankings across launches; random-ID pack pages expire with each pack.

• Odds claims need care

  Show only the odds the pack page already publishes.

• Your websiteInstapacks live on a separate subdomain, packs.rarecandy.com ("Open digital packs backed by real cards, keep your hits or exchange them for Candy. Amazing Top Hits. Fair Odds."). Its sitemap has 12 URLs; each pack is at /packs/<random id>, e.g. "Single Strike: Grand Line Adventure" at $9.99. None of the rarecandy.com sitemaps link to it.Source
• HiringGrowth Marketer, SEO and Lifecycle (posted October 2, 2026; reports to the Director of Growth): "Our blog drives over a million search impressions a week and converts well. But a blog only scales as fast as people can write. We have data on every card, set, product, and price, and we want pages for all of it." By day 90: "The first programmatic page types are live, starting with current Pokémon sets", a "repeatable build and quality-control workflow", and "Reporting connects search impressions to signups and revenue". The role also builds "Instapack pages ahead of launches", sets "quality checks for accuracy, duplication, and brand voice", and helps "test whether offers like bonus candy actually improve retention", including a push test "on new users who scanned their first card but haven't bought yet".Source
• Your websiteHomepage: title "Rip, Scan & Track Pokémon & Other TCGs | Rare Candy", no H1, and no email signup found. The footer "Games" menu lists Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering, Lorcana and Gundam, though the catalog also has /onepiece and /riftbound hubs.Source

Publish the new program: tiers, revenue share or candy per new active user, tracked links, monthly pack credits, and an application form. Feed creators' best clips into paid testing.

TCG creators already make rip and pull content daily; a clear offer turns that into measured acquisition.

• Paying for low-quality traffic

  Reward activated users, not installs.

• Your websiteCreator Program page: "As we phase out the current version, we'll be introducing fresh opportunities and surprises soon. Want to stay in the loop? Reach out to us at [email]" and "Something big is coming". There is no application form or program detail.Source
• HiringSenior Creative Lead, Growth (posted October 2, 2026; $115,000-$145,000): owns "organic social, paid ads, creator and UGC content, and every major launch"; by day 90 "A structured paid-creative testing program is live", creator and UGC content "feeds into the same system as everything else, and the best of it gets adapted for paid", and there is "a creative performance report the team actually reads every week"; by year one "Every launch has a creative plan that runs for weeks, not days" and "Creative testing is a measurable reason our acquisition costs are going down". The post names co-founder Leonhart and the in-house creators.Source
• HiringSocial Media & Community Associate (part-time, posted September 21, 2026; Growth department): posting "five days a week on TikTok and Instagram", "Creator content is out the door within a day", working "the comments, DMs, Discord, and Reddit", with X and YouTube Shorts "as we scale"; by year one "Every drop and product launch has a post plan" and "We're a presence in the places collectors hang out, not just on our own feeds". The post says Rare Candy "grew almost 30x last year".Source

Each day, answer value questions in the main TCG subreddits and Discords with the card's Rare Candy page and an honest note, following each community's rules. Track clicks with UTM links.

Helpful answers build reputation and bring visitors with a specific card in hand.

• Seen as spam

  Disclose affiliation and give the answer, not just a link.

• HiringSocial Media & Community Associate (part-time, posted September 21, 2026; Growth department): posting "five days a week on TikTok and Instagram", "Creator content is out the door within a day", working "the comments, DMs, Discord, and Reddit", with X and YouTube Shorts "as we scale"; by year one "Every drop and product launch has a post plan" and "We're a presence in the places collectors hang out, not just on our own feeds". The post says Rare Candy "grew almost 30x last year".Source
• Your websiteCard catalog pages: the catalog sitemap index lists 1,385 per-set sitemaps (810 Magic: The Gathering, 456 Pokémon, 60 One Piece, 27 Gundam, 26 Lorcana, 5 Riftbound). The Umbreon ex #161/131 (Prismatic Evolutions) page's own data holds a raw price of $1,215.47 and 36 graded prices, but its title is "Umbreon ex #161/131 - Prismatic Evolutions (161/131)" with no price, game or brand, and the description template reads "View card stats, abilities, set details, and current for value Pokémon" (the same wording, ending "current for value Magic: The Gathering", on MTG cards). The only structured data is a breadcrumb list, and the HTML served before JavaScript runs has no heading, price or card details.Source
• Your websiteApp page (get.rarecandy.com): "200 Million Cards Scanned", "2 Million Cards in Collections", "10.5K+ Active Shop Listings", "1 Million Instapacks Ripped"; a review says other trackers cap free scanning "around 100 cards" then charge "about $100 a year", while Rare Candy "still lets me keep going for free".Source

Show completion progress per tracked set, send weekly "cards missing" updates with the cheapest listings, and celebrate completed sets with a shareable card. Test bonus candy for completion.

