A résumé website is a polite way to say: “Here is my experience in a layout I control, at an address I will still own next year.” It sits beside — not instead of — a PDF you attach to applications. This guide compares yourname.com to github.io-style hosting, explains a sane PDF-plus-HTML pair, and flags privacy issues people skip until a strange call arrives.
HTML résumé + PDF: roles of each
PDF. Universal for ATS uploads and email attachments. Freeze a dated version (Lastname_Resume_2026.pdf).
HTML site. What humans browse when they click a link in your signature or portfolio. It can be one page: summary, selected roles, links to projects, and a button that downloads the PDF.
Host the HTML (and the PDF file) together so the download URL is stable. Relative link example: href="Lastname_Resume_2026.pdf". After you revise the résumé, replace both the PDF and any HTML bullet lists that must stay in sync — then republish.
SiteHost workflow: zip upload or GitHub, HTTPS preview immediately, custom domain after DNS verifies, rollback if you publish the wrong PDF. No website builder, no cPanel, no email hosting.
yourname.com vs github.io
| Custom domain on SiteHost | github.io (typical) | |
|---|---|---|
| Audience fit | Anyone comfortable uploading a zip | People already using git |
| URL polish | yourname.com | user.github.io/repo unless you add a domain |
| Framing | “My site” | “My code host also serves pages” |
| Rollback | Deploy history of publishes | git revert discipline |
| Cost | From $9/mo Starter after short trial | Free tier culture with different tradeoffs |
Neither is morally superior. If git is foreign, do not make a résumé your first git project. Use zip upload. If you already live in GitHub, connecting it to SiteHost or using Pages are both options — pick one pipeline and stick to it.
Personal site context: where to host a personal website.
Privacy — put less than your passport on the open web
Public HTML is public. Consider:
- Using a city and region instead of a street address
- A job-search email you are willing to see in scrapers
- Omitting phone number from the HTML version; leave it on the PDF you send deliberately
- Stripping EXIF location data from the headshot
- Not listing children’s names, or exact schedule patterns that reveal when your home is empty
A résumé site is not LinkedIn’s terms of service; it is your disclosure decisions.
Build or borrow the page
Options:
- Hand a designer a text résumé and ask for a one-page HTML zip with
index.htmlat the root - Adapt a simple HTML template yourself — keep CSS relative
- Export from a tool that produces static files
Skip WordPress for a two-section résumé unless you already want WordPress for other reasons. A WordPress CMS is a different kind of hosting.
Local check first (how to host an HTML website), then publish (how to publish a website online).
Practical SiteHost setup for one résumé site
Starter at $9/mo (1 site, 2 GB) is enough; a résumé site is tiny if images are sane. Trial ~1 day, then paid — no forever-free plan. Point yourname.com when ready; you do not need to transfer the registrar. Pro and above matter when you also host client work, not for a single CV page.
No built-in CDN required. No fake need for Scale pricing.
Application season workflow
- Update PDF and HTML locally.
- Publish; open preview on your phone.
- Click the PDF link; confirm it is the new file (watch the filename).
- If wrong file shipped, roll back, fix, republish.
- Only then paste the custom domain into applications.
Hard-refresh if you suspect caching while testing.
Example
Sam keeps samexample.com on SiteHost with a one-page HTML résumé and PDF. LinkedIn points to the domain. When Sam applies to a hospital system that wants PDF only, the attachment is the same file the site offers. After a job change, Sam edits HTML, drops a new PDF, publishes once, and moves on. No server patches. No cPanel.
Keeping HTML and PDF in sync without pain
Pick a cadence: every time you update the PDF, update the HTML the same day, or stop claiming the HTML is current. Put the PDF date in visible text (“Updated March 2026”). When you publish on SiteHost, open the PDF link in a private window to defeat caching surprises.
If you maintain two flavors of résumé (industry A vs B), use two clearly labeled PDF files and a short HTML hub that explains the difference. Do not silently swap one resume.pdf depending on mood — recruiters share links.
Reference checks and public claims
Anything on a public HTML résumé can be screenshotted. Be accurate about titles, dates, and outcomes. Prefer verifiable links to shipped work. Hosting a false claim on HTTPS does not make it true; it only makes it easier to forward.
Sharing etiquette during applications
Put the custom domain on applications once DNS and HTTPS work. Until then, some candidates share the HTTPS preview — workable for humans, awkward on automated forms that expect a clean domain. Prefer finishing DNS before peak application season.
Starter at $9/mo is enough storage for résumés. You do not need Scale. You do need relative links, a correct zip root, and privacy restraint. SiteHost provides preview HTTPS immediately and domain certificates after DNS verifies; rollback saves you when the wrong PDF ships.
What to put above the fold on a résumé site
Name, role target, location at city level, and a short positioning line. Then selected roles. Then skills in moderation. Then PDF download. Save essays for cover letters. The site should be skimmable in sixty seconds on a phone between meetings.
Host that skim page on SiteHost with relative assets, test the PDF link after every publish, and keep personal street addresses offline. github.io remains optional for git-native folks; zip upload is enough for everyone else.
Questions people actually ask
Do recruiters care about HTTPS?
They notice broken links and insecure warnings more than certificate brands. Preview and custom domains on SiteHost use HTTPS appropriately (custom domain cert after DNS verifies).
Should my résumé site include a blog?
Only if you will maintain it. A stale blog hurts more than no blog.
Can I password-protect the résumé page?
Static hosts are limited here. Prefer a public professional summary plus PDF sent on request if secrecy matters.
Is $9/mo silly for a résumé?
Compare to a month of coffee for a URL you put on every application. Or skip hosting until you have files ready — do not pay for emptiness.
What if I need multiple versions (frontend vs full-stack)?
Either separate pages with clear labels or separate PDFs linked from one hub page. Avoid seven conflicting HTML résumés that disagree.