Step 4: Add Content

Create your first post

Hugo provides a command to scaffold new content files:

hugo new content content/posts/hello-world.md

This creates a file using the archetype template in archetypes/default.md. The resulting file looks like:

+++
title = 'Hello World'
date = 2026-03-02T12:00:00+01:00
draft = true
+++

Write some content

Open the file and add Markdown content below the front matter:

+++
title = 'Hello World'
date = 2026-03-02T12:00:00+01:00
draft = true
+++

This is my first Hugo post. Hugo makes it easy to write
content in Markdown and have it rendered into a fast,
static website.

Preview your site

Start the development server with draft content enabled:

hugo server -D

Open http://localhost:1313 in your browser. The site live-reloads as you edit files.

Publish a post

When you are happy with a post, set draft = false in the front matter (or remove the line entirely). Only non-draft content is included when you build the production site.