Why Should You Use Jekyll with GitHub Pages for Personal Blogging

What Makes Jekyll and GitHub Pages an Ideal Pair for Personal Bloggers

If you’re looking for a reliable, cost-effective, and technically sound solution to start a personal blog, you’ve likely come across the combination of Jekyll and GitHub Pages. But why are so many developers, writers, and marketers choosing this setup over traditional CMS platforms like WordPress?

This guide explores the core benefits of using Jekyll and GitHub Pages together for personal blogging — from hosting advantages to SEO, performance, and long-term maintainability.

How Does Jekyll Work with GitHub Pages

Jekyll is a static site generator that turns Markdown files into static HTML pages. GitHub Pages is a free hosting service for static websites. When combined, GitHub Pages can automatically build and serve your Jekyll site every time you push content to your repository.

Simple Workflow

Your content resides in Markdown files. Jekyll processes them into clean, fast-loading HTML. No databases or PHP. Just commit your changes, and GitHub does the rest.

Zero Hosting Fees

With GitHub Pages, you can host your Jekyll blog for free — including support for custom domains and HTTPS encryption — without paying monthly server fees or dealing with server configuration.

Why Should You Choose Jekyll for Your Personal Blog

Jekyll is not just for developers. It’s surprisingly easy to use for content creators who want full control without the clutter or maintenance burden of dynamic platforms.

Speed and Performance

Because Jekyll generates static HTML pages, load times are incredibly fast. There's no waiting on server-side processing. Every page is served as-is, directly from a CDN-like experience.

Secure by Design

Without a database or dynamic processing layer, there's a smaller attack surface. You don't need to worry about patching plugins, SQL injection, or brute-force login attempts.

Minimal Maintenance

There are no updates to install, no servers to maintain. Once your blog is set up, you can focus purely on writing.

Version Control Built-In

Every change to your content is tracked via Git. Want to revert a post? You can do that. Want to collaborate? Just create a pull request.

Is GitHub Pages Reliable Enough for Long-Term Blogging

Absolutely. GitHub Pages has been around since 2008 and is backed by one of the largest code hosting platforms in the world. Sites hosted here are fast, resilient, and have near-zero downtime.

Free and Global CDN

GitHub Pages sites are served via Fastly, a powerful content delivery network. That means your blog is available instantly from anywhere in the world.

Custom Domain and SSL Support

You can use your own domain with GitHub Pages and configure HTTPS at no cost — an essential factor for SEO and credibility.

How Does Jekyll Help with SEO for Personal Blogs

Even without plugins, Jekyll is highly SEO-friendly out of the box. You have complete control over metadata, URLs, and page structure.

Clean URL Structure

Jekyll supports custom permalinks and canonical tags, letting you structure your site exactly how Google likes it.

Metadata and Open Graph

You can manually define metadata for SEO and social sharing using YAML front matter in each Markdown file.

Fast Loading Times

Site speed is a ranking factor, and Jekyll delivers exceptional performance due to its static nature and CDN delivery via GitHub Pages.

No Bloat, Clean HTML

Static HTML is lightweight and renders instantly. Search engine bots crawl your site more efficiently compared to JavaScript-heavy SPA frameworks.

What Are the Downsides of Using Jekyll with GitHub Pages

No platform is perfect. Before committing, it's important to understand the potential limitations of this stack.

Steeper Learning Curve

If you’re not familiar with Git or the command line, the setup might be daunting at first. However, plenty of tutorials exist to help beginners get started.

No Built-In Admin Panel

You don’t get a visual editor like WordPress. Content creation is done in Markdown, which may not suit everyone, although tools like Forestry or CloudCannon can fill the gap.

Limited Plugin Support

GitHub Pages only supports a whitelisted set of Jekyll plugins. If you need custom functionality, you may need to build or self-host it.

How to Start a Jekyll Blog on GitHub Pages

Getting started is easier than it seems. Here's a high-level step-by-step approach:

Step 1: Create a New GitHub Repository

Name it as yourusername.github.io to enable GitHub Pages support instantly.

Step 2: Clone the Repository

Use Git to clone the repo to your local machine and initialize a new Jekyll project inside it.

