How to Host a Single HTML Page on Your GoDaddy Domain

A domain name and web hosting are separate things. Your GoDaddy domain is the address people type; a hosting service stores and serves the page. If you only need to publish a static HTML page, you may not need to buy a monthly hosting plan.

Choose the hosting option that fits

• GitHub Pages: A good fit for a simple static page when you are comfortable keeping the HTML in a GitHub repository. Hosting is free; your GoDaddy domain points to the published page.
• GoDaddy cPanel: A good fit if you already have a Linux/cPanel Web Hosting plan or want to manage hosting and the domain through GoDaddy. This option requires an active hosting plan.

Option 1: Publish for free with GitHub Pages

1. Prepare your HTML

For a personal or organization site, name the entry page index.html. Keep any stylesheets, scripts, and images the page needs alongside it in the repository, using paths that work from the site root.

2. Put the page in a GitHub repository

Create a GitHub account if you do not already have one, then create a repository. For a personal GitHub Pages site, the repository name follows the username.github.io format. You can also publish a project site from another repository. Upload or push the site files, including index.html.

3. Enable GitHub Pages

Open the repository’s Settings → Pages. Under the build and deployment settings, select deployment from a branch, then choose the branch and folder containing your site (commonly the root of main) and save. Wait for the deployment to finish and check the GitHub-provided site URL before connecting your domain.

4. Add your custom domain in GitHub

In the same Pages settings, enter the domain you want visitors to use and save it. GitHub may add a CNAME file to the published source. Keep that file in place, and use the DNS records GitHub shows for your site and domain configuration.

5. Point your GoDaddy DNS to GitHub Pages

Sign in to GoDaddy, open your domain’s DNS settings, and add or update the records GitHub requires. For an apex domain such as example.com, GitHub Pages uses these A records:

To use a www address as well, add the corresponding CNAME record GitHub specifies, typically pointing www to your GitHub Pages hostname. Avoid conflicting duplicate records for the same host. DNS changes can take time to appear, so allow for propagation before troubleshooting.

6. Verify the domain and HTTPS

Return to GitHub Pages settings and wait for the domain check to complete. Once DNS is correct and the certificate is ready, enable Enforce HTTPS. Test both the apex and www addresses if you configured both, and decide which one should be your primary URL.

DNS values and setup screens can change. Follow the current instructions shown in GitHub Pages for your repository, especially if GitHub reports a domain or DNS check issue.

Option 2: Upload it to GoDaddy cPanel hosting

Use this route if your GoDaddy account already includes a Linux/cPanel Web Hosting plan.

1. Open your GoDaddy account’s My Products page, find Web Hosting, and select Manage for the hosting plan.
2. Open cPanel Admin, then launch File Manager.
3. Open the public_html folder, which is commonly the web root for the primary domain.
4. Upload your page and its required assets. Name the homepage index.html. If the folder contains a provider placeholder page, replace it only after confirming it is not content you need.
5. Visit your domain in a browser and confirm the page and its assets load. Check the hosting settings if your domain is not yet connected to this hosting account.

A quick checklist

• Your homepage is named index.html and uses correct, case-sensitive paths for assets.
• Your domain’s DNS points to the chosen host, without conflicting records.
• The published page works on the host’s temporary or default URL before you troubleshoot the custom domain.
• You have tested the custom domain over HTTPS after DNS and certificate setup complete.

For one static page, GitHub Pages can avoid a separate hosting bill. If you already have cPanel hosting or prefer GoDaddy’s file manager, uploading to public_html is also a simple approach. In either case, verify the host and DNS configuration before sharing the domain.