Introduction
It seems impossible to build a website. It could take several hours at most, and possibly weeks or even months at the worst. A website is not something you would make to post a few reports or talk about a project. However, you could. You can create a website in minutes using Google Sites, one of Google’s most popular and least-known apps.
It is one of the most hidden features in your G Suite account. It is a simple way for you to create a modern intranet.
What are Google Sites?
Since 2008, Google Sites has been a part of Google’s suite. It was initially launched as a simple website creator. Google Docs was the original version. The resulting websites were a lot like documents, with a search bar at their top.
Formatting text and embedding images, documents, or videos is possible. You can even insert your HTML code to enhance the functionality. You could choose from a single- or multi-column layout.
In late 2016, Google redesigned Google Sites and gave it a design very similar to Google Forms. It has a simple one-column design, similar to many modern websites. It makes it much easier to layout your site. All the tools are organized in a sidebar or popover menu that will appear when selecting text from your site.
Both versions of the app are still available. You can choose which editor to use when creating new sites. The older version has a more straightforward design and is more user-friendly.
However, the older version offers a few additional features, such as the ability to track changes so that you can return to an earlier version. They’re great for quickly building a website or intranet to help your team. Also, check this article http://pczippo.com/blog/tech/top-best-sites-to-access-ai-and-machine-learning-research/.
What can you do with Google Sites?
Google Sites allows you to build any site.
A site might be necessary for your brand. DPI Partners and Steegle both built them with older and newer Google Sites. All of these sites can be built in Google Sites.
It’s also free. You can create as many Google Sites you like with a simple Google account. Google Sites 2.0 uses your Google Drive account to store files and images you share on your site. You can store up to 15GB of files for your sites free of charge, which you can also share with other Google apps.
There is one catch: your site will default to Google’s domain with an address like sites.google.com/view/yoursite.
Google Sites: Create complete websites for nothing
Register for a Google account
Google Sites requires you to have a Google account to use it. If you don’t already have one or would like to create one, you will be asked to do so on your first page.
You will need to provide your name, email address and create a Gmail account to create a brand new account. Optionally, you can provide a phone number or recovery email address to help you recover your account if it is locked out.
Select a template
Selecting a template is the first step in creating your Google Sites site. You have 13 options to choose from in the categories of personal, small business, and education. These templates can be used for starting, or you can choose to use the Blank template to create a new project.
Choose a theme
Once your website has been loaded into the editor, you will see all of the main tools in the menus to your right. The Insert menu allows you to add elements to the current page. The Pages menu allows you to add, modify, or remove web pages from your website. The Themes menu allows you to change the appearance and feel of your entire site.
Select the Themes option and choose from a shortlist. You can also choose the primary color for your website, and you can also select from one of three font styles.
Edit text on-page and images
Click on any element of your website pages to edit it. A context-sensitive menu will appear. If you click on text instead of an image, a different menu will be displayed.
Start by editing the main page’s text and images. You have the option to choose from basic formatting such as bold, underlining, and italic. Or, you can arrange text in lists. You can add hyperlinks to your text and change the layout. Click on images to change the image, caption, and link.
Change layouts and backgrounds
The template’s initial layout is not the only option. You can arrange, duplicate, or delete sections by clicking on the menu at the left of each section. You can choose from various background options to emphasize certain sections or even set an image as your background.
Add page widgets
You’ll find 14 pre-made widgets in the Insert menu that you can add to your pages. These widgets can be used in various ways, including buttons and dividers as well as charts and forms. Click on the widget to add it to your website. Most widgets will have a few settings options that can control how it looks and behaves.
More pages
Click on the Plus button in the Pages menu to add pages to your site. All pages you add to your website will automatically be added to the navigation menu. Right-clicking on a page from the list will allow you to choose whether it should be your homepage, duplicate it, add subpages, hide it in the navigation menu or delete it entirely.
Your website is published
Your website is not yet accessible to the public. Click on the blue Publish button in the top-right corner of Google Sites to publish your website. A unique folder name will be required to make your website available.
You have the option to purchase your top-level domain name that points to Google Sites. After purchasing a domain from a domain name registrar such as Google Domains, GoDaddy, or others, you will need the domain name to be pointed to ghs.googlehosted.com at the registrar’s website.
Google Sites offers an exciting feature: You can choose to keep your Google Sites site private and share it only with certain people.