Step 3: Add a Jekyll Theme

You can build your own layout or use a ready-made theme like Mediumish, which comes with clean design and SEO optimizations.

Step 4: Write Posts in Markdown

Create blog posts inside the _posts folder using the correct date format and front matter.

Step 5: Push Your Code

Once you’re happy with your post, commit and push it. GitHub Pages will build and deploy your site automatically.

Why Mediumish is a Great Starting Theme for Jekyll Blogs

Mediumish is a clean, minimalist Jekyll theme inspired by Medium. It offers a smooth reading experience and is fully responsive. Here’s why it's worth considering:

Clean Design

No distractions. The layout puts the focus on your content, which is ideal for personal bloggers and writers.

Mobile Optimized

The theme works flawlessly across mobile devices, ensuring your content is always accessible.

Easy Setup

Mediumish requires minimal configuration and works well out of the box with GitHub Pages.

SEO Ready

It includes structured data, optimized meta tags, and accessible navigation — all crucial for SEO success.

Who Should Use Jekyll and GitHub Pages

This stack is perfect for you if you:

• Want to blog without paying for hosting
• Prefer writing in Markdown
• Value speed, security, and simplicity
• Don’t need dynamic features like comments or ecommerce

What Are Some Real-World Use Cases

Many successful personal blogs, technical documentation sites, and portfolios run on this setup. For example:

Developers Sharing Tutorials

Developers often use Jekyll to publish their learnings or code walkthroughs. The static nature ensures the site remains fast and secure.

Writers and Marketers Publishing Evergreen Content

Content creators who focus on quality, long-form content find Jekyll liberating due to its distraction-free writing process and simple publishing model.

Minimalist Portfolios

Designers and freelancers use Jekyll themes like Mediumish to showcase projects and personal brands without bulky CMS tools.

Conclusion: Is This Setup Right for You

If your primary goal is to share your thoughts, ideas, and experiences with the world — and you want a blogging platform that’s fast, secure, and free — then using Jekyll with GitHub Pages is a smart choice.

While it may take a bit of initial learning, the long-term benefits in performance, reliability, and simplicity are undeniable. Whether you're a developer, writer, or entrepreneur, this is a future-proof solution to personal blogging that respects your time and resources.

Optimizing Mediumish for Speed and Maintainability

While the Mediumish theme offers a clean and appealing design out of the box, optimizing your blog's performance and structure is essential for long-term success. In static site generation, every millisecond matters—especially when users access your content from different devices and networks.

Minimizing Unused CSS and JS

The Mediumish theme comes with pre-packaged CSS and JavaScript files that may include styles or scripts you're not using. This can lead to unnecessary bloat and slower page load times. Here's how to address it:

Step 1: Audit Existing CSS

Use browser DevTools to inspect which classes and components are unused. Alternatively, use tools like PurgeCSS or UnCSS to automate the process.

Step 2: Create a Custom SCSS Pipeline

Instead of using the bundled main.css, create your own SCSS pipeline in assets/css/custom.scss:

---
---

@import "reset";
@import "typography";
@import "layout";
@import "post";
@import "responsive";

This lets you modularize your styles, remove what’s unused, and only load what your layout needs.

Lazy Loading Images for Faster Rendering

To improve initial render time, especially on mobile devices, lazy load your images by adding the loading="lazy" attribute. Here's how to modify image includes in posts:

<img src="{{ site.baseurl }}/assets/images/post-cover.jpg" alt="SEO Tips" loading="lazy">

Consider also using srcset to serve responsive images based on screen resolution.

Structuring Includes and Partials for Better Code Hygiene

Many Jekyll users eventually struggle with layout sprawl: where everything gets dumped into a few large files. Instead, break down your layouts into reusable components stored in _includes/:

• header.html
• footer.html
• sidebar.html
• post-card.html
• author-box.html

This modularization makes it easier to maintain and refactor your site in the future.

Using Jekyll Defaults to Reduce Redundancy

In a large blog, your front matter can get repetitive. Use the defaults key in your _config.yml to automatically apply common layout or category settings:

defaults:
  - scope:
      path: "_posts"
    values:
      layout: "post"
      author: "admin"

This keeps your front matter clean and reduces chances of human error when publishing new posts.

