Chapter 1 Five-Step Website Launch



Chapter introduction image
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Goal: Get your professional academic website online in under 30 minutes.

This tutorial will guide you through creating a clean, professional academic website using modern tools and free hosting. No prior web development experience required – just follow the steps and you’ll have a live website showcasing your research, publications, and professional profile.

The 5-Step Process

Figure 1.1: The 5-step process to your academic website

1.1 What You’ll Learn

Essential Skills Only:

  • Basic Git commands for your website
  • Running a local development server
  • Making simple content changes
  • Deploying to the web

This is the fastest path from zero to professional academic website.

1.2 Prerequisites

You need:

  • A computer (Mac, Windows, or Linux)
  • Internet connection
  • 30 minutes of focused time

You don’t need:

  • Prior web development experience
  • Knowledge of HTML/CSS/JavaScript
  • Understanding of static site generators

Next Chapter Preview: In the next chapter, we’ll get your development environment ready with a quick 10-minute setup. You’ll install three essential tools: Git for version control, Hugo for building your website, and choose a code editor. We’ll make sure everything works together before moving on to clone your website template.