I Could Write This Blog in Notepad
I’ve started a lot of projects over the years, but few have clicked as quickly and completely as my Hugo blog hosted on GitHub Pages. I can’t emphasize enough how much I love this setup.
Unlike platforms like Squarespace, Wix, or WordPress, I don’t have to deal with heavy dashboards, recurring subscription fees, or bloated themes that can slow everything down. There are no hidden limits, no proprietary lock-in, and no fear that a company will suddenly change its pricing model or redesign the editor. My blog is lean, fast, and completely mine — built from plain Markdown files and served directly from GitHub with almost no overhead.
Fast, Free, and Reliable
Hugo compiles my site in seconds, spitting out plain HTML that GitHub Pages serves instantly. That’s the beauty of a static site: it’s nothing more than pre-built pages sitting on a server, ready to be delivered the moment someone visits. There’s no database query, no server-side code, no waiting for templates to render. The site is already fully assembled before it ever reaches the browser, which is why it loads so quickly.
Contrast that with a site you’d build on Squarespace or a traditional CMS like WordPress. Those platforms generate pages on the fly. When a reader visits, the server has to pull content from a database, render it through a template engine, load plugins, and then send it all back. That’s powerful, but it adds complexity and overhead — more moving parts, more chances for something to break, and more ways for the site to slow down.
With Hugo and GitHub Pages, none of that exists. The entire site is already built ahead of time on my computer, then pushed as plain HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. GitHub Pages simply serves those files as-is. The result is a site that’s incredibly fast, nearly impossible to break, and requires zero maintenance.
And because GitHub Pages is handling hosting, I get free HTTPS, rock-solid uptime, and global distribution without ever paying a cent. That’s tough to beat.
Version Control Built In
Because it’s GitHub, every change is automatically versioned. If I make a mistake, I can roll back with a single command. If I want to experiment with a new design, I can branch, test, and merge—exactly like software development, but for my writing.
Markdown as the Foundation
The most important part, though, is that everything is just Markdown files. My posts aren’t trapped in a database or hidden behind a proprietary editor. They’re plain text, human-readable, and universally portable. If Hugo disappeared tomorrow, I’d still have every word I’ve written, ready to be dropped into another system.
Markdown makes my blog future-proof. It’s a format that has stood the test of time, and it gives me confidence that I’ll never lose access to my own content. I can edit posts in Drafts, VS Code, or even Notes if I want to — the tools don’t matter, because the content is mine.
The Right Balance: Workflow Over Design
What makes this setup perfect for me is that it lets me focus on the part I actually care about: the backend and the posting workflow. I never wanted to spend hours tweaking a front-end or dragging blocks around to make a site look just right. With Hugo, I pick a theme once, and that’s it. The design takes care of itself.
What matters to me is how I write, publish, and maintain my blog. And in that respect, Hugo + GitHub Pages is ideal. My workflow is streamlined: write in Markdown, commit to Git, push, and I’m done. I get all the reliability, portability, and automation I want on the backend without having to think about the front-end at all.
Backups Made Simple
Because my site is nothing more than a folder of Markdown files and a Git repository, backing it up is effortless. I always have a complete copy on my computer, and duplicating it anywhere else is as simple as syncing the folder.
Want a backup on an external drive? Copy the folder. Want cloud redundancy? Drop it in iCloud, Syncthing, or any storage service I like. There’s no complex database export, no special tools, no hoops to jump through.
The result is peace of mind: no matter what happens to GitHub or my computer, my blog exists in multiple places, always under my control.
Automation Heaven
One of my favorite parts is how well this setup fits into my automation workflows. From Shortcuts on my iPhone to custom scripts on my Mac, I can publish new posts, upload images, or tweak site layouts without ever opening a CMS. It’s just Markdown files and Git.
True Ownership of Content
That’s the real magic of this setup: ownership. My words live in my repository, under my control. No ads. No third-party lock-in. No subscription to keep the lights on. Just a blog I fully control, powered by the simplest possible ingredients.
Why It Works for Me
There are plenty of publishing platforms out there, but Hugo + GitHub Pages hits the balance I’ve been chasing for years. It’s fast, reliable, and deeply personal. Most importantly, it ensures my writing will always be accessible, portable, and safely backed up.
The biggest win, though, is simplicity. Since my posts are just Markdown files, I don’t have to wrestle with a visual editor, fight with formatting, or wonder if my text will look different once it’s published. I write in plain text, add a little front matter for metadata, and Hugo handles the rest. My words stay clean and consistent, no matter how long I’ve been away or what app I use to write them.
That simplicity takes away the friction. Instead of spending energy maintaining a CMS, updating plugins, or tweaking layouts, I can focus entirely on the thing that matters: writing. The blog feels invisible in the best possible way — it doesn’t demand attention, it just works.
Sometimes the best platform is the one that gets out of the way. For me, that’s Hugo, GitHub Pages, and a folder full of Markdown files. It’s a setup that respects my time, my content, and my workflow. And I’ve never enjoyed blogging more.
