Why I Rebuilt My Website From Scratch

I've had more websites than I can count.

WordPress sites, Squarespace sites, landing pages on every platform imaginable. Each one started with excitement and ended with me dreading every login.

So I did what any reasonable person would do — I burned it all down and started over.

The Problem With "Easy" Platforms

Here's the thing nobody tells you about website builders: they're easy to start, but painful to maintain.

Every time I wanted to do something slightly outside the template, I was fighting the platform. Custom layouts, specific integrations, a particular way I wanted my portfolio to look — it always turned into a wrestling match.

And don't get me started on page speed. Loading a simple blog post shouldn't feel like downloading a feature film.

What I Actually Needed

I sat down and made a list of what I actually needed:

• A fast site that loads instantly
• A CMS I don't hate using
• Full control over the design
• The ability to write and publish without friction

That's it. Not a hundred plugins, not a drag-and-drop builder, not a monthly subscription that costs more than my coffee habit.

The Stack I Landed On

I went with Astro, Keystatic, and Netlify. If those words mean nothing to you, here's the plain English version:

• Astro builds fast websites. Really fast.
• Keystatic lets me manage content without wanting to throw my laptop out the window.
• Netlify hosts the whole thing and deploys changes automatically.

The result? A site that loads in under a second, costs almost nothing to run, and actually makes me want to write.

The Real Reason

But honestly? The real reason I rebuilt everything is because I wanted a fresh start.

New site, new content, new energy. The old stuff served its purpose, but it was time to move forward.

If you're thinking about doing the same — stop thinking and start building. You'll figure it out along the way.

That's what I did.