How to put an installer's HTML website online for free: 12 steps

Updated October 21, 2026 · For solar, battery, EV charger and electrical installers, and the people who build their sites

A website built from plain HTML and CSS files is one of the cheapest and lowest-maintenance ways for a local installer to have a site. There is no monthly builder fee and nothing to keep patched. The part people get stuck on is getting the files online with their own domain and a working quote form. These steps cover that, in order.

1. Know what a static site needs

A website made of plain HTML, CSS and image files has no database, plugins or server code. Any host that can serve files will run it, and several well-known hosts do this free for a small business site. There is nothing to patch or update later.

2. Pick one free host and stick with it

Netlify, Vercel, Cloudflare Pages and GitHub Pages all host static sites on a free plan with HTTPS included. They differ mainly in how you upload and what extras they offer. If you are not sure, choose the one whose upload method you are most comfortable with. Check each host's current plan limits and terms yourself, as they change.

3. The simplest upload: drag and drop

Netlify lets you deploy a site by dragging the unzipped folder into its dashboard, which suits anyone who doesn't use Git. Cloudflare Pages also accepts a direct upload of a folder. Make sure you upload the folder that contains index.html, not the ZIP file or a folder above it.

4. The tidy upload: a Git repository

If you or your web person use GitHub, keep the site in a repository and connect it to Vercel, Netlify or Cloudflare Pages, or turn on GitHub Pages. Every change you push goes live on its own, and you keep a history of every edit. A plain HTML site needs no build command.

5. Use your own domain name

Every host gives you a free address on its own domain, but customers trust and remember your own name. Buy the domain from a registrar, add it in your host's domain settings, then copy the DNS records the host shows you into the registrar's DNS page. Changes usually take minutes, occasionally longer.

6. Make sure HTTPS is on

All four hosts issue a free certificate once the domain points at them. Visit your site with https:// at the start and check that the address bar shows it as secure. Pick one main version, with or without www, and let the other redirect to it.

7. Connect the quote form before you announce the site

A static site needs a form service to deliver enquiries. Netlify Forms works on Netlify; on any host you can use Formspree or a similar service by setting the form's action address. Send a test enquiry from your phone and check it arrives in the inbox you actually read.

8. Replace every placeholder

Search the files for example phone numbers, emails, towns, licence numbers and sample reviews before going live. Only publish claims, reviews and rebate amounts that are true for your business, and date anything that can change.

9. Update the sitemap and the domain in the files

Change the example domain in sitemap.xml, robots.txt and any canonical or social-sharing tags to your real address. Search engines use these to find and understand your pages.

10. Tell search engines the site exists

Add your domain in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools, both free, and submit your sitemap. Also put the new website address on your Google Business Profile, so people who find you on the map can reach the site.

11. Check it on a real phone

Most visitors to an installer's site are on a phone. Open every page, tap the phone number to make sure it dials, send the form, and check the menu, photos and buttons work with one thumb.

12. Keep a copy and make changes the same way each time

Keep the site folder somewhere backed up. To change something, edit the file, check it in a browser on your computer, then upload or push again. Small, regular updates, such as new project photos and dated rebate notes, keep the site useful.

A short launch checklist

Placeholders replaced, photos are your own, form tested from a phone, domain working with HTTPS, sitemap updated and submitted, website address added to your Google Business Profile.

See also what to put on the quote form and the solar installer website checklist. All guides are on the free guides page.