Building your own personal website is like crafting a digital home – it's where you showcase your personality, skills, and passion to the world. After months of planning and development, I finally launched my personal website using Next.js and Payload CMS, and I'm excited to share this journey with you.
Why I Chose Next.js and Payload for My Personal Website
When I started planning my personal website, I knew I wanted something more than just a static portfolio. I needed a platform that could grow with me, handle dynamic content, and provide an excellent user experience. That's when I discovered the powerful combination of Next.js and Payload CMS.
The Power of Next.js for Modern Web Development
Next.js has become my go-to framework for React applications, and for good reason. Its server-side rendering capabilities ensure lightning-fast page loads, while the built-in optimizations take care of performance without me having to worry about the technical details.
What really sold me on Next.js was its flexibility. Whether I wanted to build static pages for my portfolio or dynamic pages for my blog, Next.js handled both seamlessly. The framework's automatic code splitting means visitors only download what they need, making my site incredibly fast.
The developer experience is phenomenal too. Hot reloading during development meant I could see changes instantly, and the intuitive file-based routing system made organizing my site structure a breeze.
Why Payload CMS Caught My Attention
Traditional CMSs often feel like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole – they're either too restrictive or overly complex. Payload CMS changed that for me completely. It's built specifically for developers who want full control without sacrificing ease of use.
What makes Payload special is its headless nature combined with a beautiful admin interface. I can manage my content through an intuitive dashboard while maintaining complete freedom over how that content appears on the frontend. It's like having the best of both worlds.
The fact that Payload is built with TypeScript and integrates seamlessly with React applications was the cherry on top. I didn't have to learn a new templating language or work around limitations – everything just worked.
Planning My Personal Website: Goals and Requirements
Before diving into code, I spent considerable time planning what I actually wanted from my website. This planning phase proved invaluable and saved me countless hours of rework later.
Defining My Website's Purpose
I wanted my website to serve multiple purposes. First and foremost, it needed to be a professional portfolio showcasing my development work and achievements. But I also wanted it to be a platform for sharing my thoughts through blog posts and connecting with other developers in the community.
The site needed to represent my personal brand while remaining professional enough for potential employers or clients to take seriously. Think of it as my digital business card, portfolio, and personal journal all rolled into one.
Essential Features I Wanted to Include
My must-have features list included a dynamic portfolio section where I could easily add new projects, a blog with categories and tags, a contact form that actually works, and social media integration. I also wanted the site to be lightning-fast and mobile-responsive because let's be honest – most people browse on their phones these days.
SEO was another crucial requirement. I wanted my content to be discoverable, which meant implementing proper meta tags, structured data, and ensuring excellent Core Web Vitals scores.
Setting Up the Development Environment
With my requirements clear, it was time to roll up my sleeves and start building. The setup process was surprisingly straightforward, though there were a few gotchas along the way.
Installing Next.js and Initial Configuration
I started with the standard Next.js installation using their create-next-app command. The beauty of this approach is that it sets up everything you need with sensible defaults. I chose the TypeScript template because type safety is non-negotiable for me on any serious project.
The initial project structure was clean and intuitive. I spent some time customizing the configuration to match my preferences, including setting up absolute imports and configuring my preferred ESLint rules. These small tweaks early on made the development process much smoother.
Integrating Payload CMS into the Project
Adding Payload to an existing Next.js project requires a bit more configuration than a greenfield Payload project, but it's definitely doable. I followed their documentation carefully and made sure to understand each step rather than just copying and pasting commands.
The key was understanding how Payload would coexist with Next.js. Payload runs as a separate Express server that handles the admin interface and API, while Next.js handles the frontend. This separation of concerns actually made the architecture cleaner and more maintainable.
Database Configuration and Setup
Payload supports multiple databases, but I went with MongoDB for its flexibility and JSON-like document structure. Setting up the database connection was straightforward, though I had to be careful about environment variables and connection strings.
I spent extra time on the initial database schema design because changing it later would be more complex. I defined collections for blog posts, projects, and general pages, making sure each had the fields I'd need both now and in the future.
Building the Core Website Structure
With the foundation in place, I could finally start building the actual website. This is where the magic happens – transforming ideas into interactive web pages.
Creating the Homepage and Navigation
The homepage is arguably the most important page of any website – it's your first impression. I wanted mine to be clean, professional, and immediately communicate who I am and what I do. I designed it with a hero section, brief introduction, featured projects, and recent blog posts.
The navigation needed to be intuitive and accessible. I implemented a responsive navigation menu that works well on both desktop and mobile devices. The key was keeping it simple while ensuring users could easily find what they're looking for.
