A portfolio website exists to show work and invite contact. Hosting should get out of the way: upload the files, check the HTTPS preview, connect a domain when the case studies are ready. This guide is for designers, illustrators, and makers who want that path without a control-panel hobby.
Who this is for
Freelancers and students with HTML portfolios — whether you built them or a colleague exported them. You update when you finish projects, not every hour.
Who should choose another product
People who need clients to log in and edit pages themselves in a CMS, or who want a website builder with no files. Also anyone expecting email inboxes from the web host. SiteHost publishes files; it is not cPanel, not forever-free, not email hosting, not a built-in CDN.
Publish path
- Export or collect finished pages and images.
- Resize portfolio images for the web.
- Confirm local
index.htmlnavigation. - Zip correctly; upload to SiteHost.
- Review HTTPS preview on a phone.
- Point DNS when the work selection is final.
Trial ~1 day. Starter $9 (1 site, 2 GB) holds most portfolios. Pro $30 adds staging and more sites. Scale $65, Business $130 for teams.
Worked example: portfolio that doubles as a weekend sale page
Morgan is an illustrator. Most of the year the site is a portfolio. One weekend Morgan runs a print sale and temporarily features a sale hero with links to a checkout tool. Morgan uploads the sale zip Thursday, shares the HTTPS preview with a friend, and fixes a wrong SKU Friday morning. Morgan does not expect SiteHost to host email for order questions — those go to an existing inbox. After the weekend Morgan restores the regular portfolio zip from backups. Domain stays pointed the whole time because the preview was approved before any public posts.
See host website files online, static hosting for portfolio websites, portfolio hosting for designers.
Failure: expecting email mailboxes from web hosting
Portfolio owners often want hello@yourname on the same domain. That is mail hosting, not website hosting. SiteHost does not include email hosting. If you point website DNS and casually reset records at the registrar, you can break mail while the portfolio looks fine. Keep Google Workspace or another mail provider. Add only SiteHost’s website records. Put the email address on the portfolio as a mailto or form — the host does not need to own the mailbox.
Portfolio-specific packaging tips
- Prefer WebP/JPEG under a few hundred KB each
- Avoid shipping RAW files
- Watch nested folders when zipping case study directories
- Test project detail pages, not only the home grid
- Keep a
portfolio-YYYY-MM.ziparchive each time you publish
Staging for risky redesigns
On Pro, try a new grid on staging while the live portfolio still supports active pitches. Promote only when case study pages still load.
Domain etiquette
Use your own domain on proposals. Preview URLs are fine for private critique. Do not tattoo a free hostname on business cards.
What done looks like
Phone preview looks sharp. Forms deliver. Images are crisp enough and light enough. Domain certificate present after DNS. Mail still works. You know how to replace the sale hero next holiday.
Host the portfolio like you hang a show: curated files, good lighting (HTTPS), your name on the door (domain).
Questions people actually ask
Will 2 GB hold my portfolio?
Yes if images are compressed. No if you upload originals.
Can clients edit text?
Not as a builder. You publish new zips — or choose a CMS host instead.
Do I need GitHub?
Only if you already use it. Zip is enough.
Is email included with Pro or Business?
No. No plan adds email hosting on SiteHost.