Your Tech Bestie

Tamarah Trouillot

Starting your first newsletter doesn’t have to be stressful and it is easier than you might think!

Here’s a step-by-step guide to get you started:

1. Define Your Newsletter Purpose and Audience

Why do you want to start a newsletter?

• Share insights, news, or updates?
• Promote your business or personal brand?
• Build an engaged community?

Who is your target audience?

• Business professionals?
• Hobbyists? Makers? DIYers?
• Friends and family?

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2. Choose a Newsletter Platform

An email marketing tool helps you manage subscribers and send emails. These are some beginner-friendly options:

• MailerLite – Simple and affordable with automation features. Free first up to 1000 subscribers
• Substack – Free, simple, and ideal for content-driven newsletters
• Mailchimp – Great for beginners, free up to 500 subscribers
• ConvertKit – Best for creators and automation
• Beehiiv – Modern and great for monetization

3. How to Set Up Your Email List

• Create a sign-up form – Most newsletter platforms will give you a form you can embed on your website or social media.
• Offer an incentive – This encourages people to sign up! You can offer a free e-book, checklist, or exclusive content
• Don’t Spam or buy email addresses – Follow GDPR, CAN-SPAM, and other email regulations by always including an unsubscribe link. Most newsletter platforms help with this, but double check to be sure!

4. Plan Your Content & Schedule

Decide on your newsletter type:

How often do you want to engage with subscribers? Can they anticipate your next issue?

• Weekly tips? Monthly updates? Curated content?
  • Create a posting calendar to stay consistent
  • Write engaging subject lines to boost email open rates

5. Design and Write Your First Newsletter

• Keep it simple – Your newsletter should have clean formatting with short paragraphs
• Make it personal – Address subscribers by name (most platforms allow personalization)
• Use visuals – Images, GIFs, or simple branding help engagement
• Include a Call-to-Action – What do you want readers to do? (Reply, click, buy, share, etc.)

6. Send then Track Performance

• Test before sending – Send a test email to yourself
• Track open rates, click rates, and unsubscribes to see what works. You can use google analytics for this
• Optimize over time – Improve your newsletter based on what readers engage with most

7. Promote Your Newsletter

• Share it!
  • Social media posts
  • Add to your Link in Bio
  • Add a sign-up link to your website, email signature, or blog
  • Ask subscribers to share it with friends and family

Your Tech Bestie

Tamarah Trouillot

Want a website but you’re not technical, there are easy ways to create one without learning to code. Below are some of the simplest options:

Website Builder (Easiest Option)

A Website builder lets you create a website with drag-and-drop tools, no coding required and no complexity. What you see is what you get! These builders will include hosting, templates, and built-in features

• Best for: Small businesses, personal sites, portfolios, and blogs
• Popular options:
  • Wix – Easy to use with lots of design templates
  • Squarespace – Stylish templates, great for creative sites
  • Weebly – Simple and beginner-friendly.

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WordPress (Add Flexibility, Yet Beginner-Friendly)

WordPress is a powerful CMS (content management system) that lets you create anything from a blog to an online store. To get started requires a bit more learning but offers more flexibility.

There are two options with wordpress.

• Best for: Blogs, business sites, and e-commerce.
• Options:
  • WordPress.com – Combines hosting and the power of wordpress platform all in one!
  • WordPress.org – Allows you to completely customize and choose your own hosting. If you want to be technical you can even download it to your computer!

E-Commerce Platforms For Online Stores

If you want to sell products online, these platforms make it easy:

• Shopify – Simple setup, great for online businesses.
• BigCommerce – More advanced e-commerce features.
• Etsy (for handmade or vintage items) – A marketplace rather than a standalone website.
• WooCommerce through WordPress – A plugin designed for WordPress to add e-commerce functionality

Simple Free Websites

• Google Sites: a basic website for free!
  • Great for portfolio sites, or local small business pages
• Hot Page: Simple Landing Page
• Carrd: Simple Landing pages

Hiring a Web Developer (If You Want a Custom Website)

• If you need something unique, you can hire a web developer
• This costs more but allows full customization.

6. Using AI Website Generators

• Some platforms like use AI to build a website for you in minutes.
• All you need to do is answer a few questions, and they will generate a design

What Do You Need to Get Your Website Started?

• A domain name (e.g., yourwebsite.com) – Get it from GoDaddy, Namecheap, or Google Domains
• A website builder or hosting plan (if using WordPress)
• Content – Text, images, and info you want on your site

Would you like recommendations based on your specific needs? Book a free 15min consult with me!

Your Tech Bestie

Tamarah Trouillot

If you want to understand the basics of websites, here are some key things you should know:

What is a Website?

Seems like a pretty basic question, right? At its core a website is a collection of online pages that are accessed through the internet. These pages are files formatted in a way computers can read, that are saved on a server (like a giant computer) and can be accessed by your web browser (like Chrome, Safari or Firefox).

You can create a website for almost any kind of content you want and websites are user by businesses, blogs, news, stores or to archive information (think Wikis).

What is a Domain Name?

…and why are URLs how we access them?

