The Basics

Written tutorials

Notice that in most cases, the blue circled numbers in the image correspond to the numbers in the text description.

Get your Google Site started

Create a Site

There are a couple different ways to get started:

  • From the sites.google.com (or Sites in the waffle menu) click Create new site
  • From Google Drive, click New > More > Google Sites.

Note: All Sites files are stored in Drive.

Add Pages

Add pages for more content. Keep related information together by nesting pages. Nested pages appear as a subtopic of another page.

Add pages:

  1. In the top-right corner, click Pages
  2. Use the plus at the bottom to Add page (note, you can also add a link here and the page will direct to that link. Great idea to link back to the district webpage.)
  3. Name the page and click Done.

Reorder or nest pages:

  1. Click Pages.
  2. Drag a page up or down in the list to reorder it.
  3. Drag a page on top of another page to nest it.
  4. (Optional) To un-nest a page, drag it to the bottom of the list.


Notice the three dot menu by each page:

    • Duplicate the Page
      • This is a fantastic way to preserve header or formatting you have set up
    • Hide from Navigation
      • Use this when you are adding content and aren't ready for the page to be part of the site
      • Consider getting seasonal/monthly pages ahead of time
    • Delete the Page

Add Content to your Google Site

Insert Content

Google Sites makes this so easy! Click Insert. Or, double-click on the page where you want to add content. Choose the content you want to add:

    1. Text box—Add titles and text.
    2. Embed URL—Add content directly from the web, such as music and videos.
    3. Images—Add photos, designs, and other images.
    4. Upload—Upload photos, videos, or other documents from your device.
    5. Components—Add a (horizontal) divider line to your page.
    6. Google Drive—Embed any file or the contents of a folder stored in Drive. If you make changes to your files in Drive, the same changes automatically show in Sites

7. Google Embeds—Add YouTube videos, calendars (such as team or event calendars), and maps what a cool way to make history real).

8. Google Docs—Add anything from Docs, Slides, Sheets, Forms, or Charts to your site. Any content you change in the source file will automatically update on your site.

Share your Google Site

Preview Your Site

If you’re viewing a site on a mobile device, the content automatically adjusts to fit the screen. You can preview how your site appears on different devices.

  1. Click Preview (the eye icon at the top---- eye-con?)
  2. To see how your site looks on different devices, choose an option at the bottom right:
    • Phone
    • Tablet
    • Large screen
  3. Click Close (X icon) to exit the preview screen.

Publish Your Site

  1. Click PUBLISH (top right).
  2. Add a name to the end of the URL.
  3. Under Who can visit my site, choose who can see your site:
    • Anyone in your domain
    • Anyone on the web
  4. Click PUBLISH. Visit your site's URL to confirm that your site published correctly.

NOTE: THE SHARE SETTINGS FOR YOUR SITE ARE SET LIKE ANY OTHER FILE IN YOUR GOOGLE DRIVE.

Find the site in your Drive, then right clic to choose share settings. Share your site with specific people, set the link to share to anyone in the domain, or share the link with anyone--- it's up to you!