What Should I Do First to Launch My Blog on GitHub Without Any Tech Skills
Feeling Lost? Here's Your Step-by-Step Guide to Start a GitHub Blog Today
If you're just getting started and the words “repository,” “fork,” or “Pages” make your head spin — don’t worry. You don’t need to be a developer to launch your own blog using GitHub and Jekyll.
This article is built as a **simple, actionable checklist**. Follow each task in order, and by the end, your blog will be live — no coding, no tools, no downloads. Just your browser and a bit of focus.
🧭 Checklist to Launch Your GitHub Blog
✅ Step 1: Sign Up for GitHub
- Go to github.com
- Click Sign up
- Create a free account with a memorable username
- Verify your email address
Why it matters: Your GitHub account will host your blog for free.
✅ Step 2: Create a New Repository
- Click the + icon at the top right, then select New repository
- Name your repository:
yourusername.github.io - Leave it public, and don’t check any boxes for README or license
- Click Create repository
Why this name? GitHub uses it to generate your personal blog URL.
✅ Step 3: Get a Jekyll Blog Theme (like Mediumish)
- Go to GitHub and search for “Jekyll Mediumish”
- Find a repository with the full theme structure (with _config.yml and _posts/)
- Click the Fork button
- It will copy the theme into your GitHub account
Tip: You can preview themes before forking by checking if their GitHub Pages site is enabled.
✅ Step 4: Rename the Forked Repository
- Navigate to your forked Mediumish theme
- Go to Settings (tab inside the repo)
- Rename it to
yourusername.github.io
This makes it your personal blog URL.
✅ Step 5: Turn On GitHub Pages
- Scroll down in Settings
- Find the Pages section
- Choose main branch (or
master) as the source - Click Save
Wait a few seconds. Visit https://yourusername.github.io — your blog is live!
✅ Step 6: Update Site Information
- Find the file called
_config.ymlin your repository - Click the pencil icon to edit
- Change things like:
title: Your blog titleauthor: Your nameemail: Your contact email
- Scroll down, write a message like “update config”, and click Commit changes
Refreshing your blog URL now shows your updated name and site info!
✅ Step 7: Write Your First Blog Post
- Go into the
_postsfolder - Click Add file → Create new file
- Name it like:
2025-07-03-my-first-post.md - Paste this template:
---
title: "My First Post"
date: 2025-07-03
---
Hello! This is my first blog post on GitHub Pages.
- Scroll down, commit the new file
Done! You now have a live post on your blog.
💡 Bonus: Troubleshooting Tips
- If your blog shows a 404: check if
index.htmlexists at the root. - If posts aren’t showing: ensure filenames follow
YYYY-MM-DD-title.mdformat. - If GitHub Pages is not working: double-check if it’s enabled in Settings > Pages.
🎉 Congratulations — You Now Have a Live Blog!
And you didn’t install anything. No terminal, no Ruby, no Git client. Just your browser and curiosity.
Even better, you now understand the basics of:
- Repositories (your blog folder)
- Commits (saving edits)
- Markdown (writing posts)
- Jekyll + GitHub Pages (your blog engine)
What Can You Do Next?
- 🧾 Write more blog posts
- 🎨 Customize colors and fonts
- 📬 Add an “About Me” or “Contact” page
- 🌐 Connect a custom domain
You’re not just a blogger now — you're also a static site publisher!
Next Up:
In the next article, we’ll go deeper into customizing your blog’s layout using the Mediumish theme structure — without touching any HTML code.
