Building the Bali Handbook: Day 25 - Implementing Our Website Fixes
So here's the thing – I spent an entire day on my Bali travel directory project and didn't write a single line of code. Instead, I just... made lists. Lots of them. And honestly? It might have been the most productive day I've had in weeks.
Quick summary
Day 24 of building my Bali travel directory in public was all about stepping back and auditing what I'd built so far. Instead of jumping into the next shiny feature, I forced myself to go through every single page and write down what was broken, missing, or just plain ugly. It sounds boring, but this kind of honest assessment saved me from building on a shaky foundation.
Why I'm sharing this unglamorous stuff
You know what's funny? I almost didn't record this episode because nothing "exciting" happened. No new features, no breakthrough moments, just me clicking through pages and muttering "oh yeah, this is broken too."
But living here in Bali and building in public has taught me something: the messy, unsexy parts of building are just as important as the flashy stuff. Maybe more important.
I see so many people (myself included) get caught up in adding new features while ignoring fundamental problems. It's like renovating your kitchen while your roof is leaking.
The moment I realized I needed to pump the brakes
I was about to start building these "best of" pages – you know, like "Best Hotels in Ubud" or "Best Restaurants in Bali." I had this whole plan mapped out in my head about how users could select categories, pick their top listings, and automatically generate these curated pages.
Then I opened my homepage and... yikes.
The hero text was still placeholder copy. The filtering logic was completely wrong. Half the buttons didn't work properly. I was about to build a fancy new feature on top of a foundation that was held together with digital duct tape.
That's when I decided to hit pause and do something that felt counterproductive but was actually essential: audit everything.
How I approached the website audit
Instead of trying to remember what was broken, I opened up the site and went through it page by page like a user would. I had a simple rule: if something looked off, didn't work, or made me cringe, it went on the list.
Here's what I found (and trust me, it was humbling):
Homepage issues I discovered
Hero text was still placeholder content (embarrassing)
Filter logic was completely broken for accommodations
Newsletter signup wasn't connected to anything
Location data in the cards was wrong
Basically everything that mattered was half-finished
The stays page problems
No content below the cards (looked empty and sad)
Hero copy was generic and boring
No way to change the hero image
Category cards were showing for categories with zero listings
None of the filters actually worked
I'm not gonna lie, this was pretty deflating. Here I was thinking I was making good progress, and it turns out I had a lot of basic stuff that just... didn't work.
Single listing pages needed work too
Breadcrumbs were in the wrong place (bad for users and SEO)
No rating system for reviews
Room types weren't displaying correctly
Nearby attractions feature was broken
Images weren't loading properly in some cards
The dining and location pages were even worse
The dining section was basically a copy-paste of the stays section with different labels. Not exactly what you'd call thoughtful design.
And the location pages? Let's just say they needed a lot of love:
No actual content for most locations
Filters didn't work
Missing essential pages like privacy policy and terms of service
No contact page (kind of important for a business)
What this audit taught me about building in public
This whole experience reminded me why I love building in public, even when it's embarrassing. In a traditional company, I might have felt pressure to hide these problems or rush to fix them before anyone noticed.
But here's the thing – showing the messy parts makes the whole journey more real and relatable. How many times have you started a project, gotten excited about new features, and completely ignored the basics?
I'm betting it's happened to pretty much everyone who's ever built anything.
My new approach to feature development
After this audit, I completely changed my approach. Instead of jumping into the "best of" pages feature, I decided to:
Fix all the broken stuff first – No more building on a shaky foundation
Create a proper checklist – Write down everything that needs fixing
Work through it systematically – One issue at a time, no skipping around
Only then add new features – Once the basics actually work
It's not as exciting as building something new, but it's way more responsible.
The practical stuff: How I organized everything
I ended up with categories like this:
Content fixes:
Rewrite hero copy for all main pages
Add proper content below card sections
Create missing pages (privacy policy, contact, etc.)
Technical fixes:
Fix filtering logic across the site
Implement proper category filtering
Connect newsletter signup
Fix image loading issues
UI improvements:
Move breadcrumbs to better locations
Add rating systems
Improve card layouts
Make hero images changeable
New features (for later):
Bookmark functionality for users
Calendar integration
Google Maps with custom pins
User dashboard improvements
What I'm working on next
Tomorrow I'm diving into fixing these issues one by one. It's not going to be the most exciting content, but it's necessary work.
I'm also planning to start adding real listings this weekend so we have actual data to work with instead of placeholder content. Living in Bali gives me access to tons of great places, so I'm excited to start featuring real businesses.
The bigger picture lesson
This whole audit reminded me of something important: building in public isn't just about showing off cool features. It's about being honest about the process, including the boring parts.
Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is stop building and start evaluating. It feels like you're not making progress, but you're actually preventing yourself from making progress in the wrong direction.
Final thoughts
I know this wasn't the most exciting episode of my 60-day challenge, but I think these kinds of reality checks are crucial. It's easy to get caught up in the excitement of building new things and forget about the fundamentals.
Plus, now I have a clear roadmap for the next few days instead of just wandering around adding random features. Sometimes the best way to move forward is to first figure out exactly where you are.
Want to follow along with the rest of this challenge? I'm documenting everything as I build this Bali travel directory from scratch. Some days are more exciting than others, but they're all part of the real journey of building something from nothing.
Following along with my 60-day challenge to build a travel directory in Bali? Subscribe to see how this all turns out – the good, the bad, and the days when I just make really long lists.