Implementing Dynamic Content with Payload
This is where Payload really shines. Instead of hardcoding content directly into my components, I could fetch it dynamically from the CMS. This means I can update my website content without touching the code – a game-changer for maintaining an active blog.
Setting Up Content Collections
I defined several collections in Payload: Projects, Blog Posts, and Pages. Each collection has specific fields tailored to its content type. For example, blog posts have fields for title, content, excerpt, featured image, and publication date.
The beauty of Payload's collection system is how flexible it is. I can add new fields anytime without breaking existing content, and the admin interface automatically updates to reflect these changes.
Building Custom Components
I created reusable React components for different content types. A ProjectCard component displays portfolio items consistently, while a BlogPost component handles the layout and styling for blog articles. These components accept props from Payload, making the content dynamic while keeping the presentation layer clean and maintainable.
Styling and Design Implementation
A website's design can make or break the user experience. I wanted something modern and professional that wouldn't look dated in a few years.
Choosing the Right CSS Framework
After considering several options, I went with Tailwind CSS. Its utility-first approach aligned perfectly with my component-based architecture, and the resulting CSS bundle is surprisingly small thanks to purging unused styles.
Tailwind's design system approach helped maintain consistency across the site. Instead of writing custom CSS for every component, I could compose designs using pre-defined utility classes. This made the development process faster and the codebase more maintainable.
Creating a Responsive Design
Mobile-first design wasn't just a nice-to-have – it was essential. I started with mobile layouts and progressively enhanced them for larger screens. Tailwind's responsive utilities made this process intuitive and straightforward.
I paid special attention to typography, spacing, and touch targets to ensure the mobile experience was genuinely usable, not just a shrunk-down version of the desktop site.
Challenges I Faced and How I Overcame Them
Every project has its challenges, and this one was no exception. Here are the main hurdles I encountered and how I solved them.
Performance Optimization Struggles
Initially, my site was loading slower than I'd like. The culprit was primarily large images and some inefficient React patterns. I implemented Next.js Image optimization, which automatically serves images in modern formats and appropriate sizes.
I also had to be more careful about when and how I was fetching data from Payload. Implementing proper caching strategies and using Next.js's built-in performance optimizations made a significant difference.
Content Management Workflow Issues
Getting the content editing workflow right took some iteration. I had to think carefully about how content would flow from creation in Payload to display on the frontend. Preview functionality was crucial – I needed to see how content would look before publishing it.
I also had to set up proper content validation to prevent incomplete or malformed content from breaking the site. Payload's built-in validation features helped, but I added some custom validation rules specific to my needs.
Deployment and Going Live
Getting the site from my local development environment to production was an adventure in itself.
Choosing the Right Hosting Platform
I needed a hosting solution that could handle both the Next.js frontend and the Payload backend. After evaluating several options, I went with Vercel for the frontend and Railway for the Payload backend and database.
This separation allowed each part of the application to scale independently and took advantage of each platform's strengths. Vercel excels at static site deployment and edge functions, while Railway provides excellent support for Node.js applications and databases.
Setting Up Continuous Deployment
I configured automatic deployments from my Git repository, so pushing to the main branch automatically triggers a new deployment. This setup includes running tests and builds before deployment, ensuring that broken code never makes it to production.
The deployment pipeline also handles environment variables securely and manages the build process for both the frontend and backend components.
Results and Lessons Learned
The finished website exceeded my expectations in several ways. The performance is excellent – all pages load in under two seconds, and the site scores 95+ on all Core Web Vitals metrics. The content management workflow is smooth and efficient, allowing me to focus on creating content rather than wrestling with technical issues.
More importantly, the site has helped me professionally. Having a high-quality personal website has opened doors to new opportunities and made networking much more effective. When someone asks about my work, I can simply share my website URL.
The biggest lesson I learned is the importance of choosing the right tools for the job. Next.js and Payload proved to be an excellent combination that balanced developer experience with end-user performance.
Conclusion
Building my personal website with Next.js and Payload was one of the most rewarding projects I've undertaken. The combination of Next.js's performance and developer experience with Payload's flexibility and ease of use created a platform that I'm genuinely proud to call my digital home.
If you're considering building your own personal website, I highly recommend this tech stack. The learning curve is reasonable, the documentation is excellent, and the end result is a website that can grow with your career and evolving needs.
The investment in time and effort has paid dividends already, and I'm excited to continue expanding and improving the site as my career progresses. Your personal website is more than just a portfolio – it's your platform to share your story and connect with the world.