Deploying to Production
Automated deployment workflow for Next.js websites using GitHub and Vercel.
When to use this Skill
- Creating a new website and need to deploy it
- Setting up GitHub repository for version control
- Deploying to Vercel production environment
- User mentions: "deploy", "GitHub", "Vercel", "go live", "publish"
Deployment Workflow
Copy this checklist and track your progress:
Deployment Progress:
- [ ] Step 1: Pre-deployment validation (build + E-E-A-T check)
- [ ] Step 2: Create GitHub repository
- [ ] Step 3: Push code to GitHub
- [ ] Step 4: Deploy to Vercel
- [ ] Step 5: Post-deployment verification
Step 1: Pre-deployment validation
Run build and verify no errors:
cd "$PROJECT_DIR"
npm run build
CRITICAL: Only proceed if build succeeds with no errors.
Pre-deployment checklist:
- [ ]
npm run build completes successfully
- [ ] All environment variables configured
- [ ] E-E-A-T elements present (About page, author info)
- [ ] Core Web Vitals acceptable
- [ ] SEO meta tags complete
Step 2: Create GitHub repository
Run the script to create a private GitHub repository:
bash scripts/create-github-repo.sh <project-name>
What this script does:
- Creates a private GitHub repository
- Initializes Git (if needed)
- Commits all changes
- Pushes to GitHub
Step 3: Verify GitHub push
Check the repository URL:
gh repo view --web
Verify all files are pushed correctly.
Step 4: Deploy to Vercel
Run the deployment script:
bash scripts/deploy-to-vercel.sh <project-name>
What this script does:
- Links the project to Vercel
- Deploys to production environment
- Returns deployment URL
Step 5: Post-deployment verification
Verify deployment:
- Visit the deployment URL
- Test core functionality
- Check Core Web Vitals (use PageSpeed Insights)
- Verify SEO meta tags
Only mark deployment complete when all verifications pass.
Prerequisites
- GitHub CLI (
gh) installed and authenticated
- Vercel CLI installed and authenticated
Next steps after deployment
- Set up monitoring: Google Analytics, Search Console, Vercel Analytics
- Configure custom domain (if needed)
- Enable automatic deployments