Make a Website for Free

Max Mancini

2025-03-09

3 min read 

This page outlines all of the resources I used to create this website, for free. Full disclosure: I am not a computer geek - this is just what works for me. I’ll continue to update this page as I add more to the site.

Resources #

  1. Static Site Generator (SSG): Hugo

Since this website is completely static (just text on a screen), a SSG was a perfect solution to provide fast responsiveness while being easy to deploy and maintain. I like Hugo’s easy to work with format and clear documentation.

SSGs are a great starting point because they have many themes to choose from and build off of. The theme I used is based on the Edward Tufte CSS - a timeless, minimalist design with with beautiful typography. The styling also allows for great use of sidenotes and visuals. Links to Hugo theme and original Tufte CSS Hugo: quick start doc

  1. Code Editor: VS Code

I use VS Code to edit the files (html, css) for the design of this site, along with writing the posts in markdown. The tree file system is easy to navigate and the color coding of text in files helps with staying organized while editing/writing.

  1. Web Hosting: GitHub Pages

In addition to being the repository for the site code, GitHub can be used to host static websites, completely for free. Serving as an all-in-one solution, GitHubs integration makes updating and deploying the site seamless. Link to this site’s code
Hugo: host on GitHub Pages doc

  1. Domain Name Registration: Porkbun

OK, I lied. There is one thing that’s not free, and that’s the domain name (maxcini.com). It only costs $10/yr, which I think is worth it for having an asthetic, personalized URL. But it is completely optional, and the default github.io URL works fine. Porkbun: connect domain to GitHub Pages doc

  1. Web Design/Tools

In addition to the default Tufte CSS styling, some additional design decisions help drive how the site looks and functions:

Other #

  1. Phone a Friend(s): YouTube and ChatGPT

Whether it was watching a video walkthrough tutorial on how to set up the website, or using AI to help debug the code, these tools were (and still are) essential in developing, launching, and maintaining the site. For examle, see Hugo in 100 Seconds, or search for more specific tasks

  1. Future Improvements?

Some things I will possibly look into adding in the future include:

*Final note: practice a little bit of patience when building your site. It will be fustrating at times - take a break for a bit and come back to it later. In the end, it’ll be worth it. You can do it! Good luck!