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Paste your link. Watch it rebuild.

See how GlowPitch transforms any small business website in minutes.

Your site is ready

Let's get it live.

Your new website is one file on your computer. Everything it needs (design, fonts, images) is packed inside. By the end of this page, it'll be live at your own domain and you can text the link to anyone. No coding. No command line. Just clicks.

Before you click anything

The four moving parts.

Four pieces. Once you know what each one does, every step below will make sense.

Your .html file

A recipe your browser "cooks" into the page visitors see. Design, text, images: all inside this one file.

Your domain

The street address people type to find you, like yourbakery.com. You own one somewhere. We'll reconnect it below.

The host

The building where your file lives. When someone types your address, they arrive here. We'll upload your file to one.

DNS

The phonebook connecting your address (domain) to your building (host). You'll paste a couple of short codes so the internet knows where to send visitors.

Step 1

Pick a host and upload your file.

Any of these five will work. We recommend Netlify Drop because it's the fastest. You can always switch later.

★ Recommended

1. Netlify Drop

Drag your file into a browser window. That's it. No account needed to test. Free for personal sites.

  1. Find the .html file on your computer. Right-click it, choose Rename, and change the name to exactly index.html (all lowercase, no spaces). This tells the host "this is the front page."
  2. Open app.netlify.com/drop in your browser. You'll see a large area that says "Drag and drop your site output folder here."
  3. Drag your index.html file from your desktop (or wherever it is) and drop it right onto that area. Netlify will upload it in a few seconds.
  4. You'll see a link like random-name-12345.netlify.app. Click it. That's your site, live on the internet. You just published a website.
  5. To keep this site (Netlify deletes unclaimed sites after 24 hours), click "Claim this site" and create a free Netlify account with your email.

Connect your domain

  1. From your site's Netlify dashboard, click Domain settings.
  2. Click Add a domain and type your domain (like yourbakery.com).
  3. Netlify will give you DNS records to add at your registrar. Keep this tab open for the "Connect your domain" section below.

Trade-off: The random subdomain looks unprofessional until you connect your own domain. Claiming requires a (free) account.

#2

2. Vercel

Polished interface, generous free tier. Great if you like things to feel premium.

  1. Rename your .html file to index.html. Put it inside a new folder on your desktop, named something like my-website.
  2. Go to vercel.com and create a free account. You can sign up with your email.
  3. Once logged in, click "Add New..." → "Project".
  4. You'll see an option to upload. Drag your my-website folder (the one containing index.html) onto the upload area.
  5. Click Deploy. In about 10 seconds, Vercel will give you a live link ending in .vercel.app. Click it to see your site.

Connect your domain

  1. In your Vercel project, click Settings → Domains.
  2. Type your domain and click Add.
  3. Vercel will show you DNS records. Copy them and head to the registrar instructions below.

Trade-off: Requires an account before you see anything. The upload flow may ask about "frameworks." Just skip those options.

#3

3. Cloudflare Pages

Most generous free tier. Unlimited bandwidth. More setup, but your site will be fast.

  1. Rename your .html file to index.html. Put it in a folder on your desktop (like my-website).
  2. Go to dash.cloudflare.com and create a free account.
  3. In the left sidebar, click Workers & Pages.
  4. Click Create, then choose the Pages tab and click "Upload assets".
  5. Name your project (anything simple, like my-bakery). Click Create project.
  6. Drag your my-website folder into the upload area. Click Deploy site.
  7. Cloudflare will give you a link like my-bakery.pages.dev. Click it to see your live site.

Connect your domain

  1. In your Cloudflare Pages project, go to Custom domains and click Set up a custom domain.
  2. Enter your domain and follow the prompts. If your domain is already on Cloudflare, it will connect automatically. Otherwise, it will give you DNS records to add at your registrar.

Trade-off: More steps, and the dashboard has features you won't need. Stick to Pages, ignore the rest.

#4

4. GitHub Pages

Free and reliable. Best if you already have a GitHub account; if not, the options above are simpler.

  1. Rename your .html file to index.html.
  2. Go to github.com and sign in (or create a free account).
  3. Click the + icon in the top-right corner, then "New repository" (a repository is just a project folder on GitHub).
  4. Name it anything, like my-website. Make sure "Public" is selected. Click Create repository.
  5. Click "uploading an existing file". Drag your index.html onto the page. Click Commit changes ("save").
  6. Go to Settings → Pages (in the left sidebar). Under "Branch," select main and click Save.
  7. Wait about a minute. Refresh the page and you'll see a link like yourusername.github.io/my-website. That's your live site.

Connect your domain

  1. In Settings → Pages, under "Custom domain," type your domain and click Save.
  2. GitHub will tell you what DNS records to add. Copy them and follow the registrar instructions below.
  3. Check the "Enforce HTTPS" box once it becomes available (may take a few minutes).

Trade-off: GitHub uses developer words ("repository," "commit," "branch"). If they feel unfamiliar, that's normal. Follow the steps exactly.

#5

5. Hostinger

Traditional hosting with human support. If you want someone to call when something goes wrong, this is your pick.

