Build your own corner of the web.
The AI builders promise you a website in 60 seconds. Some of them almost mean it. I've been building my own sites since 1998, and when a real redesign landed on my desk this year, I ran the field and picked one. Spoiler: it was Framer.
Your site here
Registered your own domain. Picked a tool that fits. Shipped the imperfect version.
ONLINE SINCE 1998 ✓Free tools
Tools that do a job, not just takes.
Built because they didn't exist and should have. Free, no signup, nothing you type leaves your browser.
The true-cost calculator
What your website really costs over 1 to 5 years: renewal jumps, domain renewals, and partner seats the pricing pages hide.
Run the numbers →The AI-visibility checker
Paste your robots.txt and see in ten seconds whether ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity can see your site, with a copyable fix.
Check your site →The snippet previewer
See exactly where Google cuts your page title, measured in pixels instead of guessed in characters, on desktop and on a phone.
Preview your snippet →The weekend launch checklist
18 steps from empty domain to shipped site, in order, with progress saved in your browser. Close it Saturday, resume Sunday.
Start checking →Start here
Three doors in. Pick yours.
Every "I need a website" problem comes down to what you're building and how much you want to touch. These three get you moving today.
How to make your own website in 2026
The flagship guide: the three honest paths, the five decisions that matter, and my picks for each kind of site, from a quarter century of doing it.
Read the guide →Framer vs Wix vs Squarespace vs the rest
Verified prices, real tradeoffs, and why Framer is the one I run with. The honest cases for the other four included.
See the comparison →Or browse every review →Watch me revive a 1999 web empire
I'm rebuilding my entire portfolio of 90s-era sites with today's tools, in public, with real numbers. First up: the coupon site.
Follow the rebuild →Reviews and profiles
Rated only where a real site got built.
A review carries a rating and means I built something on it. A profile carries none and says so. Prices last verified September 22, 2026.
Framer
The one I actually run with. Real free tier, honest $10/mo pricing, output that looks designed. Mind the 30-page cap.
Full review →Wix
The biggest name, seen through 1998 eyes. Better than its old reputation. Know the lock-in first.
Full review →Hostinger AI
Site, hosting, domain and email on one bill from $2.99/mo. The teaser rose 50 percent this year. Read the renewal math.
Full review →Squarespace
The best-looking defaults in the business at the priciest entry: $19/mo, no free tier, and fees on the Basic plan if you sell.
Read the profile →Durable
The 30-second website, profiled honestly: $22/mo, fastest to done, and right for exactly one kind of owner.
Read the profile →Framer vs Wix vs Squarespace
The two matchups most people actually decide between, scored round by round on price, ceiling, curve and lock-in.
Framer vs Wix →Framer vs Squarespace →Best builder for...
Your site isn't generic. The advice shouldn't be.
Picks by what you're actually building, backed by live sites I run in each category.
A site that sounds like you
Shows, music links, and a mailing list the algorithm can't throttle. Picked by someone who runs real music sites.
See the picks →A site that makes the phone ring
What actually drives customers, the Google Business Profile pairing, and the $3,000 package to skip.
See the picks →A site where the images hit first
Portfolio picks, the client-delivery split, and why 20 great photos beat 200 good ones.
See the picks →The purest kind of website
From someone running three fan sites since 2000. Neocities to static files, plus the two rules that keep you out of trouble.
See the picks →Restaurants, the weekend launch plan and every other guide →
Field notes
Notes from 28 years of building the web.
Short, opinionated, and written to be useful, not to fill a content calendar.
How much does a website really cost in 2026?
The honest range, the teaser-renewal trap, and the page cap that quietly turns a cheap plan expensive.
Read the note →Choosing an AI stack without chasing every shiny model
Three questions that filter the hype, and the deliberately boring stack that rebuilt a 27-year-old portfolio.
Read the note →The useful website is making a comeback
AI answers killed the filler site. What survives is the site that does a job. The bookmark test, and why 1999 had it right.
Read the note →From domain name to live site in one weekend
Friday: domain and one sentence. Saturday: the ugly complete draft. Sunday: ship it. Hour by hour.
Read the note →The Mogul Memo
One short email when a new build log entry or review ships. Real numbers from the portfolio revival, no filler, unsubscribe anytime.