How to publish a website: from “it works in preview” to a real link

The short answer

If you just want the steps: pick a host, connect your site or app to it, and click publish — you'll get a public link in a few minutes. If you built your site with an AI tool, upload the project (or connect it) and the host puts it online for you. If you want it at your own name instead of a random address, you add a custom domain afterward.

That's the whole thing. The rest of this guide explains what each step actually means — in plain English — so you can do it without guessing, and without breaking anything.

“Preview” vs “live” — the one thing to understand

Right now your site probably works in a preview. Preview means it's running on your computer, or in the tool you built it with, and the link only works for you. Close the tab or turn off the laptop and it's gone for everyone else.

Live means your site sits on a computer that's always on (called a server, run by a host), reachable at a public address (a URL) that works for anyone, anywhere, at any time. Publishing is simply the act of moving your site from preview to live. That's all those words mean — you don't need to know more than that to do it.

If you're a non-developer, three fears are normal

Most people putting up their first site — especially one built with AI — worry about the same three things. They're all solvable:

• “What if I break it?” You can't break the version you built. Publishing makes a copy live; your original stays put. And a good host keeps backups, so you can roll back if a change goes wrong.

• “What if it goes down and I don't notice?” That's what monitoring is for — the host watches your site and tells you if it stops working. Some include it; livemy.app does.

• “What if I can't show it to a client?” The moment it's live, you have a real link to send. That's the entire point of publishing — see how to share an AI-built app for more on that.

Path 1: you built it with an AI tool (Lovable, Bolt, ChatGPT)

This is the most common situation in 2026. You described an app, the AI built it, and now you have a project that runs in preview. To publish it:

• 1. Get your project out of the tool. Most AI builders let you download the project as a file (often a ZIP) or connect it to GitHub. Either works.

• 2. Bring it to a host. On livemy.app, you upload that ZIP or connect the GitHub link. You don't have to know what's inside — it figures out what the AI built automatically.

• 3. Click publish. A few minutes later you have a live link ending in livemy.site. Free, no credit card.

Tool-specific walkthroughs: Lovable, Bolt.new, and ChatGPT.

Path 2: you already have the files or code

If a developer handed you a folder, or you exported a site from somewhere, you publish the same way: connect the files or the code repository to a host and click publish. A good host detects what kind of site it is and sets it up — you don't write any configuration.

Path 3: an all-in-one website builder

Tools like Wix, Squarespace, or Framer have a publish button built in — easiest if you also built the site inside them. The trade-off is lock-in: the site lives in their system and is hard to move out. Fine for a simple brochure site; limiting if you built something custom or with AI.

Getting your own domain (about 10 minutes)

A free link like yourapp.livemy.site works perfectly, but most people eventually want their own name — yourbusiness.com. Here's the plain version:

• 1. Buy the name from a registrar (Namecheap, Cloudflare, GoDaddy) — usually $10–15 a year.

• 2. Point it at your site. In your host, add the domain; it gives you a couple of settings to paste into the registrar. This is just telling the internet “when someone types my name, send them to my site.”

• 3. Wait a little. It can take a few minutes to a few hours to take effect.

Your host should also turn on SSL automatically — that's the padlock and the “https” that tells visitors the site is secure. Step-by-step: connect a custom domain.

How not to lose your work

Two habits keep a published site safe: make sure your host keeps backups (so a bad change is reversible), and turn on monitoring (so you hear about problems before your visitors do). On livemy.app both come with the $10/month plan, along with the custom domain and SSL — one flat price, nothing metered.

FAQ

How much does it cost to publish a website?

You can publish for free on a subdomain (like yourapp.livemy.site) with no credit card. Your own domain costs about $10–15/year from a registrar, and a plan with a custom domain, SSL, and monitoring is around $10/month on livemy.app.

Do I need to know how to code to publish a website?

No. If you built your site with an AI tool or a builder, publishing is upload-and-click. Choose a host that auto-detects your project so you never touch a config file.

What's the difference between a domain and hosting?

Hosting is the always-on computer your site lives on. A domain is the name people type to reach it. You need hosting to be online; a domain is optional but makes the address yours.

Can I publish an app, not just a website?

Yes — the same steps work for interactive apps, not only static pages. If your AI tool built something with a backend or database, a host with auto-detect handles it. See guides for Node.js and Python apps.

Will my site stay online if I close my laptop?

Yes. Once it's published to a host, it runs on their always-on servers — your computer can be off. That's the whole difference between preview and live.

From your screen to the world

Publishing sounds technical and isn't: it's moving your site from a preview only you can see to a link anyone can open. Pick a host that does the heavy lifting, click publish, add your name when you're ready — and you're online.

→ Publish your first site free on livemy.app · No credit card · Add a custom domain anytime for $10/month flat.