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Good morning,
You built the website.
Maybe it took a few hours. Maybe a few days. You opened it in your browser, clicked around, and it worked exactly the way you wanted it to.
Here is the problem: only you can see it.
It lives on your computer, in a folder, visible only to you. That is the gap between "I built a website" and "I have a website." Hosting is what closes it, and it is easier than you think.
This issue covers every real option, what each one costs, and how to pick the right one for where you are right now, including whether you even need a new platform at all.
First, what hosting actually means
Think of your website like a house. The code is the structure: the walls, the rooms, the furniture. But a house needs land. Without land, there is no address. Without an address, nobody visits.
Hosting is the land. It gives your website a permanent address on the internet. When someone types your URL, a server somewhere finds your files and delivers them to that visitor. Your laptop can't do this job because it goes to sleep, loses connection, and travels between locations. A hosting server doesn't. That is exactly what you are paying for.
Vercel: where to start if you have no strong preference
Vercel has become the default recommendation in most modern development workflows, and for good reason. You connect it to your GitHub repository once. From that point on, every time you push a change to GitHub, Vercel automatically detects it, rebuilds your site, and updates the live version, usually within 30 to 60 seconds. No manual uploads. No logging into dashboards and clicking publish.
Your site gets a free URL immediately, something like yourproject.vercel.app. You can connect a custom domain whenever you are ready. The domain itself costs around 10 to 15 euros per year from any domain registrar, but Vercel does not charge extra to connect it.
One feature worth knowing about: every deployment gets its own unique URL. If you push a change and something breaks, you can roll back to a previous working version instantly. It is version control for your live site.
Pricing
Free tier: Covers personal projects, portfolios, small client sites, prototypes. No time limit.
Pro: $20/month. Needed for commercial projects, higher traffic, or team collaboration.
Honest note: Vercel restricts commercial use on the free tier. If you are building something for a paying client or running a business, check their terms before committing. The alternatives below handle this just as well.
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Not every project needs Vercel. Here is a clear look at the other platforms and what makes each one worth considering.
The real alternatives, plainly explained
Functionally nearly identical to Vercel for most use cases. Connect GitHub, get automatic deploys on every push, free custom domain support, and SSL included. If you run into trouble signing up for Vercel, go straight here. Same outcome, different interface. Free tier includes 100GB bandwidth per month. Pro is $19/month.
Built directly into GitHub. Enable it in your repository settings, choose your branch, and your site is live at yourusername.github.io/projectname. Always free, no paid tier. Works only for static websites (HTML, CSS, JavaScript with no backend). For portfolios and landing pages, it is completely fine.
Built on one of the largest network infrastructures in the world. Your site loads from whichever server is geographically closest to your visitor, which makes a real difference in page speed. Free tier includes unlimited bandwidth and 500 builds per month. Pro is $20/month. Best if performance and global reach are priorities.
More flexible than the others. Handles simple websites and more complex applications that need a backend or database. Free tier services spin down after inactivity, so the first visitor after a quiet period may experience a slow load. Paid plans start at $7/month to remove this. Best for projects you expect to grow beyond static files.
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Before you create a new account anywhere, consider this: you may already be paying for hosting that can do the job.
Already paying for hosting? You might not need anything new.
If you have an existing provider like IONOS, Hostinger, SiteGround, GoDaddy, Namecheap, or Infomaniak, your plan almost certainly includes the ability to host a simple website. Here is the process:
- Ask your code tool to "build the final production version of this project." It will generate a folder called dist or build containing your compiled files.
- Log into your hosting provider's control panel (usually cPanel, Plesk, or a custom dashboard).
- Open the File Manager and navigate to the folder where your website should live, typically called public_html or htdocs.
- Delete any existing placeholder files, then upload the contents of your dist or build folder directly into that location (the contents, not the folder itself).
- Visit your domain to confirm the site is live.
Good reasons to use your existing provider: one invoice, one login, domain and email already set up, no new platforms to manage.
Reason to consider switching: no automatic deploys. Every update means repeating the upload process manually. For a site you update weekly or more, this adds up quickly.
The full workflow, in plain terms, looks like this: you describe what you want and your code tool builds it. GitHub keeps every version safely backed up. Your hosting provider gives it an address the world can visit. That is the entire process, from idea to live site, without a development agency or a three-weekend learning curve.
Before you call it live: a quick checklist
- ✓ Production build created and ready to deploy
- ✓ Hosting platform chosen based on your update frequency and setup
- ✓ Site deployed and live URL confirmed in your browser
- ✓ Custom domain connected if you have one (optional but recommended)
- ✓ Tested on mobile: does it look right on a phone?
- ✓ Opened in a second browser or sent to a friend to confirm it loads
- ✓ Shared the link with at least one person and asked for honest feedback
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You built something. It is on the internet. Other people can find it, visit it, share it.
That is not a small thing.
Most people who say they want to build a website never get past the first step. You got past all of them.
If you want feedback on what you have launched, drop the link in the comments. Happy to take a look.
Until next time,
