GitHub Pages guide

Put the files on GitHub and get the live site working first.

This should usually be the first guide you follow. Once GitHub Pages is live, the domain setup is easier and less confusing.

What this guide does

Keep it simple Move in order and do not skip around unless you already know the step.

Wording may vary slightly Big sites change buttons sometimes, so focus on the meaning of the step.

Come back later These pages are here so you can re-open them any time without digging through chat.

Step by step

Read one step, do that one step, then come back. That is the whole idea here.

Before you upload anything, unzip your website file on your computer so you can see the real files inside it.

Go to GitHub and sign in to your account. Stay on the main screen after you sign in.

If you do not have an account yet, make one first, then come back to this guide.

Click the plus button near the top right, then click the option for a new repository.

Name it something simple like jasonswebpages or your template preview site name.
Set it to Public if you want GitHub Pages to serve it without extra hassle.

Scroll down and click the button that creates the repository.

Inside the new repository, look for Add file, then choose Upload files.

Open your extracted site folder on your computer. Drag the files and folders from inside the site folder into GitHub.

You want files like index.html and folders like images or assets.
If you see one extra outer folder wrapping everything, open that folder first and upload what is inside it.

Wait for the files to finish loading, then scroll down and click Commit changes.

In the repository, click Settings. Then find Pages in the left menu or the settings area.

In the Pages area, set the source to deploy from a branch.

Click Save, then wait a minute or two while GitHub builds the site.

Click the live GitHub Pages link and make sure the homepage opens.

Once the GitHub Pages link works, move to the Cloudflare guide to connect your real domain.