Key Takeaways
- →Vibe coding gives you total control but breaks easily if you aren't technical
- →Building the new RyanHanley.com took 12 hours of deep focus and $3,000 in API costs
- →The result is an untouchable elite engine that removes the middleman between your brain and the internet
For two decades, building a website meant living in a constant nightmare of 'almost-there' design.
I have used WordPress for almost twenty years.
I love WordPress. I respect what it did for the internet.
...but my website was always almost what I wanted it to be.
It was a constant, grinding compromise.
I wanted a specific aesthetic, but the theme didn't bend that way.
I wanted a specific function, so I bought another widget.
Then I had to add another plugin.
Then I had to maintain the plugins.
Then the plugins fought among themselves.
Then a developer abandoned a plugin and broke the entire site.
Then came vibe coding...
When I learned what was actually possible with AI and terminal-level code generation, it felt like someone had handed me the keys to the kingdom.
I could finally create the exact website, with the exact form, function, style, and colors that I wanted.
Zero limits.
No compromise.
Just pure execution of the vision in my head.
If you have a vision, you should absolutely consider vibe coding your website.
The result can be magical.
But I need to tell you the reality of what it actually takes to get there.
Because the internet is lying to you about how easy this is.
The Fantasy vs. The Tornado
The tech bros on X sell you a dream.
Sit on your couch. Sip a bourbon. Type three sentences into a prompt box.
Watch a flawless, elite website render in real-time.
That is bullshit.
Here is the actual tech stack I used to build the new RyanHanley.com:
Manis AI: For the initial visual design and layout generation.
Claude Code (CLI): Living right in my terminal to build out the form, function, CMS structure, AI integrations, and technical SEO.
Wispr Flow: Because typing is too slow. I used voice-to-text to dump massive amounts of context directly into Claude.
Beehiiv: The entire email infrastructure and subscription routing.
Poppy AI: To dial in the language, the calls to action, and the psychological structure of the site sections.
When you start stacking these tools, the AI gives you massive confidence.
It writes the code.
It builds the structure.
You feel like a god.
And then the pipes break.
Vibe coding is amazing until two tools refuse to talk to each other.
...because I am not a formally trained engineer, I didn't know the connection languages required to bridge these APIs.
I didn't know the backend technical problems waiting in the dark.
You don't know what you don't know.
For a solid month, my website looked like it was caught in a tornado.
The site was up, then it was down, then it looked completely unhinged.
I didn't experience one "dark night of the soul" moment.
I experienced a dozen of them.
I had to learn the language of vibe coding by breaking the site over and over again.
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The Real Cost of "Easy"
Let's talk about the actual investment.
If you believe the hype, vibe coding is practically free.
The reality?
Building the version of RyanHanley.com that is live today took 12 hours of unbroken, deep-focus time.
It cost me close to $4,000 in API and build costs across Claude, Manus, and Grok (and continued maintenance).
Not to mention $10 a month in Vercel hosting fees, and another $10 a month for the Supabase database.
The question: Is the juice worth the squeeze?
For most people, no...hard no.
...but for a few elite businesses and personal brands, yes, if you have the stomach for it, the business needs and taste-making ability to create something special.
You have to be willing to squeeze pretty hard.
You have to be a nerd for this shit. I am.
Breaking the site and fixing it didn't bother me because I love the puzzle.
I'm built for it. If you aren't, which isn't a knock, vibe coding your own website will drive you insane (while slowly lighting cash on fire).
If you aren't wired for that, I do not recommend this path.
Pay an agency (If you work in insurance, use Advisor Evolved, and tell Chris I sent you).
It's Wu-Tang
Are you willing to bleed for it?
...because if you are, the result is untouchable.
It is beautiful.
It is unique.
It is bold.
The text and font setup is immaculate.
Under the hood, it ranks a 98.8 on the SEO meter.
But the aesthetic is only half the story.
The engine we built underneath it is what makes it elite.
When I built Rogue Risk, our custom tech stack was the eight-figure moat.
I know what a business engine is supposed to feel like.
We didn't just build a blog here; we built a machine.
A Custom SEO-Friendly CMS: A fully baked post builder designed exactly the way I write.
The Distribution Kit: The second I hit publish, the site hands me channel-specific social media copy for LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and Facebook.
Curated Reading Lists: A custom function to package my best work and highlight it seamlessly.
Native Analytics: Fully baked right inside the platform. No fighting third-party dashboards.
Campaign Engine: Spin up highly specific landing pages on demand for ad campaigns.
A Dedicated Media Library: Built right in.
Surgical Tracking: Global tracking code functionality, plus specific pop-ups tracked across pages.
For twenty years, my website was a reflection of the themes and plugins I was forced to use.
Today, my website is a pure, unfiltered reflection of me.
It's bold.
It's elite.
It's f*cking Wu-Tang.
Vibe coding isn't a magic wand.
It's a set of extremely powerful tools that removes the middleman between your brain and the internet.
It takes time.
It costs money.
It will make you want to throw your laptop through a window.
...and it is the best thing I have ever built.
This is the way.
Hanley
P.S. If you want to see what else we’re building under the hood, subscribe to the newsletter at ryanhanley.com/subscribe.