Building Your Personal Website with Notion: A Guide to Creating a Content Hub
Ron Forbes / February 23, 2025
In an age where personal branding and content distribution are essential for creators, entrepreneurs, and professionals, having a streamlined, accessible personal website is a game-changer. I’ve experimented with various tools over the years, but ultimately, I landed on Notion as the backbone of my digital presence. In this post, I’ll share why I chose Notion, how I’ve structured my site, and tips for making the most of it.
Why Notion?
When I set out to build a personal website, I had a few key priorities:
- Ease of Use: I wanted a tool that didn’t require coding or complex site management.
- Content-Centric: The platform needed to prioritize written content, archiving, and easy organization.
- Cross-Platform Syncing: I needed a solution that worked seamlessly across desktop, mobile, and web.
- Dynamic Updating: I wanted the ability to update content instantly, without fussing over design.
Notion checked all these boxes. Its document-style interface allows me to focus on writing, while its database functionality makes it easy to organize and surface content dynamically. Unlike traditional CMS platforms, Notion doesn’t get in the way of content creation—it enhances it.
How I Built My Notion Website
I use Super.so to turn my Notion pages into a fully functional website. This enhances Notion’s capabilities with custom domain hosting, SEO features, and additional design flexibility. Here’s how I structured my site:
1. A Centralized Content Hub
Notion acts as the foundation for my second brain—a system where I store years of product management knowledge, writing, and ideas. My site houses:
- Blog posts
- Archived newsletters
- Links to YouTube videos
- Collections of tweetstorms from Threads
2. Dynamic Surfacing with Databases
Rather than using a static webpage structure, I leverage Notion’s database functionality to filter and display content based on topics, tags, and formats. This allows visitors to navigate my site fluidly, discovering relevant content with ease.
3. Embedded Content for a Seamless Experience
To make my site feel like a cohesive platform rather than just a Notion workspace, I embed:
- Substack newsletter sign-ups (so visitors can subscribe without leaving the page)
- YouTube videos directly into blog posts for added engagement
4. Reusable Components with Synced Blocks
Notion’s synced blocks are one of my favorite features. I use them to create reusable elements across my site, such as:
- Call-to-action blocks for newsletter sign-ups
- A persistent footer with links to my social channels
- Navigational elements that maintain consistency across pages
Tips & Tricks for Optimizing Your Notion Website
If you’re considering building your personal site with Notion, here are some tips to make the process smoother:
1. Prioritize Content Over Design
It’s easy to get caught up tweaking design elements, but at the end of the day, compelling content drives engagement. Notion’s simplicity forces you to focus on what matters: writing and sharing valuable insights.
2. Use Databases to Stay Organized
Instead of manually updating pages, structure your content using databases. This lets you:
- Tag posts for easy filtering
- Automatically generate collections of related content
- Keep an archive of past newsletters without cluttering your main blog
3. Leverage Super.so for Customization & SEO
While Notion is fantastic, it’s not optimized for SEO or design flexibility out of the box. That’s where Super.so comes in, allowing you to:
- Customize your site’s appearance beyond Notion’s default styling
- Improve search visibility with SEO meta tags
- Use a custom domain to establish your brand
4. Embed External Tools for Enhanced Functionality
If Notion lacks a feature you need, chances are there’s an embed workaround. Some of my favorite integrations include:
- Substack for newsletters
- YouTube for video content
- Google Analytics for tracking visitor engagement
5. Keep Manual Work in Check
One challenge with using Notion as a website is that it requires some manual upkeep. Unlike WordPress or other CMS platforms, there’s no automation for certain tasks. That said, with the right structure (databases, page templates, synced blocks, and embeds), you can minimize repetitive work.
Final Thoughts
Notion isn’t the perfect solution for everyone, but for me, it provides the ideal balance between flexibility, simplicity, and functionality. It allows me to create, organize, and distribute content seamlessly, all while maintaining control over my workflow. With tools like Super.so and strategic use of Notion’s features, I’ve built a personal website that acts as a true content hub.
If you’re considering using Notion for your website, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Have you found any creative ways to enhance your Notion setup? Let’s discuss!
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In this post:
- Building Your Personal Website with Notion: A Guide to Creating a Content Hub
- Why Notion?
- How I Built My Notion Website
- 1. A Centralized Content Hub
- 2. Dynamic Surfacing with Databases
- 3. Embedded Content for a Seamless Experience
- 4. Reusable Components with Synced Blocks
- Tips & Tricks for Optimizing Your Notion Website
- 1. Prioritize Content Over Design
- 2. Use Databases to Stay Organized
- 3. Leverage Super.so for Customization & SEO
- 4. Embed External Tools for Enhanced Functionality
- 5. Keep Manual Work in Check
- Final Thoughts
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Join a community of like-minded people trying to figure out this thing called life.
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