This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Paul Onu
Hey there, creators, dreamers, and digital trailblazers! 
This is the chaotic, hilarious, and downright obsessive tale of how I built the Postly.ai website through thousands of hours of rebuilds, countless late-night coding binges, and a sprinkle of AI wizardry. 
This isn’t just a story; it’s a masterclass in grit, pivots, and why your website is your digital handshake. Here are the lessons I learned while turning Postly.ai into a social media automation powerhouse.
Lesson 1: WordPress Dreams Can Turn Into Nightmares 
The Start: I kicked off Postly.ai on WordPress, thinking it was the golden ticket. I hired a builder, poured in hours adding content, and dreamed of a slick site.
The Reality: Plugins turned my site into a crash-happy mess. Downtime? Constant. Frustration? Through the roof. 
I rebuilt the site 10+ times just to keep it alive.
Takeaway: Sometimes, the “easy” path (like WordPress) is a trap. Test your tools early, and don’t be afraid to ditch what doesn’t scale.
Lesson 2: Big Promises, Bigger Disappointments 
The Designer Saga: Desperate for a glow-up, I hired a designer who charged $5,714 USD for a website and dashboard in AngularJS. The designs? Beautiful logos and sleek screens that screamed “pro.” The code? Nonexistent. 
My Pivot: After that flop, I salvaged the visuals and enrolled myself in YouTube University. 
Learned Next.js, grabbed a GitHub template, and rebuilt the site 15+ times. Here’s the kicker: I realized I didn’t even need those fancy designs.
Takeaway: Trust actions, not promises. And don’t underestimate your ability to learn – YouTube and GitHub are your best cofounders when cash is tight.
Lesson 3: AI Changed Everything (and Saved My Sanity) 
The Turning Point: After 20 more rebuilds (yes, I’m that obsessive), generative AI rolled in like a superhero. Suddenly, I could:
Dream up new layouts overnight.
Tweak and generate code with less stress.
Prototype features faster than ever.
The Result: Postly.ai became sleek, user-friendly, and scalable. I carried the same mindset over to HeyOnu.com. Between both products, I’ve published nearly 400 blog posts (and counting).
Takeaway: AI is like a creative genie. Your imagination is the only limit now.
Lesson 4: Excellence Is Your Secret Weapon When Cash Is Tight 
I’ve always told my team: when you don’t have deep pockets for ads, you must excel at everything you can control – product, website, and brand.
Your Website = Your Handshake: I treat Postly.ai like a face-to-face chat. I proactively imagine what users would ask me in a demo, then make sure the website answers it.
Obsess Over Details: From lightning-fast page speed to intuitive flows, every pixel matters.
Content Is King: I don’t just write blogs for filler. I listen, observe, and pick topics users care about right now. That discipline led to hundreds of posts fueling organic growth.
Takeaway: Excellence compounds. No ad budget? Then let your product, website, and words be your best salespeople.
Lesson 5: SEO Is a Game You Can Win 
SEO is where all those late nights started to shine.
The Numbers:
Postly.ai: 120,000 impressions/month | 3,000 clicks (2.5% CTR)
blog.postly.ai: 275,000 impressions/month | 2,000 clicks (0.73% CTR)
Total: 395,000 impressions | 5,000 clicks/month
How We Compare:
The industry average for mid-tier SaaS websites is ~30k impressions/month.
The median blog traffic is ~3,930 sessions/month.
We’re well ahead, ranking for competitive terms like social media scheduler and AI content creation.
CTR Insights:
Postly.ai’s 2.5% is 
.
The blog’s 0.73% is solid but has room to grow (meta descriptions, I’m looking at you 
).
Takeaway: SEO isn’t magic – it’s consistent code optimization, metadata discipline, and fresh, relevant content.
Bonus: A Peek at Our SEO Setup 
We keep SEO lean and organized with a dedicated SiteMetaData.jsx file that powers all pages. Each entry has:
Titles & descriptions
Canonical URLs
OpenGraph + Twitter card previews
Curated keyword tags
Examples:
Home Page: Postly | Social Media Scheduler with AI Automation (tags include “AI content creation,” “multi-platform publishing,” “social media automation”)
Login Page: Optimized for “Postly login,” “social media tool login”
Pricing Page: Optimized for “Postly pricing plans,” “social media scheduler cost”
This keeps the site fast, crawlable, and always SEO-ready.
Final Lesson: Keep Building, Keep Learning 
After thousands of hours of rebuilds, one truth stands out: your website is never “done.” It’s a living, breathing reflection of your brand.
Stay curious. Embrace AI. Obsess over user experience. Treat your website like your first handshake – it’s the one thing users will always remember.
Got a website war story of your own? Drop it in the comments – I’d love to hear it.
Happy building, and may your bugs be few!
- Paul, Postly Founder
This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Paul Onu