Creating a Google Sites website

Google Sites lets you create and manage a free, simple, thoughtful, and elegant website. You need not write or edit any XHTML code. You can instead focus on creating website contents. This document contains procedures that explain how to:

• Create website pages
• Set up page hierarchy
• Add a logo
• Change font colors
• Add images
• Add internal links
• Add external links

Although this short document cannot cover all features available in Google Sites, it can help you create a powerful website that you can later modify, and add as many features as you need. For more information, see Google Sites Help.

Creating website pages

You begin building your Google Sites website by creating its pages. To create your website pages, do the following:

1. Log into Google Sites through your Google Account, such as your Gmail account, and then click Create new site to display its page as shown in Figure 1.

   

   Figure 1 - Create-new-site web page

2. Select Blank template, and then type a name for your website, such as Luddites Online.
3. Type a unique suffix to your new website URL, which begins with https//sites.google.com/site/- - -. Use only letters and/or numbers, such as - - - LudditesOnline57.
4. Select a theme, such as Crystal Panel. Choose a theme according to the purpose of your website and what you think its visitors might like.
5. Type the displayed security code, and then click Create to create your website and display its Home page. Note: As shown in Figure 2, while you are signed in to your website, each page has three icons at its top right: The pencil icon for Edit page, the page+ icon for Create page, and the gear icon for More actions.

   

   Figure 2 - Icons for Edit page (pencil), Create page (page+), and More actions (gear)

6. Click Edit page, type appropriate text into your Home page, and then click Save. You can edit and reformat this text later.
7. Click Create page (page+ icon), type a name for your new page, such as Animals, click Create Page, type text into your new page, and then click Save.
8. Repeat step 7 for each new page you wish to add. For example, as shown in Figure 3, Dave's Example Website includes pages named Animals, Cats, Lions, Tigers, Bears, Plants, Trees, Grass, Minerals, Rocks, and Sand.

   

   Figure 3 - All pages are initially at level 1

9. Click Sign out to close your Google Sites session. Optionally you can leave your session open if you wish to immediately change your website page hierarchy according to the Setting up page hierarchy section.

Setting up page hierarchy
To help your website visitors find information more easily, you should set up proper hierarchical levels for your website pages. To set up the hierarchical levels of your pages, do the following:

1. If you are not already logged into Google Sites, log in, and then click your website name.
2. Click More actions (gear icon), click Manage site, and then click Pages.
3. Use drag and drop to set up the hierarchy of each subpage by moving it into the Home page or any appropriate page to which you assign greater hierarchy. A page can be a subpage that has lower-level subpages as shown in Figure 4. 

   

   Figure 4 - Pages at hierarchical levels 1, 2, 3, and 4

   In this instance, Dave's Example Website includes:
• A level-1 Home page that has greater hierarchy than its level-2 Animals, Minerals, and Plants subpages, which have been dragged into Home.
• A level-2 Animals page that has greater hierarchy than its level-3 Bears and Cats subpages, which have been dragged into Animals.
• A level-3 Cats page that has greater hierarchy than its level-4 Lions and Tigers subpages, which have been dragged into Cats.
• A level-2 Minerals page that has greater hierarchy than its level-3 Rocks and Sand subpages, which have been dragged into Minerals.
• A level-2 Plants page that has greater hierarchy than its level-3 Grass and Trees subpages, which have been dragged into Plants.
4. Click your website name to return to its Home page.
5. Click More actions (gear icon), click Edit site layout, and then click Navigation (in the sidebar) to display the Configure navigation dialog.
6. Set the Level of pages to show to all, click OK to close the navigation window.
7. Click Close to save your changes and redisplay your website.

Adding a logo

A logo enhances your website. To add a logo through Google Sites, do the following:

1. If you are not already logged into Google Sites, log in, and then click your website name.
2. Click More actions (gear icon), click Edit site layout, place your mouse pointer within the header until it displays an Edit site header prompt, and then click the header to display a Configure site header window. 
3. Select Custom Logo, browse for and select your logo image file (such as LuditeLogo.jpg), and then click OK to close the header window.
4. Verify that your logo displays correctly. 
5. Click Close to save your changes and redisplay your website.

Changing font colors

Changing certain font colors can enhance your website. Be careful to use no more than a few colors; too many can be distracting. To change font colors, do the following:

1. If you are not already logged into Google Sites, log in, and then click your website name.
2. Click More actions (gear icon), click Manage site, and then click Themes, Colors, and Fonts to display a window, similar to Figure 5.

   

   Figure 5 - Font-color dropdown pallet

    Here, you can make changes to:
• Entire page
• Header area
• Content area
• Content area gadgets
• Sidebar gadgets
• Horizontal navigation
3. Select an area to change (such as Content area), select an item to alter (such as Page title) select the Color dropdown pallet, and then select a color.
4. As needed, repeat step 3 for any other areas and items, and then click Save.

Adding images

Images can help your website visitors understand the subjects your website presents. To add images, do the following:

1. If you are not already logged into Google Sites, log in, and then click your website name.
2. Select a page into which you wish to add an image, such as a photo or drawing, as an image file. An image file is typically a JPEG or GIF file.
3. Click Edit page (pencil icon), and then place your insertion point (blinking cursor) wherever you wish to add the image. For example, you might wish to place the image between two paragraphs.
4. Click Insert, and then click Image, to display an Add an image window.
5. Select either Uploaded Images or Web Address (URL)
6. Select the image file you wish to add (such as 03_LudditesOnline.jpg), and then click OK to add the image.
7. Click the image to display its menu, in which the first three icons let you align the image. For example, you would click Align center (second icon) to center the image.
8. The next five icons let you resize the image. For example, you can click L to resize the image to large.
9. Repeat steps 2 through 8 for each image you wish to add, and then click Save.

Adding links

You can add both internal and external links to your website:

• An internal link lets your website visitor click on that link to display another page within your website. 
• An external link, which is also called a hyperlink, lets your website visitor click on that link to display another website.

Note: To compare an internal link with an external link, see Sample Links.

Adding internal links - To add internal links to your website, do the following:

1. If you are not already logged into Google Sites, log in, and then click your website name.
2. On any page in your website, click Edit page, select (highlight) any word or phrase that you wish to link to another page within your website.
3. Click the Add or remove link icon to display a Create Link window. 
4. Click Sites page, type a page name or use the Site map to select a page, click OK, and then click Save.
5. Repeat steps 2 through 4 for each internal link you wish to create.

Adding external links - To add external links to your website, do the following:

1. If you are not already logged into Google Sites, log in, and then click your website name.
2. On any page in your website, click Edit page, select (highlight) any word or phrase that you wish to link to another website.
3. Open the website to which you wish to link, and copy its URL.
4. Click the Add or remove link icon to display a Create Link window. 
5. Click Web address, type or paste a URL, click OK, and then click Save.
6. Repeat steps 2 through 5 for each external link you wish to create.