Completion is the core drive of collecting, and each missing card is a purchase reason.

• Large sets feel impossible

  Show progress by rarity tier too.

• HiringLead Product Manager (first PM, reports to the CEO): "We've hit 20x revenue growth this year alone, the business is profitable"; "a 25-person team"; the guiding metrics are "weekly active users and new activated users". Engineering is also hiring a Web Engineer, a Fullstack Developer, a Go Backend Developer and an Android Developer.Source
• HiringGrowth Marketer, SEO and Lifecycle (posted October 2, 2026; reports to the Director of Growth): "Our blog drives over a million search impressions a week and converts well. But a blog only scales as fast as people can write. We have data on every card, set, product, and price, and we want pages for all of it." By day 90: "The first programmatic page types are live, starting with current Pokémon sets", a "repeatable build and quality-control workflow", and "Reporting connects search impressions to signups and revenue". The role also builds "Instapack pages ahead of launches", sets "quality checks for accuracy, duplication, and brand voice", and helps "test whether offers like bonus candy actually improve retention", including a push test "on new users who scanned their first card but haven't bought yet".Source
• App StoreRare Candy: TCG Card Scanner rates 4.8 from 9,833 US ratings; version 3.4.0 (October 20, 2026) added bulk actions and improved scanner accuracy "for vintage and graded cards".Source

Split the homepage bundle, lazy-load payment and below-the-fold scripts, serve card images at display size, and remove maximum-scale=1. Track lab and field results each release.

Lighter pages help new visitors on slow phones and on crawl budget for thousands of pages.

• Breaking checkout

  Test payment flows after lazy-loading.

• Google PageSpeedHomepage, mobile lab test: performance 35/100, main content after 23.9 s, 9.2 MB downloaded including 4.3 MB of JavaScript (1.9 MB unused). Real Chrome users pass Core Web Vitals (LCP 2.3 s, INP 151 ms, CLS 0). The viewport tag sets maximum-scale=1, which blocks pinch zoom.Source
• HiringWeb Engineer (posted September 24, 2026; reports to the CTO): builds "the web experiences collectors use to discover products, manage their collections, shop drops, and open Instapacks", with "attention to accessibility, loading states, error handling, and performance"; by year one has "raised the bar for performance and usability". The post says "We've hit 10x revenue growth over the last 6 months".Source

Show final prices and a "sold" summary on ended auction pages, link each lot to its card page, and build a monthly "top auction results" post. Keep only live and result pages in the sitemap.

Sold results attract price searches and prove to sellers that auctions work.

• Seller privacy

  Show store names only where sellers agree.

• Your websiteThe auctions sitemap lists 87 auction pages, including past seasonal sales such as a Saint Patrick's Day auction and April weekly auctions; the storefront sitemap lists 31 seller stores, among them leonhart and powdrtcg.Source
• Your websiteSeller page (sellwith.rarecandy.com): "12,500+ items sold", "200,000+ bids placed", Featured Auctions "hosted on livestream by Leonhart", a Hall of Fame led by a "$125,000" PSA 10 Umbreon promo sold in July 2023, and a fee table whose lower rates carry the footnote "*through 7/31/23".Source
• HiringGrowth Marketer, SEO and Lifecycle (posted October 2, 2026; reports to the Director of Growth): "Our blog drives over a million search impressions a week and converts well. But a blog only scales as fast as people can write. We have data on every card, set, product, and price, and we want pages for all of it." By day 90: "The first programmatic page types are live, starting with current Pokémon sets", a "repeatable build and quality-control workflow", and "Reporting connects search impressions to signups and revenue". The role also builds "Instapack pages ahead of launches", sets "quality checks for accuracy, duplication, and brand voice", and helps "test whether offers like bonus candy actually improve retention", including a push test "on new users who scanned their first card but haven't bought yet".Source

Generate grade pages for cards above a value threshold: price history for that grade, population where available, live listings at that grade, and "is it worth grading?" math against the raw price.

Grade pages capture high-value buyers and sellers and link directly to graded listings.

• Thin duplicate pages

  Only build grades with real price data.

