Do you want to create a free website to showcase your talents, publish your resume, highlight projects or simply share your thoughts with the world?
As a student with a shoestring budget, you likely face barriers in paying for – domain registration, web hosting charges, SSL certificates before you can even setup your online presence.
But there IS a way to develop full-featured websites with custom domains, unlimited hosting and HTTPS encryption absolutely FREE of cost leveraging GitHub Student Developer Pack!
Why Have an Online Presence
Let‘s first understand why having a personal or professional website matters more than ever in the digital age regardless of your background:
🔎 Over 87% of consumers now conduct online research before engaging a business, freelancer or service provider as per BrightLocal consumer survey.
📊 About 64% of recruiters check candidate websites from resumes to vet skills, work ethics and creativity as noted in CareerBuilder study.
📈 Personal websites can help boost academics through showcasing projects, papers, online profiles and achievements as highlighted in this Rasmussen University GUIDE.
Clearly, an online presence allows you to stay ahead of peers in the job market, build reputation among potential customers or increase academic/freelancing prospects.
But how much does a decent website with custom domain name, secure web hosting, SSL certification set you back?
As per this hosting cost data analysis on Site Builder Report:
| Expense | Cost (Annual) |
|---|---|
| Domain Registration | $15-$20 |
| Shared Hosting Plan | $60-$120 |
| SSL Certificate | $40-$100 |
| Total | $125+ |
Now that‘s hardly pocket friendly for most students on a budget!
Thankfully there IS a way to develop full-fledged websites with zero expenses leveraging GitHub Student Pack as we explore next.
GitHub Student Developer Pack
GitHub is the world‘s leading software development platform empowering over 100 million developers to build, ship and maintain software collaboratively.
It offers students an incredible bundle of free tools/services called the GitHub Student Developer Pack including:
- FREE .me domain for 1 year by Namecheap
- FREE unlimited hosting on GitHub Pages
- FREE SSL certificates powered by Let‘s Encrypt
- $100 in free credits for Azure Cloud Services
- Unlimited private repos & collaborators
- FREE access to CI/CD and GitHub Actions
- Discounts on other paid software like Figma, Canva etc.
But the domain name ends with .github.io which lacks professional touch.
That‘s why we will combine the Namecheap free domain with GitHub Pages hosting to build free websites with custom domain names.
Applying for GitHub Student Developer Pack
Students enrolled in degree/diploma programs are eligible for the pack.
You can apply through two methods:
Using University-Issued Student Email
This is the fastest method with high acceptance rate.
Step 1: Create GitHub account using student email address issued by your university (usually ends with .edu).
Step 2: Verify student status by selecting "Student" when asked.
Step 3: Submit school name and purpose of using GitHub in application.
Processing is usually completed in 2-3 days and you will receive confirmation email on approval.
Alternate Application Method
If you don‘t have university email, don‘t worry! You can also apply using:
- Photo of valid student ID card
- Enrollment verification letter
- Recent transcript/report card
📌 This method has longer review times and slightly higher rejection rates compared to using .edu emails.
Upload undergrad/postgrad proof on GitHub education signup flow.
Rest process remains unchanged.
Registering Free Custom Domain with Namecheap
Namecheap provides free 1-year domain registration on .me TLD with GitHub Student Pack.
Follow these steps to claim domain after getting pack access:
Step 1) In GitHub Student account, head over to Benefits > Virtual Event Kit > Namecheap
Step 2) Click Get Access and authorize Namecheap-GitHub connection
Step 3) Search preferred .me domain in Namecheap dashboard
Step 4) If available, register domain for free & choose GitHub Pages hosting
This automatically creates a GitHub repo for hosting files.
Building and Hosting Website via GitHub Pages
GitHub Pages offers free unlimited hosting for static websites associated with GitHub accounts/orgs.
It does not have premade templates so you need to code websites manually. But beginners can leverage free HTML templates, tweak them and host for zero cost.
Let‘s see how to create, customize and launch professional free website on GitHub Pages:
Sourcing Initial Template
Browse and download template of your choice from site like:
Extract downloaded ZIP file containing:
- index.html – Home page
- style.css – Styling rules
- scripts.js – Interactions
- images folder – Pictures
- assets folder – Fonts, icons
These form foundation to build out your website vision!
