In our previous article we gave you all the details on understanding Google Sites. What Google Sites is, its uses, and costs. Now you’re asking yourself should I build a website? How long does it usually take to build a website? These are great questions to ask when building a website. Let us walk through the simple process on how to build a Google Site and how to edit Google Sites.
Create Your Site
First, navigate to the Google Sites homepage and click the Create + at the top. If you do not want to start from a blank canvas you have the option of selecting a pre-designed template. You can also create a new site by going to Google Drive, clicking + New > More > Google Sites.
Note: All Sites are stored in Google Drive.
Name Your Site
After you have created your site, it’s time to name it! You are able to name different parts of your site:
- Site document name – This is a unique name to keep track of your site. You are the only one able to see the site document name.
- Site name – The site name shows up in the header and in the web or mobile window title bar after your site is published. For your site name to be displayed, you must have 2 or more pages in your website.
- Page title – Each page on your website has a title. These page titles show up in the navigation bar and at the top of each page.
Select a Layout
Next, select a layout by clicking Layouts on the right side of the screen and choose from the different layout options for your sections.
Select a Background Image, Header Type and Theme
After your layout is selected, you can choose a background image, add a heading to Google Site and decide on a theme for your site. Get down to the look and feel of what you want your site to be. Each theme comes with a built in background, color scheme and font selection. You are able to adjust all of these features after you create your site.
Change background new Google Sites:
- Open your site.
- Move your cursor over the background image and click Change image.
- Choose an option:
- Click Upload to upload an image from your computer.
- Click Select image, to choose from an image from the gallery or other location.
- You may go back to the original background image by clicking Reset.
Change the header type:
- Hover over the background image and click Header type.
- Choose from the options:
- Cover
- Large banner
- Banner
- Title only
Change theme and font style:
- Select Themes in the top-right corner.
- Select a theme option and choose a color.
- Click Font style and select a style.
Add, reorder and nest pages
Add pages:
- Click Pages in the top-right corner > select Create +
- Choose:
- Add page, name the page and click Done
- Add URL, click Add link
Reorder or nest pages:
- Click Pages.
- To reorder the page, drag it up or down in the list.
- To nest it, drag the page on top of another page.
- If you need to un-nest it, drag it to the bottom of the list.
Note: You can only nest a page 5 levels deep.
Choose page options:
- Under Pages, select a page and click More.
- Choose from the options:
- Set as homepage
- Duplicate the page
- Rename the page
- Create a subpage
- Hide a page or subpage
- Delete the page from site
Note: You cannot hide or delete a page that is set as your homepage.
Set up site navigation
Visitors can use a navigation bar to hop from page to page on your site. This can either appear at the top or side of your site.
Choose a navigation mode:
- Hover over the site name and click Navigation settings and select Top navigation or Side navigation.
