Host your first website

YourWebTech lets you create, edit, preview, and publish static websites directly from your browser. On the Free plan you can build a page and share a draft link that expires; publishing it on the internet and connecting custom domains depend on your active static hosting plan.

This guide walks you through the entire process from creating a new site to seeing it live on the internet.

Before you begin

• You need a YourWebTech account. If you do not have one, follow the Register an account guide.
• No coding experience is required. Create a page builds a one-page website from a form. Basic familiarity with HTML helps only if you choose to work with code.
• If you want to use a custom domain (like yourname.ch), you will need a registered domain. See Register your first domain.

What is static hosting?

Static hosting serves pre-built files (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, images) directly to visitors. There is no server-side processing, no database, and no runtime. This makes static sites:

• Fast — files are served instantly with no processing delay.
• Secure — no server-side code means a much smaller attack surface.
• Simple — easy to create, easy to maintain, and easy to understand.

Static hosting is perfect for personal websites, portfolios, landing pages, documentation sites, and small business websites.

Create and publish your site

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
  <title>My First Website</title>
  <style>
    body {
      font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, sans-serif;
      max-width: 640px;
      margin: 2rem auto;
      padding: 0 1rem;
      color: #1a1a1a;
    }
    h1 { color: #d42a2a; }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <h1>Hello from Switzerland!</h1>
  <p>This site is hosted on YourWebTech.</p>
</body>
</html>

Connect a custom domain

Your site starts with a *.ywt.app hostname, but you can connect your own .ch or .li domain if your hosting plan supports custom domains.

To connect a custom domain:

1. Go to Website hosting, open your site, and select the Domains tab. Once your site is live, the Overview also shows a Connect your domain card that takes you there.
2. Enter your domain (for example, yourname.ch).
3. Add the _ywt-challenge TXT record and the traffic record shown in YWT. Apex domains use an A record to the YWT edge IP; subdomains use a CNAME to router.ywt.ch.
4. Wait for DNS propagation (usually a few minutes, occasionally up to 24 hours).
5. Once connected, your site will be accessible at both its subdomain.ywt.app hostname and yourname.ch.

HTTPS is enabled automatically for all custom domains at no extra cost.

Tips for a great static site

• Keep it fast — minimize large images and unnecessary JavaScript. Static sites are inherently fast; do not slow them down with heavy assets.
• Use semantic HTML — proper heading structure (h1, h2, h3) and meaningful elements help with accessibility and SEO.
• Test on mobile — use the responsive preview to make sure your site looks good on phones and tablets.
• Add a favicon — upload a favicon.ico file to the root of your project so browsers display your icon in tabs and bookmarks.

Next steps

Your site is live. Here is what to do next:

• Connect a custom domain — if you have not already, register a .ch or .li domain and link it to your site following the steps above.
• Review analytics — after the site receives traffic, use Hosting analytics to see page views, visitors, bandwidth, referrers, countries, devices, and browsers.
• Understand your plan — see Static hosting plans and billing for upgrades, downgrades, cancellation, and renewal.
• Explore templates — try different templates under Advanced on the Edit tab of an empty site to find a design that suits your needs.
• Manage DNS — learn how to configure DNS records for advanced setups like email routing or third-party service verification.
• Enable DNSSEC — protect your domain from DNS spoofing with DNSSEC.