How to Deploy Your Website for Free Using GitHub Pages: A Complete Beginner’s Guide
📘 Chapter 5: Best Practices, Limitations, and Alternatives
🧭 What You’ll Learn
In this final chapter, you’ll gain clarity on:
- The
best practices to follow when using GitHub Pages
- What
GitHub Pages can and cannot do (its limitations)
- Performance
and SEO optimization tips
- Handling
updates and collaboration effectively
- Alternatives
to GitHub Pages for different use cases
🛠️ Best Practices for
Using GitHub Pages
✅ Repository Management
- Use
meaningful repo names
Example: portfolio-site, project-docs, johnsmith.github.io - Organize
files logically
Use /css, /js, /images, and /docs directories as needed. - Keep
the repository public
GitHub Pages requires public access unless using GitHub Pro. - Write
clear commit messages
Helps in version control and team collaboration.
bash
git
commit -m "Added responsive navigation bar"
✅ Site Structure
- Keep
index.html at the root or /docs directory depending on your Pages
source.
- Maintain
relative paths for resources:
html
<link
rel="stylesheet" href="./css/style.css">
- Use
a favicon to make your site more professional:
html
<link
rel="icon" href="/favicon.ico"
type="image/x-icon" />
✅ SEO Optimization
Add SEO tags to your <head>:
html
<meta
name="description" content="John Smith's web development
portfolio.">
<meta
name="author" content="John Smith">
<meta
name="keywords" content="web developer, portfolio, HTML, CSS, JavaScript">
Use Open Graph tags for social media previews:
html
<meta
property="og:title" content="John Smith's Portfolio">
<meta
property="og:image"
content="https://example.com/thumb.jpg">
<meta
property="og:description" content="Check out my latest web
projects.">
✅ Performance Tips
- Compress
images before uploading.
- Use
lazy loading:
html
<img
src="image.jpg" loading="lazy" />
- Avoid
inline JavaScript and large JS libraries unless necessary.
- Use
a CDN for external libraries (like Bootstrap or FontAwesome).
✅ Accessibility & UX
- Use
semantic HTML (<header>, <nav>, <main>, <footer>)
- Add
alt tags for all images:
html
<img
src="logo.png" alt="Company Logo" />
- Ensure
proper contrast in text and backgrounds.
- Use
mobile-friendly design practices and media queries.
⚠️ Limitations of GitHub Pages
While GitHub Pages is excellent for static hosting, it’s not
a fit for all scenarios.
|
Limitation |
Explanation |
|
Static-only |
Cannot run server-side
code (e.g., PHP, Node.js) |
|
No database support |
Can’t store
or query data—no SQL, MongoDB, etc. |
|
Limited automation |
No built-in CMS or
backend logic |
|
Soft bandwidth limits |
GitHub
discourages high-traffic commercial use |
|
File size limit |
Max individual file
size is 100 MB |
|
Build frequency limit |
Limited to 10
builds/hour for GitHub Actions workflows |
🧮 Table: GitHub Pages vs.
Other Hosting Platforms
|
Feature |
GitHub Pages |
Netlify |
Vercel |
Firebase |
|
Static Hosting |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
|
Serverless Functions |
❌ |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
|
Custom Domain |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
|
Free SSL |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
|
Backend Support |
❌ |
Partial |
Partial |
✅ |
|
CMS Integration |
❌ |
✅
(Netlify CMS) |
✅
(Headless CMS) |
Partial |
🔁 Keeping Your Site
Updated
Once deployed, your site stays online until you change or
delete the repository.
To update content:
bash
#
make changes locally
git
add .
git
commit -m "Updated homepage content"
git
push origin main
Your live site will reflect updates automatically within a
few minutes.
👥 Collaborating with
Others
If you're working in a team:
- Use
GitHub branches for development
- Open
Pull Requests to review code
- Add
collaborators under Repo Settings > Manage Access
Enable branch protection rules to avoid unapproved changes
in the main branch.
🧪 Sample .gitignore for
GitHub Pages
bash
.DS_Store
node_modules/
*.log
_site/
📁 Using GitHub Projects
for Site Planning
For bigger websites or blogs, organize content tasks using
GitHub Projects or Issues.
