brettjosephowers.com (Next.js)

Purpose

Rewrote the original static HTML portfolio site in Next.js — a proper framework with routing, components, SSR, and modern tooling. It was the bridge between the simple CV site and what brettowers.com has become. Ran for a while, did its job, then was sunset when the current site replaced it.

Stack

What I Learned

• Rewriting a portfolio site every couple of years is not waste — it is practice on a project you understand deeply. The content stays roughly the same. The technology changes. Each rewrite teaches the new stack through a familiar problem. Static HTML → Next.js taught server-side rendering, file-based routing, and component architecture. Next.js → current brettowers.com taught Tailwind, structured data, and SEO at scale.
• Sunsetting a website feels like losing something, but it is actually pruning. Two portfolio domains splitting search authority between them is worse than one domain concentrating it. Pointing brettjosephowers.com at brettowers.com (via redirect) consolidates link equity and tells Google "this is the canonical site for Brett Owers."
• The domain shortening from brettjosephowers.com to brettowers.com mirrored the brand evolution: from full legal name (formal, resume-like) to the name people actually use (personal, brand-like). The domain IS the brand. Shorter, more memorable, easier to type — the same branding principles that apply to product names apply to personal domains.

Key Insights

• Portfolio sites are the one project type where rewrites are always justified. Every other rewrite in software is debatable — "does the old system really need replacing?" For portfolios: yes, always. Your portfolio represents your current skills. An outdated portfolio actively misrepresents you. A Next.js site says "I know modern React." A static HTML site from 2020 says "I knew HTML in 2020." The medium is the message.
• The lifecycle of personal websites mirrors the lifecycle of the developer: v1 (static HTML, "I exist"), v2 (framework rewrite, "I can build"), v3 (ecosystem hub, "I am building something"). Most developers stop at v1. The ones who reach v3 have usually found their thing — the project or brand that the site exists to serve rather than the site existing to serve the developer's job search.