  1. Rename your .html file to index.html.
  2. Go to hostinger.com and choose a hosting plan. Their cheapest plan works perfectly for a single-page site.
  3. During signup, you can register a new domain or connect one you already own.
  4. Once your account is set up, go to your Dashboard and click File Manager.
  5. Navigate to the public_html folder. If there are any default files inside, you can delete them.
  6. Upload your index.html file into the public_html folder.
  7. Visit your domain in a browser. Your site should be live.

Connect your domain

  1. If you bought your domain through Hostinger, it's already connected.
  2. If your domain is elsewhere, go to Domains → your domain → DNS / Nameservers at your registrar and point the nameservers to Hostinger's (they'll show you the exact values during setup).

Trade-off: Only paid option on the list (from ~$3/month). The upside is real customer support and domain registration bundled in.

Step 2

Connect your domain.

Your host gave you DNS records (short codes) to paste where you bought your domain. Find your registrar below.

GoDaddy

  1. Sign in at godaddy.com.
  2. Click My Products in the top menu. Find your domain and click DNS next to it.
  3. You'll see a table of DNS records. Click Add New Record.
  4. Set the Type to whatever your host told you (usually CNAME or A).
  5. Paste the Name and Value your host gave you. Leave TTL as default.
  6. Click Save. Repeat if your host gave you more than one record.

Namecheap

  1. Sign in at namecheap.com.
  2. Go to Domain List in the left sidebar. Click Manage next to your domain.
  3. Click the Advanced DNS tab.
  4. Under "Host Records," click Add New Record.
  5. Pick the type your host specified, paste the Name and Value, and click the checkmark to save.

Cloudflare (as registrar)

  1. Sign in at dash.cloudflare.com.
  2. Click on your domain from the homepage.
  3. In the left sidebar, click DNS → Records.
  4. Click Add record. Choose the type, enter the name and value from your host.
  5. Click Save. If you're also hosting on Cloudflare Pages, the records may be set up automatically.

Squarespace Domains (formerly Google Domains)

  1. Sign in at domains.squarespace.com.
  2. Click on your domain, then go to DNS → DNS Settings.
  3. Scroll to Custom records. Click Add record.
  4. Pick the record type, enter the host and data from your host provider.
  5. Click Add to save. Repeat for additional records.

I don't know where my domain is

Happens more than you'd think. Here's how to find out:

  1. Go to lookup.icann.org (this is WHOIS, a public directory for domain names).
  2. Type your domain (like yourbakery.com) and click Lookup.
  3. Look for the "Registrar" field. That's who holds your domain. Common names: GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare, Squarespace, Network Solutions.
  4. Go to that registrar's website and sign in. Forgot your password? Use "Forgot password." The email on file is usually the one you used when you bought the domain.
  5. Once in, follow the instructions for that registrar above.

If you get stuck

Copy this prompt. Paste it into any AI chatbot.

Open ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or any AI assistant. Paste the prompt below, fill in the blanks, and it'll walk you through your exact situation.

I am a complete beginner trying to host my small business website on my own domain. My website is one self-contained .html file. My domain is registered at [REGISTRAR]. I am hosting at [HOST]. I am currently on the step about [STEP NAME]. Here is what I see on my screen: [PASTE OR DESCRIBE WHAT YOU SEE, INCLUDING ANY ERROR MESSAGES]. What should I click or type next? Explain it like I have never done this before, and tell me what success will look like before I move on.

Common hiccups

What if something looks wrong?

These four things trip up almost everyone. All fixable. None mean you broke anything.

My domain isn't showing my site yet

DNS changes take 5 minutes to 48 hours to spread across the internet ("propagation"). Usually under an hour. Go make tea. If it's still not working after 24 hours, check that your records match what your host gave you, character for character.

My site shows a blank page or a "not found" error

Almost always a naming issue. The file must be exactly index.html (all lowercase). Not Index.html. Not my-site.html. Not index.html.html (happens when file extensions are hidden). Right-click, Rename, confirm it says index.html.

My browser says "Not secure" or shows a warning

HTTPS (the secure padlock) hasn't kicked in yet. Most hosts enable it automatically, but it can take 10 to 30 minutes. Wait and refresh. If it persists after an hour, look for an "SSL" or "HTTPS" toggle in your host's dashboard.

I pasted the DNS records but nothing changed

Check for typos. DNS records are literal: an extra space, a missing period, or the wrong type will silently fail. Compare each record to what your host gave you. Common mistakes: CNAME vs. A mix-up, trailing periods, or swapping the "Name" and "Value" fields.

Still stuck? That's okay.

Send an email to alex@glowpitch.ai describing what you see. Include a screenshot if you can. We'll reply with exactly what to do next. No judgment, no rush.

You did it

Your site is live. Go tell everyone.

That link works on every phone, tablet, and laptop. It loads fast. It looks professional. Your customers can find you now.

What to do next:

  • Text the link to someone. Right now. Watch their reaction.
  • Add your URL to Google Business. Update your website field in your Google Business Profile.
  • Set up a custom email. Most registrars let you create hello@yourbakery.com. Check your registrar's email settings.
  • Back up your file. Save a copy in Google Drive, Dropbox, or iCloud so you always have it.
  • Add analytics later. Google Analytics is free and tells you how many people visit. A project for another day.