Privacy & Publishing

Video

Watch this short video to learn how to change your privacy settings and to publish a website and changes in Google Sites:

Transcript:

See instructions below.

What do you mean by privacy?

Most websites are designed to be seen by the public. However, there are several reasons why you might want to make your site private or limit your audience:

Instructions:


Screenshot of the "share with others" icon in Google Sites.

2. If you want to give someone viewing privileges for your site, your professor for example, add their email address and make them a Published Viewer. You can write them a message to let them know you are sharing the site with them. 

Screenshot of the "Share with People and Groups" pop-up. An email address has been added as a "Published Viewer" and a message has been composed to alert the recipient they have permission to view the site.

3. If you want to add someone as an editor, a group member for example, simply add their email address and select the Editor option for them.

Screenshot of the "Share with People and Groups" pop-up. An email address has been added as an "Editor" and a message has been composed to alert the recipient they have permission to edit the site.

4. Once you added specific viewers and/or editors you can adjust the privacy setting for your site, this is done in the Links section of the Share with people and groups pop-up.

Screenshot of the "Share with People and Groups" pop-up with the "links" section below.

5. Click on Change in the Links section.

Close-up screen-shot of the Links section, with the Change button.
Screen shot of the Links menu. There is a section for adjusting who can see drafts of the site and who can view the published page.

6. Draft should be restricted to you and those in your group if it is a group assignment.

Screen shot of the Links menu. The "Drafts" section has been set to restricted.

7. Published site  should be set to Restricted if you want the site private and only want your named viewers to see the site. 


Screen shot of the Links menu. The "Published site" section has been set to restricted.

8. If you want the public to see your site, for example for an online portfolio, then choose the Public setting.

Screen shot of the Links menu. The "Published site" section has been set to Public..

9. To publish your site and make it viewable click on “Publish” in the top right hand corner.


Screenshot of the Publish button in the top right hand corner of the Google Sites editor page.

10. You will be prompted to give your site a web address (this is the URL that will appear in the address bar of your browser). There is a chance that your first choice for a web address might already have been used. If so, try a variation.

Screenshot of the "Pubish to web" pop-up with a site name that has already been used. The pop-up prompts to try an alternative name.

11. To make your website live, click on “Publish" in the lower right-hand corner.

Screenshot of the "Publish to web" pop-up with a final site name.

12. From now on, any time you make a change to your website you will have to click on Publish again. Google Sites will show you a preview of the changes (for example if you deleted a page) before you make your changes go live.

Screenshot of the publish review screen that previews the changes that will be made live if Publish is selected.

13.  To share a link with someone, go to the particualr pagee you'd like to share (e.g. the home page), and click on the lnik icon in the top toolbar.

14. Click on "Copy Link" and paste it in an email, a document, or anywhere you'd like to share the link.

To paste the link, use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + V (Windows), Cmd+V (Mac) or right-clink and choose Paste.


Please note:

Privacy settings can be changed whenever you want, you can make a private site public or a public site private at any time.

Now your site is live!