A domain name is the web address you use to visit a site. Think of it just like your home address! If you live at 123 N 45 Ave, a person in your town knows to go to 45th Ave to find house numbered 123, going north or on the north side.

This same concept can be used for your domain name like www.afroandwebdesign.com. (This websites Domain Name!). Domains don’t always end in .com and come in many varieties. They may denote the function of the website.

A few examples:

And so much more!

Your domain name is also related to your URL which stands for Uniform Resource Locator. Your URL is the full address for your website/webpage. Your full address might look like:

How Do Websites Work?

At the very basic level websites are made using a coding language called HTML (Hypertext Markup Language), with something called CSS (cascading style sheets) which tells the HTML how things should look, and JavaScript which adds extra functionality.

These coding languages are used to create files, that are saved on a large computer called a server. That server is what gives your web browser the information on how to display. your website.

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What is a Web App? How is it Different?

Websites mostly displays information, like a blog, or your local. plumbers website. You get the information you need, maybe a number to call or a contact email and not much else.

A web app is an interactive website. It allows you to do things, can store information you give it and give you access to do more. examples of web apps are Gmail, online banking, social media websites.

These web apps allow you to add information, create accounts, fill out forms, add/remove images and have a place to store your data (database)

Why do most websites use https versus http?

Website Security Basics

Secure websites use https, this means the data you send to the computer serving your website is encrypted. Why encrypt? Encryption will alters your request from your computer so that if something tries to read your request it looks like goblygook.

In an insecure http website your data can be read if it is intercepted, this could be private data like your payment info, address or ssn. Never enter your personal info in an unsecured website and always look for a shield and/or lock next to the url of websites you’re on.

As an added security feature, many web browsers will not let you go to an unsecured website and will display warnings. Be vigilant because there are phishing websites that look like real websites to steal your personal information.

What is a Mobile-Friendly website?

Ever notice some websites suck on your phone?

Many newer websites are not designed to work well on both your computer and your iPhone/Android phones. When a website designer does this they usually use a concept called responsive design, which makes websites adjust depending on the screen size.

When websites aren’t mobile-friendly they may look broken, hard to read or navigate. Nowadays a lot of designers will use a mobile first approach to create website designs that can look great on both mobile and on the computer.

Website Terms Glossary

Click each one to expand

Want to Get Your Website Started?

Want a website but don’t have the technical skills, there are easy ways to create one without coding. Here are some of the simplest options:

• Website Builders (Easy)
• WordPress (More Flexible, Still Beginner-Friendly)
• E-Commerce Platforms (For Online Stores)
• Google Sites (For Simple Free Websites)
• Hiring a Web Developer (For Custom and semi-custom Website or site migration)

• Use an AI Website Generator

What You Need:

• A domain name – Get it from Namecheap, Squarespace (formerly Google Domains) or any hosting provider
• A website builder or hosting plan
• Content – Text, images, and info you want on your site.

Would you like recommendations based on your specific needs? Book a 15min discovery call today!

01.29

Your Tech Bestie

Tamarah Trouillot

2025

Don’t panic: Use this list so you’re Launch Ready!

1. Double Check Your Content

Home * About * Contact * Blog * Shop * etc

• Is the text free of typos, spelling errors and easy to reed (see what we did there)?
• Are pictures and videos clear (not pixelated) and load quickly.
• Do your pictures have alt text?
• Did you Check your Links?
• Does they all take you to the right page?
• Check contact info (email, phone, address) are they correct?

2. Does Your Website Work?

• Test your site on your phone, tablet, and computer, Does it look good?
• Test your site on different browsers (like Chrome, Safari (MAC), or Firefox).
• Are your menus easy to use and where they should be?
• Common menu locations: Top, side, or slide in/out on mobile
• Do your forms work? Fill out them out to be sure (like contact form)

3. Does Your Site Load Quickly?

• Do the pages load fast?
• There are free tools that can help like Googles Page Speed
• Triple check on Mobile! 
• Reduce large image or video sizes to improve speed. You can use an image reducer tool to help

4. Make It Easy to Find on Google (What SEO is all about!)

• Do you have clear titles and descriptions for each page? 
• Do you have Google Analytics set up to track visitors ( It tells you how many people visit your site).
• Let Google know about your site by submitting it to Google Search Console.
• If you are on WordPress you can use Googles Site Kit to help check this off!

Not sure about SEO? We can test your site and build a report for you!

5. Secure Your Site

• Does your site have a secure connection?
• Does it say “https://” in the web address
• If you type “http://” does it redirect to “https://” ? ( This is important!)
• Pro tip: HTTP without the “s” will give users an insecure connection warning and wont load!
• Do you have a privacy policy page if you’re collecting personal information (like names or emails).

6. Test Everything One Last Time (Once more with feeling)

• Test as If you are visiting your site for the first time
• Click all the buttons
• fill out forms
• Does your site answer the questions of your ideal visitor?
• Does everything work? Any pain points?
• Ask a friend (or employee) to use the site and give feedback.

7. Launch and Spread the Word

• Connect your site to your domain, if you haven’t already
• It’s your web address, like www.example.com
• Announce the launch to your audience on social media or via email.
• Check the site daily after launch to make sure everything is running smoothly.