Example columns:
- 📋
To Do
- 🛠
In Progress
- ✅
Done
🧠 Pro Tips
- Test
site locally with Jekyll:
bash
bundle
exec jekyll serve
- Use
GitHub Actions to auto-deploy from /build or /dist folder
- Use
/404.html for custom error pages
🪄 Adding a 404 Page
Create a 404.html file in your root directory:
html
<!DOCTYPE
html>
<html>
<head>
<title>Page Not Found</title>
</head>
<body>
<h1>Oops! Page not found.</h1>
<p>Return to <a
href="/">Home</a>.</p>
</body>
</html>
GitHub will serve this page automatically for any invalid
URL paths.
📦 When to Use
Alternatives
If you need any of the following, consider switching:
|
Need |
Recommended
Platform |
|
Server-side
rendering |
Vercel, Heroku |
|
CMS-driven blog |
Netlify CMS,
WordPress |
|
Authentication and
database |
Firebase, Supabase |
|
Real-time data |
Firebase,
Railway |
|
E-commerce
integrations |
Shopify, Wix, Webflow |
🧾 Best Practices Recap
Table
|
Practice |
Description |
|
Use index.html
properly |
Acts as the homepage |
|
Add CNAME for custom domain |
Required for
domain mapping |
|
Enforce HTTPS |
Secures all traffic |
|
Compress images |
Faster load
times |
|
Use semantic HTML |
Improves accessibility |
|
Commit often |
Better
version tracking |
|
Avoid large files |
Max size = 100MB |
|
SEO meta tags |
Improve
search engine visibility |
🧰 Backup and Export
Options
- Clone
your repo locally using Git:
bash
git
clone https://github.com/username/repo-name.git
- Or
use Download ZIP from GitHub
- You
can migrate to another platform easily since it’s all static content
🧠 Final Thought
GitHub Pages is a perfect platform for:
- Personal
portfolios
- Documentation
websites
- Developer
blogs
- Quick
landing pages
- Project
demos
But as your site grows or needs backend integration, be open to using more robust tools like Netlify, Firebase, or Vercel.
BackFAQs
❓ 1. What is GitHub Pages and how does it work?
Answer:
GitHub Pages is a free hosting service by GitHub that allows you to publish
static websites directly from a GitHub repository. It works by serving the
HTML, CSS, JS, and other static files from your repo to a web URL like
https://yourusername.github.io/.
❓ 2. Is GitHub Pages really free to use?
Answer:
Yes, GitHub Pages is completely free. There are no hidden fees, and you can
host as many static sites as you want as long as your repository is public.
Private repo hosting is available with GitHub Pro.
❓ 3. What kind of websites can I host on GitHub Pages?
Answer:
You can host static websites, such as portfolios, documentation, blogs,
resumes, and simple landing pages. It does not support server-side languages
like PHP, Python, or databases.
❓ 4. What file should my website start with for GitHub Pages to work?
Answer:
Your site should have an index.html file in the root directory (or /docs if
using that folder). This acts as the homepage for your site.
❓ 5. How long does it take for my GitHub Pages site to go live?
Answer:
Typically, your site is live within 30 seconds to 2 minutes after
enabling GitHub Pages. However, DNS changes (like custom domains) may take up
to 24 hours.
❓ 6. Can I use a custom domain with GitHub Pages?
Answer:
Yes! You can map a custom domain by updating your DNS settings and adding a
CNAME file to your repository with your domain name in it (e.g.,
www.yoursite.com).
❓ 7. Can I use GitHub Pages with frameworks like React or Vue?
Answer:
Yes, you can build your project and push the static build/ folder to
your GitHub repo. Some projects use the /docs folder for this or deploy using
GitHub Actions for automation.
❓ 8. How do I fix broken links or missing styles/scripts?
Answer:
Check if your file paths are correct and relative (e.g., ./style.css instead of
/style.css). Also, make sure your files are in the correct directories and
committed to the repo.
❓ 9. Can I use GitHub Pages for private projects?
Answer:
You can only host public repos for free with GitHub Pages. For private repo
hosting, you’ll need a GitHub Pro plan or use GitHub Actions to deploy
elsewhere (like Netlify).
❓ 10. What are some alternatives to GitHub Pages?
Answer:
Other free static hosting options include:
- Netlify
- Vercel
- Firebase
Hosting
- Cloudflare Pages
These services offer more flexibility for dynamic apps,
CI/CD, and advanced routing.
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