2 min read
Step 6: Going Live
Deploy your portfolio and optionally add a custom domain.
Build for Production
Build the site for production.
Make sure there are no errors.Choose Your Host
Vercel, Netlify, or GitHub Pages all work well for portfolios.
Help me deploy this to [Vercel/Netlify].
Walk me through the steps.Deploy
Follow Claude’s guidance to:
- Connect your repository (or upload files)
- Configure build settings
- Deploy
You’ll get a URL like yourname.vercel.app.
Test the Live Site
Visit your deployed URL and test:
- All pages load
- Images display
- Navigation works
- Mobile experience is good
Fix any issues that only appear in production.
Custom Domain (Optional)
If you have a domain:
Help me connect my custom domain [yourdomain.com]
to this deployment.This typically involves:
- Adding the domain in your host’s settings
- Updating DNS records at your registrar
- Waiting for propagation (can take up to 48 hours)
SSL Certificate
Most hosts automatically provide SSL (https).
Make sure HTTPS is working and HTTP redirects to HTTPS.Checkpoint
- Site built without errors
- Deployed to hosting service
- Public URL works
- Custom domain connected (if applicable)
- HTTPS enabled
What You Learned
- Building for production
- Deployment workflows
- Custom domain setup
- SSL and security basics
Congratulations
Your portfolio is live on the internet. Share it.
Maintaining Your Portfolio
- Add new projects as you complete them
- Update your bio as things change
- Check periodically that everything still works
The code is yours — you can update it anytime.
Ideas for Extending
- Add a blog section
- Include testimonials
- Add a dark mode toggle
- Animate project card entrances
- Add filtering by project type