How to Deploy a Website on Google Cloud Hosting (Beginner-Friendly Tutorial)

Introduction

Google Cloud Hosting gives you powerful infrastructure with flexible options — from hosting a simple static site to running full backend apps. In this guide, we’ll focus on the easiest way to host a static website on Google Cloud Storage with free SSL and global delivery.

Why Use Google Cloud Hosting?

• Flexible — works for static sites, web apps, and APIs
• Built-in CDN with Cloud Storage + Cloud CDN
• Free SSL certificates
• Integrates with other Google Cloud services (Databases, Functions, etc.)

Step 1: Create a Google Cloud Project

1. Go to Google Cloud Console.
2. Create a new project.
3. Enable billing (you get $300 free credits for new accounts).

Step 2: Enable Cloud Storage

1. Search for Cloud Storage in the console.
2. Create a bucket.
   • Name it after your domain (e.g., mywebsite.com).
   • Choose a Region (one closer to your audience is best).
   • Set Public Access → "Uniform Access Control."

Step 3: Upload Website Files

1. Upload your index.html, CSS, and JS files to the bucket.
2. In Bucket Settings → Website Configuration, set:
   • Main page: index.html
   • Not found page: 404.html

Step 4: Make Files Public

1. Select all files → Permissions → Add Principal
2. Add:
   • Principal: allUsers
   • Role: Storage Object Viewer

Now your files are accessible via a public URL.

Step 5: Add a Custom Domain

1. In Cloud Storage, click Custom Domain.
2. Verify ownership in Google Search Console.
3. Update DNS records.

Enable Cloud CDN for faster global performance.

Conclusion

Google Cloud Hosting is a powerful and flexible solution. While setup is a bit more technical than Netlify or Vercel, it’s great for scaling projects.

Next, we’ll look at Azure Static Web Apps for a simpler hosting experience.