• Your websiteCard catalog pages: the catalog sitemap index lists 1,385 per-set sitemaps (810 Magic: The Gathering, 456 Pokémon, 60 One Piece, 27 Gundam, 26 Lorcana, 5 Riftbound). The Umbreon ex #161/131 (Prismatic Evolutions) page's own data holds a raw price of $1,215.47 and 36 graded prices, but its title is "Umbreon ex #161/131 - Prismatic Evolutions (161/131)" with no price, game or brand, and the description template reads "View card stats, abilities, set details, and current for value Pokémon" (the same wording, ending "current for value Magic: The Gathering", on MTG cards). The only structured data is a breadcrumb list, and the HTML served before JavaScript runs has no heading, price or card details.Source
• Your websiteGraded prices on the Umbreon ex #161/131 page include PSA 1 at $2,460.78 against PSA 9 at $1,201.29 and PSA 10 at $4,613.55, a lower grade priced above higher ones.Source
• App StoreRare Candy: TCG Card Scanner rates 4.8 from 9,833 US ratings; version 3.4.0 (October 20, 2026) added bulk actions and improved scanner accuracy "for vintage and graded cards".Source
• HiringGrowth Marketer, SEO and Lifecycle (posted October 2, 2026; reports to the Director of Growth): "Our blog drives over a million search impressions a week and converts well. But a blog only scales as fast as people can write. We have data on every card, set, product, and price, and we want pages for all of it." By day 90: "The first programmatic page types are live, starting with current Pokémon sets", a "repeatable build and quality-control workflow", and "Reporting connects search impressions to signups and revenue". The role also builds "Instapack pages ahead of launches", sets "quality checks for accuracy, duplication, and brand voice", and helps "test whether offers like bonus candy actually improve retention", including a push test "on new users who scanned their first card but haven't bought yet".Source

After a scan, offer an instant candy or cash offer for eligible cards, or a one-tap consignment listing. Start with high-demand sealed and graded items.

It turns the scanner from a tool into a supply engine and gives users a reason to scan more.

• Price risk

  Small offers on liquid cards only.

• Your websiteApp page (get.rarecandy.com): "200 Million Cards Scanned", "2 Million Cards in Collections", "10.5K+ Active Shop Listings", "1 Million Instapacks Ripped"; a review says other trackers cap free scanning "around 100 cards" then charge "about $100 a year", while Rare Candy "still lets me keep going for free".Source
• Your websiteSeller page (sellwith.rarecandy.com): "12,500+ items sold", "200,000+ bids placed", Featured Auctions "hosted on livestream by Leonhart", a Hall of Fame led by a "$125,000" PSA 10 Umbreon promo sold in July 2023, and a fee table whose lower rates carry the footnote "*through 7/31/23".Source
• Your websiteInstapacks live on a separate subdomain, packs.rarecandy.com ("Open digital packs backed by real cards, keep your hits or exchange them for Candy. Amazing Top Hits. Fair Odds."). Its sitemap has 12 URLs; each pack is at /packs/<random id>, e.g. "Single Strike: Grand Line Adventure" at $9.99. None of the rarecandy.com sitemaps link to it.Source

Publish a monthly report: most-scanned cards, biggest price moves, hottest sets, and grading trends. Launch it with Leonhart's channel and short clips.

Original data earns press, links and AI citations, and gives creative a monthly story.

• User privacy

  Aggregate only.

• Your websiteApp page (get.rarecandy.com): "200 Million Cards Scanned", "2 Million Cards in Collections", "10.5K+ Active Shop Listings", "1 Million Instapacks Ripped"; a review says other trackers cap free scanning "around 100 cards" then charge "about $100 a year", while Rare Candy "still lets me keep going for free".Source
• Your websiteSeller page (sellwith.rarecandy.com): "12,500+ items sold", "200,000+ bids placed", Featured Auctions "hosted on livestream by Leonhart", a Hall of Fame led by a "$125,000" PSA 10 Umbreon promo sold in July 2023, and a fee table whose lower rates carry the footnote "*through 7/31/23".Source
• HiringSenior Creative Lead, Growth (posted October 2, 2026; $115,000-$145,000): owns "organic social, paid ads, creator and UGC content, and every major launch"; by day 90 "A structured paid-creative testing program is live", creator and UGC content "feeds into the same system as everything else, and the best of it gets adapted for paid", and there is "a creative performance report the team actually reads every week"; by year one "Every launch has a creative plan that runs for weeks, not days" and "Creative testing is a measurable reason our acquisition costs are going down". The post names co-founder Leonhart and the in-house creators.Source

Label Pocket sets clearly, drop the price wording, add Pocket-specific content (rarity, deck use), or keep them out of the sitemap until they have it.

