Simple Website Using Github Pages

Make a simple HTML website and publish it using Github Pages.
View example: https://zirafa.github.io/simple-website-template/

Setup

• Create a Github account (if you don't have one yet)
• Fork this repository to copy it to your account, i.e. github.com/username/simple-website-template (you can rename it as well)
• Make sure you see the gh-pages branch (it should be the default)
• Edit website files on the gh-pages branch, then wait a minute or two for Github Pages to update and deploy your site.
• View your site: https://username.github.io/simple-website-template

How does this work?

This website template uses CSS & JS to hide and show different parts of index.html and uses Github Pages to render the website from the gh-pages branch.

Things to try

• Edit index.html and change the title of the page
• Edit index.html and change the content displayed in home, about, and contact.
• Edit index.html and change the content in the footer region.
• Replace logo.jpg and background.jpg with your own images.
• Update the metadata in the header portion of index.html (this is used by search engines and browsers).
• Edit style.css and change the link color and font style.

Further reading

Can I make separate HTML files for each page?

You can use Javascript AJAX calls to pull in external content into your index.html page. See script.js for more details.

Can I configure a custom domain for my site, i.e. johnnymakerportfolio.com?

Yes! Github Pages supports custom domain configuration. However, you will need to buy a domain name from a registrar such as NameCheap or Gandi -- the cost is usually around $10 - $15 a year.

Can I add a blog, etc?

This template works best for simple sites. For a blog you can try setting up Jekyll, which is a static site generator that also works on Github pages. For even more functionality, you will probably need a content management system (CMS) such as Wordpress, Drupal, or Django. A CMS will require additional setup and a website host, such as Dreamhost.

Can I add a store?

If you are interested in selling products online, check out BigCartel, which lets you setup a storefront with 5 products for free.

I heard I need to be using XYZ framework (Bootstrap, React, etc).

Web technology changes rapidly, and it easy to get lost in the hype. Learning the basics of HTML, CSS, and JS is a good place to start. From there, you can explore different frameworks and libraries to see what interests you.

I don't want to write code or deal with website hosting. Are there any website builders you recommend?

• Google Sites (free)
• Squarespace
• Wix