Do You Need a Website to Launch a Product? What to Link Instead
You do not need a full website to launch, but you do need one public address that shows what the product is and lets a stranger try it or follow it. Launch forms, including the one on this board, ask for a URL. A repository README, a store listing or a single hosted page can serve as that address, provided it opens without a login, explains the product on the first screen and says how to reach you.
What does a launch form actually ask you for?
A web address, mostly. The launch form on this board takes a product name, a URL, a tagline of up to 90 characters, a description of up to 1,500 characters, up to three categories, the pricing model, your maker name and an email, with a logo and up to four images as optional extras. Nothing in it uploads a page, so the URL carries the whole product experience: every visitor who clicks goes there, and whatever they find is what they judge.
The board’s rules also limit that address. It must go to the product itself, and chat links, invite links, link shorteners and affiliate links are refused. A Discord invite or a shortened link is not a product page, so plan an address that is.
Which addresses can stand in for a website?
| Address | Fits when | Weak spot |
|---|---|---|
| A single hosted page | The product is a web tool or a service you can explain in a screen | You own the design and the hosting, which still takes an afternoon |
| A repository README | It is open source or a developer tool installed from a package | Non-developers bounce off a code page |
| A store listing | It is an extension, plugin or app that people install from a store | You cannot control the layout, and review comes first |
| A hosted demo or live app | People can use it straight away without an account | A visitor sees no explanation unless you add one |
| A public document | It is a template, guide or dataset | It may not look like a product, and some places want software |
Pick by what the visitor must do next. If they must install something, send them to the place where they install it. If they must try something, send them to the thing. If they must decide whether it is for them, send them to a page that says so. Free ways to host a page are collected in how to host a website for free.
What must the first screen of that page say?
- What it is, in one sentence a stranger can repeat. Use the tagline from the form, not a variant.
- Who it is for, in the visitor’s words, such as “for freelancers who invoice in two currencies”.
- A way to see it working, a screenshot, a short clip or a live demo.
- One action, such as try it, install it or join the list, with a button that does what it says.
- How to reach you, an address or a form, so a puzzled visitor can ask instead of leaving.
If you collect email addresses or any personal data, add a short privacy page saying what you keep and why. The landing page launch checklist goes through the full list, and the landing page glossary entry defines the term.
When should you build a proper site first?
- You take payments. Buyers look for a price, terms and a way to get help before they pay.
- You want search visitors. A single page cannot answer many questions, so a few small pages that each answer one will.
- You are compared with others. If visitors will weigh you against alternatives, a page that states your difference helps.
- You will announce more than once. A site gives later posts a stable home.
If none of those is true yet, a one-page site is enough for the first month, and you can grow it once you see which questions visitors ask.
How do you check the address works as a landing spot?
Open it in a private browser window on your phone, since many first visits come from a phone. Watch for a login wall, a cookie box that covers the page and an image that never loads. Add a tag to the link for each place you post, so your analytics can show where visitors came from and where they leave. Then ask one person who has never heard of the product to say what it does after ten seconds. If they cannot, rewrite the first screen before you launch.
What if you only have an idea and no product yet?
Then you do not need a launch yet. You can post the idea on the ideas board for free, with no account, and let someone with spare time build it, or keep it and build it yourself. Launch when there is something to try. Browse the ideas by category if you want to see how others describe an idea at this stage, and when the product exists, launch your product free.
Frequently asked questions
Can I launch with only a GitHub repository?
Yes, for open-source projects and developer tools, if the README explains the project in its first lines and shows how to run it. The launch form on this board asks for a URL, and a repository page works as one. Add a screenshot or sample output, since many visitors will not read code.
Can I link to a Notion page or a Google Doc?
It works for a template, guide or dataset that is itself the product. For software it is a weak choice, because visitors cannot try anything, and some places want a working project. If you use one, make sure it is public and opens without asking people to log in.
Do I need my own domain to launch?
No, but a domain of your own is worth having, since links you share now keep working if you change hosts later. A free address from your host is fine for a first launch. Decide before you launch widely, because moving an address after people have linked it is harder.
Can I launch with a landing page that only collects emails?
Some places accept it, but expect friction. Hacker News’s Show HN rules treat sign-up pages as off topic because they cannot be tried. A launch board is more relaxed if the description says the product is early. Be honest that nothing is built yet.
Does the page need to be in English?
It needs to be in the language of the people you want to reach. This board is in English, so an English description helps readers here, but your landing page can use the language of your users. Link to the page that best serves the visitor you hope to attract.
Written by Post your build ideas with AI assistance and edited for this site. Where a page names another product, the facts came from that product’s own pages on the date shown above; terms change, so check them before you rely on them. About the publisher.