Have you ever dreamed of creating your own website but felt overwhelmed by the cost, complexity, or coding? What if I told you that you can launch your own live website for just $1—even as a beginner? Let me walk you through how I did it by cloning my GitHub repository, deploying to Vercel, and connecting a custom domain from IONOS. Simple, fast, and beginner-friendly!
🧰 What You Need
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A GitHub account with your project code pushed.
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A Vercel account (free).
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A domain from IONOS (starts at just $1/year!).
Step 1: Buy a $1 Domain from IONOS
- Go to IONOS domain search and look for a cheap domain (like .xyz, .site, .store).
- Register it—most cost just $1 for the first year.
🚀 Step 2: Clone repositories from Github
You don’t have to build a website from scratch. Instead, you can:
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Pick a GitHub template like:
- Astro Blog Template
- Minimal React Portfolio
- VuePress Blog Starter
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Click “Use this template” → Create new repo under your GitHub account.
🚀 Step 3: Push Your Website Project to GitHub
If you’ve already customized the website to match your interests, make sure it’s pushed to GitHub:
- git init
- git add .
- git commit -m “Initial commit”
- git remote add origin https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/YOUR_REPO.git
- git push -u origin main
🌐 Step 4: Deploy to Vercel (for Free!)
- Go to https://vercel.com/import
- Click “Import Git Repository”
- Log in with GitHub and select your repo (e.g., My_Blog)
- Vercel will auto-detect your framework (Astro) and install dependencies
- Click “Deploy” and wait ⏳
Boom! Your website is live with a vercel.app domain.
🔁 Step 5: Connect IONOS Domain to Vercel
- In Vercel, go to your project dashboard → Settings → Domains → Add.
- Type your domain (e.g.,e.g., mycoolwebsite.xyz) and follow Vercel’s DNS instructions:
🔵 Add A Record:
- Type: A
- Host: @
- Value: Vercel’s IP (provided)
🟢 Add CNAME Record (for www):
- Type: CNAME
- Host: www
- Value: cname.vercel-dns.com.
Go back to IONOS DNS Settings, add those records exactly as shown.
Wait a few minutes for DNS to propagate.
Your site will now work with your custom $1 domain!
🎉 Final Result
You now have a working, live website hosted on Vercel, using a professional-looking domain—all for just $1. No server management, no expensive hosting plans, no headache.
Whether you’re building a portfolio, blog, or business landing page, launching a website doesn’t have to be expensive or hard. With GitHub, Vercel, and IONOS, you can go live with your dream site in under an hour—and for just $1.