Implementing Atomic CSS or Utility-First Design

If you're comfortable with frameworks like Tailwind CSS, you can use atomic classes to build fast, responsive components without bloating your CSS with custom styles. Here's a basic Tailwind-compatible snippet:

<div class="bg-white p-6 rounded-lg shadow-lg">
  <h3 class="text-xl font-bold mb-2">Latest Guide</h3>
  <p class="text-gray-600">Learn how to optimize your Jekyll blog for speed.</p>
</div>

This practice enhances maintainability and cuts down the amount of custom CSS you have to manage over time.

Handling Large Content Sites with Pagination and Archive Indexing

As your blog grows past 100+ posts, you'll need to think about content discoverability and memory optimization during builds. Jekyll supports built-in pagination and can handle content segmentation effectively.

Using Pagination in Your Blog Index

To avoid loading all posts at once on the homepage, use pagination in index.html:

---
layout: default
paginate: 10
---

{% for post in paginator.posts %}
  <h3><a href="{{ post.url }}">{{ post.title }}</a></h3>
{% endfor %}

<div class="pagination">
  {% if paginator.previous_page %}
    <a href="{{ paginator.previous_page_path }}">Previous</a>
  {% endif %}
  {% if paginator.next_page %}
    <a href="{{ paginator.next_page_path }}">Next</a>
  {% endif %}
</div>

Make sure to enable pagination in _config.yml:

paginate: 10
paginate_path: "/page/:num/"

Building an Archive Page

Instead of listing all posts chronologically, group them by year and month:

{% assign posts_by_year = site.posts | group_by_exp:"post", "post.date | date: '%Y'" %}
{% for year in posts_by_year %}
  <h2>{{ year.name }}</h2>
  {% for post in year.items %}
    <p><a href="{{ post.url }}">{{ post.title }}</a> - {{ post.date | date: "%B %d" }}</p>
  {% endfor %}
{% endfor %}

This not only helps users navigate your blog historically but also lightens homepage load times.

Conclusion: Designing for Scale from Day One

Whether you're running a blog with a dozen posts or hundreds, making smart architectural choices early ensures your site stays fast and manageable. Mediumish is a beautiful starting point—but Jekyll's true power lies in how well you modularize, optimize, and think ahead.

These best practices allow you to build a blog that's not just well-designed, but one that performs and evolves gracefully—making it a perfect long-term platform for your digital marketing efforts.

What makes Mediumish Jekyll theme ideal for content-focused sites

Understanding the Appeal of Mediumish for Static Blogging

For creators seeking a minimalist yet powerful blogging experience, the Mediumish Jekyll theme has become a popular choice. With its elegant layout, content-first design, and seamless compatibility with GitHub Pages, Mediumish simplifies the process of building a modern static blog. But what exactly makes it stand out, and how does it compare to other themes in the Jekyll ecosystem?

Why Static Sites Still Matter in a Dynamic Web

While the web is shifting toward JavaScript-heavy applications, static sites continue to shine for personal blogs, portfolios, and documentation. They're fast, secure, and simple to deploy. With GitHub Pages offering free hosting for static Jekyll blogs, themes like Mediumish help non-developers create professional-looking websites without complex setup.

Key advantages of static blogs for content creators:

• Speed: No database calls mean pages load almost instantly.
• Security: Static files reduce attack surfaces.
• Simplicity: Content is managed with Markdown and Git, no CMS required.
• Cost: Hosting is often free with GitHub Pages.

Exploring the Mediumish Jekyll Theme

Mediumish is a Jekyll port of the Medium.com design, offering clean typography, visual consistency, and a content-driven layout. It's especially suitable for writers and bloggers who want to emphasize readability and simplicity without sacrificing modern aesthetics.

Core features that support a better reading experience:

• Post excerpts: Show previews on the homepage to improve scannability.
• Featured images: Add visual interest without disrupting the minimalist style.
• Pagination: Keep blog archives navigable and SEO-friendly.
• Author profiles: Build trust and personalization with readers.

Setting Up the Mediumish Theme on GitHub Pages

Getting started with Mediumish on GitHub Pages is simple thanks to its compatibility with Jekyll's default environment. You can fork the repository, edit configuration files, and deploy instantly via GitHub Pages.

