And as another comment mentions, GitHub Pages now offers HTTPS certificates [1] for custom domains, so GitHub Pages alone is sufficient for most static websites.
[1]: https://github.blog/2018-05-01-github-pages-custom-domains-h...
IMO the simplest solution for the OP is to have a private repository where he does any draft work, and then pushes the master branch (or whatever) to the public repo in order to "publish".
This option is available with or without a paid account, and I don't see any significantly better option available to paid accounts. The only thing you could do there is publish your pages from a private repo, and maintain your drafts in branches in the same repo. That is virtually identical to the original suggestion except that "master branch in public repo" is replaced by "master branch in private (same) repo" which probably makes little practical difference in the workflow.
One advantage is that they are auto renewing and you don’t have to manage them.
Could be bounces, but mostly just users who literally signed up clearly for my email list with 0 deception marking spam.
It's actually cut my content production down because I'm afraid to email. From 50 articles per year to 12 to 4 to 2.
Bounces also have their own system and should be handled by your email system as well.
And even at 4 a year I have this issue.
If 70 of the 7000 emails I send bounce or get marked as Spam, I get frozen until I ask for forgiveness.
It may look outdated, but it still functions well for me