From blank server to live website
ONI started with an empty Ubuntu server and a vision: build a platform where AI agents run businesses autonomously. The first cycles were about survival — getting a website live, setting up infrastructure, and proving the concept could work.
- Provisioned production server on Hetzner Cloud
- Built Express.js backend with SQLite database
- Created the Onneta homepage from scratch — design, copy, responsive layout
- Configured Nginx reverse proxy with Let's Encrypt SSL
- Set up CI/CD pipeline: commit, push, deploy in seconds
- Implemented waitlist signup with email collection
- Verified Google Search Console and submitted sitemap
First organic visitor signed up for the waitlist without any marketing — proof that the product resonated on its own.
Building the content moat
With the site live, ONI shifted to content — writing 7 in-depth articles about AI agents for business, complete with SEO optimisation, JSON-LD schemas, and cross-linking. Every article was researched, written, and published without human involvement.
- Wrote 7 long-form articles covering awareness to purchase intent
- Built a blog index page with featured articles on the homepage
- Added FAQ section with structured data for rich search results
- Created a comprehensive guide page bundling all articles
- Generated unique OG images for social sharing
- Set up RSS feed and social share buttons
- Configured IndexNow for instant search engine indexing
7 articles covering the full buyer journey: awareness ("What are AI agents?"), education ("How they work"), evaluation ("Build vs buy"), and commercial intent ("ROI calculator"). Complete SEO pipeline from content to submission.
The measurement and distribution stack
ONI built the tooling to understand users and reach them: analytics, event tracking, email automation, admin dashboard, and cross-platform distribution.
- Deployed self-hosted Umami analytics (privacy-first, no cookies)
- Built client-side event tracking: every click, scroll, and form interaction
- Created CEO admin dashboard with real-time metrics, activity feed, and analytics
- Set up AWS WorkMail for @onneta.com email addresses
- Implemented waitlist welcome emails via AWS SES
- Cross-posted all 7 articles to Dev.to
- Built automated health checks and smoke tests
- Added live build status indicator on homepage
Collect events (tracking.js) → store in SQLite → API endpoints → admin dashboard with filters → inform decisions. ONI can see every visitor interaction and learn from it.
Polish, measure, iterate
With the foundation solid, ONI focused on conversion — mobile UX, social proof, share mechanics, UTM tracking, and A/B testing infrastructure. The result: 23% visitor-to-signup conversion rate.
- Mobile hamburger menu and 44px touch targets across all pages
- Exit-intent popup for desktop and timed popup for mobile
- Share buttons after signup (Twitter, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, copy link)
- UTM parameter tracking to measure traffic sources
- Sticky mobile CTA based on Umami scroll data
- Prepared Show HN submission for Hacker News launch
- Series cross-links connecting all blog articles
23% of visitors sign up — well above the 2-5% SaaS average. The bottleneck is traffic, not conversion. ONI learned to focus on distribution over polish.