Steps to deploy Mediumish using GitHub Pages:

1. Fork the official Mediumish Jekyll repository on GitHub.
2. Rename the repository to yourusername.github.io to enable GitHub Pages.
3. Edit _config.yml with your site's title, description, and author information.
4. Customize the index.html, _posts folder, and assets as needed.
5. Enable GitHub Pages from repository settings and wait a few seconds for deployment.

What you can customize easily:

• Navigation menu items
• Site-wide metadata (title, description, social links)
• Homepage layout via index.html
• Theme colors and fonts with basic CSS edits

Common Challenges and How to Overcome Them

Although Mediumish is designed for simplicity, beginners may encounter some hurdles during setup or customization. Fortunately, most issues are well documented and solvable with basic troubleshooting.

Typical problems new users face:

• Broken styles or layout: Usually caused by incorrect baseurl settings.
• Posts not showing: Make sure post filenames follow the correct format (YYYY-MM-DD-title.md).
• Build errors: Often related to YAML syntax mistakes in _config.yml.

How to troubleshoot these issues:

Use GitHub Actions (if enabled) or the jekyll serve command locally to preview and debug your site. Most errors will point directly to the offending line or file, making fixes straightforward. If you're using GitHub Pages only, push commits gradually and test changes incrementally.

Customizing Mediumish to Fit Your Brand

While the default Mediumish layout works well for general content, you can easily tailor it to match your brand tone or niche. From fonts and spacing to metadata and layouts, the theme supports multiple levels of customization.

Areas of customization to consider:

• Typography: Swap out fonts using Google Fonts links in the HTML head.
• Color palette: Modify main.scss or inline styles to reflect your branding.
• Homepage sections: Add or remove featured areas via includes.
• Social media metadata: Enhance link previews on platforms like Twitter and Facebook.

Performance and SEO Considerations

Since Mediumish is a Jekyll theme optimized for readability, it's already quite lean. However, you can take additional steps to ensure fast loading times and improved search engine performance.

Tips to boost performance:

• Compress images before uploading
• Use lightweight fonts and limit web font variants
• Enable lazy loading for images
• Minify CSS and JS if you're self-hosting

SEO optimization pointers:

• Use descriptive meta tags in _config.yml
• Follow semantic HTML with proper heading structure
• Ensure URLs are clean and keyword-rich
• Submit your sitemap.xml to Google Search Console

Using Mediumish Beyond Blogging

Although Mediumish is primarily designed for blogs, it can be adapted for other use cases like documentation, personal portfolios, or digital journals. Its simplicity makes it flexible and extensible with additional pages and custom layouts.

Other use cases to explore:

• Digital publication: Use categories and tags to organize in-depth articles.
• Portfolio showcase: Highlight creative works using featured images.
• Writer's journal: Maintain a timeline of essays or short stories.

Is Mediumish the Right Theme for You?

If your primary goal is to share high-quality content without distractions, Mediumish is an excellent choice. It removes unnecessary complexity and provides a clean canvas for your writing. For users who value simplicity, performance, and GitHub-native deployment, it’s hard to go wrong.

When Mediumish is a great fit:

• You prioritize content and readability over flashy design.
• You want to host your site for free on GitHub Pages.
• You prefer Markdown over WYSIWYG editors.
• You want a theme that's easy to maintain and customize.

Next Steps After Installation

Once your Mediumish blog is live, focus on building content consistently. The strength of any blog lies not in its design, but in the value it delivers through writing. Use categories wisely, interlink your posts, and write with your audience in mind.

Recommended next actions:

• Write your first 5–10 posts in evergreen niches.
• Set up Google Analytics or Plausible for traffic tracking.
• Install a contact form using Formspree or Getform.
• Promote your blog on platforms like Reddit, Twitter, and Hacker News.

Conclusion

The Mediumish Jekyll theme is more than just a template—it's a thoughtfully designed framework for minimalist digital publishing. Its combination of beauty, simplicity, and performance makes it ideal for anyone looking to launch a blog on GitHub Pages. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced developer, Mediumish allows you to focus on what matters most: writing and sharing ideas.