'to publish' - is often used to speak about on line materials. It does not always mean to write something for sale. We publish blog posts for example.

I think an online article is "published." It is very easy these days to SELF-publish online. Whether you should use the word "publish" depends on context. If I were at a little local club meeting and someone said "Do you have the scores from last weekend's contest?" I might say "We came in fourth in the chorus devision. If you want the full results, I just got them from the district yesterday and I'll be publishing them on our website tomorrow." In the past, when it cost money to put something into print, publishers and editors were gatekeepers and exercised some quality control. So, yes, there is sort of a dual meaning. --Someone who writes a blog on their own website is NOT "a published author," and yet --their blog postings HAVE been "published." Legally, for copyright purposes, "published" just means "made available to the public" and there's a grey area. For example, I see that the American Society of Media Photographers advises: Q: Is a photo published if it is on my web site? A: If it is in a public area of the web site, it is probably published. If it is a private area of the web site, it is probably not published.

Why do you want to replace it? - You could 'distribute' the article or 'release' it or even 'put it out'.

You would "post" or "upload" and article, in an online sense.