Clean separation keeps the price catalog high quality and serves Pocket players with what they need.

• Losing Pocket traffic

  Keep pages with impressions live.

• Your websitePokémon TCG Pocket sets are in the same catalog as the physical game: "Browse all 110 cards from Pokémon TCG: Pokémon TCG Pocket—Team Rocket's Ambition"; their card pages have no prices and the same "current for value" description.Source
• Your websiteCard catalog pages: the catalog sitemap index lists 1,385 per-set sitemaps (810 Magic: The Gathering, 456 Pokémon, 60 One Piece, 27 Gundam, 26 Lorcana, 5 Riftbound). The Umbreon ex #161/131 (Prismatic Evolutions) page's own data holds a raw price of $1,215.47 and 36 graded prices, but its title is "Umbreon ex #161/131 - Prismatic Evolutions (161/131)" with no price, game or brand, and the description template reads "View card stats, abilities, set details, and current for value Pokémon" (the same wording, ending "current for value Magic: The Gathering", on MTG cards). The only structured data is a breadcrumb list, and the HTML served before JavaScript runs has no heading, price or card details.Source
• HiringGrowth Marketer, SEO and Lifecycle (posted October 2, 2026; reports to the Director of Growth): "Our blog drives over a million search impressions a week and converts well. But a blog only scales as fast as people can write. We have data on every card, set, product, and price, and we want pages for all of it." By day 90: "The first programmatic page types are live, starting with current Pokémon sets", a "repeatable build and quality-control workflow", and "Reporting connects search impressions to signups and revenue". The role also builds "Instapack pages ahead of launches", sets "quality checks for accuracy, duplication, and brand voice", and helps "test whether offers like bonus candy actually improve retention", including a push test "on new users who scanned their first card but haven't bought yet".Source

Make "unlimited free scanning" the lead message in app-install ads and the App Store screenshots, and add an import path from other trackers' CSV exports.

A concrete free benefit beats feature claims, and import removes the switching cost.

• Rivals change their limits

  Avoid naming rivals and check claims monthly.

• Your websiteApp page (get.rarecandy.com): "200 Million Cards Scanned", "2 Million Cards in Collections", "10.5K+ Active Shop Listings", "1 Million Instapacks Ripped"; a review says other trackers cap free scanning "around 100 cards" then charge "about $100 a year", while Rare Candy "still lets me keep going for free".Source
• Competitor researchRivals' own homepages: TCGplayer, "Your Trusted Marketplace for Collectible Trading Card Games"; Collectr, "The Most Advanced Portfolio Tracking App for Collectible Trading Card Games". Courtyard and eBay also sell graded cards and digital-pack style rips to the same collectors.See the research Source
• App StoreRare Candy: TCG Card Scanner rates 4.8 from 9,833 US ratings; version 3.4.0 (October 20, 2026) added bulk actions and improved scanner accuracy "for vintage and graded cards".Source

Send a weekly email with the user's collection value change, biggest movers and new packs, and add an email signup on the blog and set pages for visitors without the app.

A personal weekly digest drives return visits and gives web visitors a path into the app.

• Bad weeks discourage users

  Lead with movers, not total value, in down weeks.

• Your websiteHomepage: title "Rip, Scan & Track Pokémon & Other TCGs | Rare Candy", no H1, and no email signup found. The footer "Games" menu lists Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering, Lorcana and Gundam, though the catalog also has /onepiece and /riftbound hubs.Source
• HiringGrowth Marketer, SEO and Lifecycle (posted October 2, 2026; reports to the Director of Growth): "Our blog drives over a million search impressions a week and converts well. But a blog only scales as fast as people can write. We have data on every card, set, product, and price, and we want pages for all of it." By day 90: "The first programmatic page types are live, starting with current Pokémon sets", a "repeatable build and quality-control workflow", and "Reporting connects search impressions to signups and revenue". The role also builds "Instapack pages ahead of launches", sets "quality checks for accuracy, duplication, and brand voice", and helps "test whether offers like bonus candy actually improve retention", including a push test "on new users who scanned their first card but haven't bought yet".Source
• Your websiteApp page (get.rarecandy.com): "200 Million Cards Scanned", "2 Million Cards in Collections", "10.5K+ Active Shop Listings", "1 Million Instapacks Ripped"; a review says other trackers cap free scanning "around 100 cards" then charge "about $100 a year", while Rare Candy "still lets me keep going for free".Source