Everything you need to know to get your new website live and running. Follow this guide step by step.
When your website is complete, here's exactly what you'll get. Everything is 100% yours - no strings attached, no monthly fees, no dependencies on us.
All HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files
Every image, icon, and media file
Clean, logical file organization
Easy to download and store
You own 100% of your website
One-time payment, yours forever
Contact me anytime for website edits - $150/session
Step-by-step instructions to go live
Always keep a backup of your website files! Store them on Google Drive, Dropbox, or an external hard drive. This way you'll never lose your site.
Edit sessions are $150 each. Each session includes as many reasonable edits as you need - update text, swap images, add sections, etc. Just contact me when you're ready! If changes are extensive (like redesigning the whole site), that may require a new quote.
The instructions below are specifically for Cloudflare Pages hosting. If you're using a different hosting provider (like Netlify, Vercel, etc.), these steps won't apply. If you added the Domain & Hosting Setup (+$75) service, I handle all of this through Cloudflare for you!
Your domain name is your website's address (like yourbusiness.com). This is the first thing you need, and it's registered in YOUR name - you own it completely.
Always register the domain under YOUR email and account. This ensures you have full control. Never let someone else register it for you under their account.
No markup pricing - you pay exactly what they pay. Best long-term value.
Great prices, easy to use, free privacy protection included.
Simple, clean interface. Good if you use other Google services.
Click one of the links above to visit your chosen registrar.
Type in the domain name you want (e.g., "yourbusiness.com") and check if it's available.
Select your domain, choose 1 year registration (you can renew later), and complete the purchase.
Use YOUR email address. This is YOUR domain - keep the login credentials safe!
Keep it short - shorter is easier to remember.
Avoid hyphens and numbers - they're confusing when spoken.
Use .com if possible - it's the most trusted extension.
Hosting is where your website files live on the internet. Great news: there are completely FREE options that are fast, reliable, and easy to use!
Fast, free, and includes automatic SSL. Perfect for business websites. This is what I use for all my clients.
While other providers like Netlify exist, this guide only covers Cloudflare Pages. If you use a different host, you'll need to follow their documentation. For the smoothest experience, stick with Cloudflare!
Go to cloudflare.com and sign up with YOUR email address.
In your Cloudflare dashboard, click "Workers & Pages" in the left sidebar.
Select the "Pages" tab, then choose "Upload assets" (Direct Upload).
Use something simple like your business name (e.g., "my-business-site"). This will be your temporary URL.
Drag and drop your entire website folder (that you received from us) into the upload area.
Wait a few seconds and your site will be live at something like: yourproject.pages.dev
After deploying, visit your .pages.dev URL to make sure everything looks good before connecting your domain!
You've already done this in Step 2! But here are some additional details about managing your files.
If you received a .zip file, right-click and extract it to get your website folder.
Make sure there's a file called "index.html" in the main folder - this is your homepage.
Drag ALL the files and folders into Cloudflare Pages. Don't just upload the zip file.
Your website folder usually looks like this:
Now let's connect your domain name to your website so people can visit yourbusiness.com instead of yourproject.pages.dev.
This is the easiest setup! If you bought your domain through Cloudflare:
In Cloudflare dashboard, go to Workers & Pages and click on your project.
Find the Custom domains tab or section.
Type in your domain (e.g., yourbusiness.com) and click Add.
Since your domain is already on Cloudflare, it automatically configures everything!
You'll need to update your domain's DNS settings to point to Cloudflare Pages:
Note your Cloudflare Pages URL (e.g., yourproject.pages.dev)
Log into Namecheap, Google Domains, or wherever you bought your domain.
Look for "DNS", "Nameservers", or "Advanced DNS" settings.
Add a CNAME record with:
Host/Name: @ or www
Value/Target: yourproject.pages.dev
DNS changes can take 5 minutes to 48 hours to fully propagate. Usually it's under an hour.
After making DNS changes, your site might not work immediately. This is normal! Give it 15-60 minutes, then try again. You can check status at dnschecker.org
SSL gives your site the padlock icon (🔒) and makes it https:// instead of http://. This is essential for security and SEO.
Cloudflare Pages automatically provides FREE SSL certificates. You don't have to do anything extra - it just works!
Go to https://yourdomain.com (with the https://)
Check for a 🔒 icon in your browser's address bar.
It should say "Connection is secure" or similar.
If SSL isn't working after 24 hours, the issue is usually with DNS. Make sure your domain is properly connected to your hosting.
Before announcing your new website, run through this checklist to make sure everything is perfect!
Congratulations! Your website is now live and you own everything - the domain, the hosting account, and all the files. No monthly fees to us, no dependencies. It's 100% yours!
Don't want to deal with domain and hosting setup? Add our Domain & Hosting Setup (+$75) service and I'll handle everything through Cloudflare.
How it works:
Option 1: I create a new Google account for your business and use it to set up your Cloudflare account. I'll give you the credentials when done.
Option 2: You create your own Google/Cloudflare account and give me temporary access. Change your password after I'm done if you'd like.