Customizing the Template
With files extracted, open index.html in editor like Visual Studio Code to customize.
Install Live Server extension to preview changes real-time.
Let‘s see how we can convert the gorgeous Massively blog template from HTML5Up into a personal portfolio website.
Modifying Text Content
Change title tag from blog name to your name. Update Introduction section‘s headings and paragraphs to portfolio context.
For example:
<!-- BEFORE -->
<title>Massively by HTML5Up</title>
<p>Free HTML5 template by @ajlkn for HTML5 Up</p>
<!-- AFTER -->
<title>John‘s Portfolio</title>
<p>Showcasing my skills, experience and abilities</p>Cleaned navigation header to only Portfolio and Blogs links removing generic placeholder.
<!-- BEFORE -->
<li><a href="index.html">Massively</a></li>
<!-- AFTER -->
<li><a href="index.html">Portfolio</a></li>
<li><a href="blogs.html">Blogs</a></li>Adding Social Links
Included social media links pointing to GitHub, LinkedIn, Twitter profiles in footer navigation.
<!-- ADDED -->
<li>
<a href="https://github.com/john12345">
<span class="icon icon-github"> </span>
</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://linkedin.com/john12345">
<span class="icon icon-linkedin"> </span>
</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://twitter.com/john12345">
<span class="icon icon-twitter"> </span>
</a>
</li>Swapping Images & Assets
Replaced generic placeholder images in images folder with relevant project screenshots.
Updated logos, icons in assets folder to personalized elements.
portfolio-template/
├─ assets/
│ ├─ css/
│ ├─ fonts/
| ├─ icons/
│ ├─ js/
├─ images/
│ ├─ pic01.jpg
│ ├─ pic02.png
│ ├─ pic03.gif
...These steps showcase how you can tailor templates into functional websites matching your needs within a few hours!
Deploying Website on GitHub Pages
Navigate into the GitHub repository auto-created earlier.
Click Upload Files button and drag-drop the entire folder containing:
- Customized index.html
- CSS stylesheets
- Image assets
- Any other scripts/fonts
Commit changes. Wait for GitHub to process deployment.
Under repository Settings > Pages check if site goes live on your custom domain! 🚀
And just like that you have successfully published your 100% free website for the world 🌎
Activating Free SSL Encryption
With the website now live, let‘s add the final security layer of HTTPS encryption through GitHub Pages completely FREE of cost.
Navigate back into Repository > Settings > Pages
Check the Enforce HTTPS option to enable free SSL certificate and force all traffic over secure HTTPS protocol.
This guarantees secure access and data transmission from client browsers to your GitHub Pages website.
Additionally, it signifies trust and credibility elevating perceived professionalism in your online presence 📈
There you go – full-fledged fast, secure website with custom domain name hosted for FREE using GitHub Student Developer Pack!
Getting the Most Out of Your Zero-Cost Website
While you have successfully built out your entire online presence at zero cost leveraging this GitHub program, do make sure you optimize the website for maximum impact:
💡 Promote the website among your social circles and target users through consistent social media updates and outreach emails.
📊 Track Visits via Google Analytics to gather user insights on traffic volumes, visitor demographics, content interactions etc.
🔎 Improve SEO through relevant title tags, meta descriptions, alt texts, quality backlinks and related best practices to boost organic search visibility.
📝 Frequently Update with newest projects, achievements, blogs or portfolio pieces to keep prospective customers, employers and visitors engaged.
By following web development best practices even with free GitHub hosted solutions, you can build an audience and unlock significant opportunities!
Wrapping Up
Developing full-powered websites with custom domain names, unlimited traffic hosting and secured SSL encryption is now POSSIBLE for every student at $0 cost leveraging GitHub Student Developer Pack!
From showcasing your skills to establishing personal brand to driving freelance businesses to improving academic prospects – owning an online presence offers immense value.
The steps covered in this guide allow you to break down financial barriers to entry faced in traditional website creation models.
Stop leaving your ideas and talents hidden. Get your free website LIVE today using GitHub Pages and let the world see your awesomeness!
