A rebuilt version of Google Sites is now available to all users, following a short beta launched in June.

Google Sites is a drag-and-drop website builder that integrates with Google Inc.’s various other tools including Calendar, Docs, Drive, Maps and more. Users can then choose to publish their site publicly or internally within their organization.

The refreshed version of Google Sites now incorporates Google Analytics, allowing users to track the performance of their site. It also allows multiple users to collaborate on a site simultaneously using the same technology used in Google Docs. Google Sites now also contains various themes and layouts that are responsive to any screen size.

How to get started with Google Sites

If you have already created a site in the classic Google Sites and want to migrate it to the new version, Google will be releasing migration tools in 2017.  

Create your site

Open Google Sites on your computer > click the “+” icon in the bottom-right corner to create a new site > start editing your site.

Note: To create a site in Google Sites you must be using Chrome (version 24 or up) or the latest Firefox web browser.

Name your site file: This is the name that will appear in Google Drive. Open your Google Site, click “Untitled Site” in the top-left corner > add the name.

Name your site: This is the name that people will see as your site’s title and will only show if you have two or more pages. Open your Google Site, click “Enter site name” in the top left corner > add the name of your site.  

Tip: If you have more than one page you can add a name for each page, which will show at the top of the page. Open your site in Google Sites, click “Your page title” > add the name of the page.

Add, order and delete pages

• Add a page: click Pages from the menu on the right > Add page > click Done.
• Delete a page: click Pages > click the More icon (three dots) on the page you want to remove > click Remove page from site.
• Page order: click Pages and drag the pages into the correct order.
• Nest pages under each other: click Pages > select the page you want to nest and drag it onto the page that you want it under. Pages can only be nested one level deep.
• Home page: click Pages > click the More icon on the relevant page > click Set as home page.

Site theme and font style

Click Themes from the menu on the right > select the theme you want. Below the theme name, click “Font style” > select the relevant font style. Both the theme and font style can be changed at any stage.

Add content to your site: text, images, maps and more

• Text: Click Insert from the menu on the right > Text box > add your text. You can change text style by clicking the down arrow in the format bar, as well as make text bold, italics, strikethrough, etc.

Tip: To open the Insert menu you can also double-click on your site.

• Images: Click Insert > Images > in the “Selected images” menu select whether you want to Upload files from your computer, Add images with a URL, Add images from Google Search, Add images from a photo album or Add images from Google Drive > click Upload or Select.

Tip: Images can be resized and cropped to suit your site.

• Embed content from other websites: Click Insert > Embed URL > add the URL into the “Embed from the web” box > click Add.
• YouTube videos, calendars and maps: Click Insert > under Google Embeds, click YouTube, Calendar or Map > select the video, calendar or place that you want to add > click Select.
• Google Docs, Slides, Sheets, Forms or Charts: Click Insert > under Google Docs, click Docs, Slides, Sheets, Forms or Charts > select the relevant file > click Insert.

Tip: You can also upload a file or folder from Google Drive. Click Insert > under Google Drive, select either “From Drive” or “Drive Folder.”

Preview and publish your site

To preview your site, click the Preview button (eye icon) in the top menu. You can view how it will display on other devices by clicking either the Phone, Tablet or Computer icon in the bottom-right corner. To exit the preview, click the “x” icon.

Publish your site: Open your site in Google Sites > click Publish in the top menu > under “Site address” type the site’s URL. Select who can see your site, either Anyone at [your domain] (G Suite customers only) or Anyone on the web. Select whether you want your site to appear in search results. Click Publish.

Tip: You can change who can see your site at any stage by clicking Publish > Publish settings.

Google Analytics

The new Google Sites can now provide basic data about your site. If you are new to Google Analytics, create an account or note the tracking ID if you are an existing user.

Open the Google Site file > click the More icon > Site Analytics > enter the tracking ID > click Save.

Source: Google Sites Help

Images via Google