Create a GitHub Account

If you don't have one yet, go to:

👉 github.com/signup

;

Sign up with:

• Your email address
• A strong password
• A username — this becomes part of your website URL, so choose carefully

Create a New Repository

A repository ("repo") is a folder that stores your project.

1. Once signed in, click the + icon in the top-right corner
2. Choose "New repository"
3. Give it a name — for example: my-website
4. Add a short description (optional)
5. Select Public (required for free GitHub Pages)
6. Check "Add a README file"
7. Click "Create repository"

Upload Your Website Files

You need at least one file called index.html — that's the homepage.

Method A: Upload via the browser (easiest)

1. In your new repository, click "Add file" → "Upload files"
2. Drag your index.html file into the box
3. Scroll down and click "Commit changes"

Method B: Create the file directly on GitHub

1. Click "Add file" → "Create new file"
2. Name it index.html
3. Paste your HTML code
4. Click "Commit changes"

Method C: Push from your computer (if you know Git)

git init
git add index.html
git commit -m "First commit"
git branch -M main
git remote add origin https://github.com/yourusername/my-website.git
git push -u origin main

Don't know Git yet? See our Git guide →

Enable GitHub Pages

This is the step that turns your repo into a live website.

1. In your repository, click "Settings" (top menu bar)
2. In the left sidebar, scroll down and click "Pages"
3. Under "Source", select "Deploy from a branch"
4. Under "Branch", choose main and / (root)
5. Click "Save"

You'll see a message like:

Wait 1-2 minutes for the first deploy to complete.

Visit Your Live Website

Open a new browser tab and visit:

https://yourusername.github.io/my-website/

;

Replace yourusername and my-website with your actual GitHub username and repository name.

If you see a 404 page, wait another minute and refresh. First deploys can take up to 5 minutes.

Update Your Site (It Auto-Deploys)

Any time you edit files in the repository, GitHub Pages automatically rebuilds and redeploys your site.

Edit index.html directly on GitHub:

1. Click on index.html in your repository
2. Click the pencil icon (edit)
3. Make your changes
4. Click "Commit changes"
5. Wait 1 minute, then refresh your live site

Bonus: Add a Custom Domain

Want yourname.com instead of yourname.github.io? Here's the quick version.

1. Buy a domain

From Namecheap, Cloudflare, or Porkbun — usually $8-12/year. (Free domains exist but most come with caveats.)

2. Add it in GitHub

1. Repository → Settings → Pages
2. Under "Custom domain", enter your domain
3. Click Save

3. Configure DNS at your registrar

Add these records:

# A records for root domain (yourdomain.com)
185.199.108.153
185.199.109.153
185.199.110.153
185.199.111.153

# CNAME record for www
www → yourusername.github.io

4. Enable HTTPS

Back in Settings → Pages, check "Enforce HTTPS". GitHub provisions a free SSL certificate automatically (may take up to 24 hours).