What You Need Installed First

Before anything else, make sure these three free tools are on your computer. You only do this setup once.

  • VS Code — your code editor. Download at code.visualstudio.com
  • Git — the engine that talks to GitHub behind the scenes. Download at git-scm.com. Install with all default settings.
  • A GitHub account — where your project lives online. Sign up at github.com. Your repository must be public if Netlify (or any auto-deploy service) is pulling from it to keep your site live.

Step 1 — Clone Your Repo Into VS Code (One-Time Setup)

"Cloning" means downloading your GitHub project onto your computer so you can edit it. You only do this the first time.

  • Go to your repository on github.com, click the green Code button, and copy the URL shown (it ends in .git)
  • Open VS Code. In the top menu go to View → Terminal — a black panel opens at the bottom of the screen. That's the terminal, where you type commands.
  • Click inside the terminal and type the following, replacing the URL with yours:
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/your-repo-name.git

Hit Enter. Git downloads your project into a new folder on your computer. Then open that folder in VS Code with File → Open Folder and select it. Your website files now appear in the left panel.

Step 2 — Tell Git Who You Are (One-Time Setup)

Git needs your name and email so it can label every change you make. Run these two commands in the terminal — one at a time, pressing Enter after each — replacing the example text with your own details:

Set your name
git config --global user.name "Your Name"
Set your email (use the same one you signed up to GitHub with)
git config --global user.email "you@youremail.com"

You only do this once. Git saves it and uses it for every project on your computer going forward.

Keep sensitive info private: Never paste passwords, API keys, or private tokens directly into a file you're going to push to GitHub — anyone can see public repos. If you ever create a file that stores private information (like a .env file), add its name to a file called .gitignore in your project folder:

.env secrets.json

Git will skip any file listed there and never send it to GitHub. This is how developers keep credentials out of version control.

Step 3 — Always Pull Before You Edit

Every time you sit down to make changes — before touching any file — run this command in the terminal first:

git pull

This syncs your local copy with whatever is currently on GitHub. If anything was updated since your last session, it gets pulled in. Skipping this step can cause conflicts later — always pull first.

Step 4 — Make Your Edit

In the left panel, click on the file you want to edit. Most text changes will be in index.html.

  • Use Ctrl + F (Windows) or Cmd + F (Mac) to search for the words you want to change
  • Edit only the readable words — not the angle-bracket tags around them. In <p>Call us today</p>, only change Call us today
  • Save when done: Ctrl + S (Windows) / Cmd + S (Mac)

Step 5 — Stage, Commit, and Push

These three commands are how you package your change and send it to GitHub. Run them one at a time in the terminal, hitting Enter after each.

Stage all changed files
git add .
Save a labeled checkpoint (replace the message with your own)
git commit -m "Updated homepage text"
Send it to GitHub
git push

The dot in git add . means "include everything I changed." The message in quotes is just a note for yourself — keep it short and descriptive.

VS Code may ask you to sign in to GitHub the very first time you push. Follow the prompts — it's a one-time authentication step.

Step 6 — Check Your Live Site

Once the push goes through, your hosting service (Netlify or similar) automatically detects the change and rebuilds your site — usually within 1–2 minutes.

  • Open your website in a browser
  • If you don't see the update, do a hard refresh: Ctrl + Shift + R (Windows) or Cmd + Shift + R (Mac)

That's it. Four commands to push any update. Once you've done it a few times it takes under two minutes.

Quick Reference — The Whole Flow

git pull // make your edits and save in VS Code git add . git commit -m "describe what you changed" git push

A Note on Privacy

Some clients prefer not to hand over account access after a project is complete — that's completely valid. If you want me to make updates without touching your account, I can clone your public repository on my end, make the changes, and submit them for you to review and approve through GitHub. Your passwords, billing info, and private settings are never involved.

If you'd rather skip all of this entirely and just have me handle updates, I'm available at $100/hour (USD). Either way, your site stays in good hands.