Hosting a WordPress on GitHub

If you’re looking to host your own website but aren’t sure where to start, then check out GitHub. The platform makes it incredibly easy to get up and running with a personal blog or a corporate website. Plus, you can access all the essential tools, including GitHub Enterprise, from within the platform.

In this guide, we’ll walk through the steps to get your own custom-made website up and running on GitHub.

Step one: Set up your repository

You’ll need to have a GitHub repository in order to host a WordPress blog on the platform. If you don’t already have one, you can sign up for a free GitHub account.

Go to https://github.com to set up your repository. You’ll see a landing page with a form that you can use to submit your GitHub account details. Fill out the form and click Next. You’ll be prompted to choose a repository name and a purpose for the repository. Enter a description for the repository and click Create repository.

Step two: Install WordPress

Now that you have your GitHub repository set up, you can install WordPress to build out your site. Open a command prompt (Windows) or terminal (Mac) and navigate to your GitHub repository. Type git followed by install-wordpress, and hit return to continue:

git install-wordpress: This command will download and install WordPress. Once it’s installed, you’ll be able to log in to your WordPress dashboard from https://YOUR-NAME.github.io, where YOUR-NAME is your GitHub account name.

Step three: Configure WordPress

After you log in to your WordPress dashboard, you’ll need to set up your blog with a few clicks of the mouse. From your WordPress dashboard, click Settings and then click Writing. In the Blog section, you’ll see a Title and Description. Type a title that reflects what your blog is about and click Save.

A description is also something that you might want to include about your blog. This is the piece of text that appears below your blog’s headline when someone lands on your blog’s home page. In the Description field, type a description that will inspire potential readers to click on your blog post.

That’s it! You’ve just set up your first WordPress blog. You can now continue to add content to this blog, including posts, images, and other page types.

Step four: Get a domain name and point it to your GitHub repository

Once you have a nicely set up WordPress blog, it’s time to tackle the arduous task of choosing a domain name. You’ll need to register a.com or a.net domain name that is not already taken. (You can also choose a.org domain name, but you’ll have to set up an account with the nonprofit organization GoDaddy, whose free domains are supported by advertising.)

To get your domain name and point it to your GitHub repository, visit https://wordpress.com/domains and click Next. You’ll see a domain search bar. Type in the name of your blog and press the enter key. You’ll see a list of domains that can be used. Select the one that you like and press Buy Now. Once the purchase is complete, you’ll be able to access your new domain from https://YOUR-NAME.github.io.

Step five: Customize your site with a theme

The most important step in setting up a WordPress blog is choosing a template. You don’t need to have a background in design to achieve good results; all you need is a browser and an idea. You can download a theme from http://wordpress.org/themes, or you can use a free theme from https://github.com.

If you choose to use a free theme from GitHub, you’ll need to activate it to make it work. From your WordPress dashboard, click Settings and then click reading. In the Themes section, you will see a list of activated themes. Choose the one that you like and activate it.

Once the theme is activated, you’ll see two columns on your dashboard: one with the posts and other with the comments. You can also change the appearance of your site by tweaking the CSS (Cascading Style Sheet) of the theme.

You can add a splash of color to your site by adding a border around the edge of your columns. For example, if you choose the Classic theme, you can change the color of the border to a vibrant green to match your favorite football team. Find the Classic theme in the Themes section of your WordPress dashboard, and then click on it. Next to the Classic theme, you’ll see a small square with four arrows in it. This is the Bold button. Click on it to add a border to the edge of your columns. You can also add a background image to your site by uploading a file in the Reading section of your WordPress dashboard. Choose a readable theme with a light background color so that you can easily focus on writing your blog posts.

That’s it! You’ve just setup a gorgeous WordPress blog with full-blown features with a free GitHub account. As you can see, creating a website is a lot easier with GitHub. And if you’re looking for a reliable, safe platform to host your website, then consider GitHub.