Distribution over building

The barrier to building software has basically hit zero. Whenever a niche micro SaaS hits the front page, three nearly identical versions with slightly cleaner UI pop up within two weeks.

Competing on features feels like a losing game when anyone can replicate your frontend in a few days. It feels like the only real defensibility left is proprietary data, deep workflow lock in, or an audience that genuinely trusts you.

If you were starting from scratch today with zero audience, how would you build a defensible moat before competitors copy your core feature?