The other day I found myself having a little reminisce about the internet circa 2012–2013. That was the start of my website-building career, and I can still remember the pure joy and energy I felt designing and coding sites.
At the time, I was working in a community café, making coffees and freelancing as a designer and illustrator. To be able to launch a simple website felt like a superpower—like I’d been handed the keys to the internet.
Naturally, I went down a bit of a rabbit hole and pulled up one of my first client websites on the Wayback Machine.
There was no pressure to make it responsive. Cookies? GDPR? Page speed optimisation? A-B testing? Not even on the radar.
But this basic, low-performing website (by today’s standards!) actually got a lot of attention.
It got me thinking—yes, the requirements have changed, and websites do more now—but that joy and energy? We can still bring that.
This is for anyone who feels like their website has become a burden. More drain than delight.
Come back to the basics. Realign with your vision. Let your website do what it’s meant to do.
After 12 years working on websites for purpose-driven organisations, one thing is still true: it’s the ones that strip it back, get clear, and stay aligned that truly thrive.
If your website’s starting to feel like a burden, we can help. At Jamabuck, we build websites that are simple, purposeful, and a lot easier to manage—without losing the joy.
