Quick Reference Guide
Following is a quick reference guide for using the new Google Sites Application
Step-by-step introductory guidelines
Getting started
Read the Introduction to Make a website page
Watch the video shown at the top of the http://www.gsites.live home page to obtain an initial introduction to the Google Sites application.
Sign in to your Google account and go to the Google Sites homepage.
Click on the "Create" button to start creating a new site.
Creating a new site
Choose a name for your site and select a template or start with a blank page. This is the name of the site within your Google Sites account and is not the domain name, although the names can be similar to help you easily identify the site within your account.
Add pages to your site using the Pages panel on the right-hand side of the screen.
Customize the design of your site by selecting a theme and changing the font, colour, and background.
Adding content
To add text, drag a text box from the Insert menu on the right of the screen, then click the mouse cursor inside the text box and start typing.
To add images, click on the Image button on the right and upload an image from your computer or select an image from Google Photos.
To add videos, click on the Embed button and enter the embed code from YouTube or another video hosting site.
To add a form, click on the Forms button under the Insert menu and select "Create a new form" or "Use a pre-existing form".
Explore the other features listed on the right-hand-side of your Google Sites account screen
Organizing your site
Click the Pages menu to add, delete, rename, and reorder pages on your site.
Click the Navigation menu to customize the navigation menu of your site.
Click the Insert menu to add headers, dividers, and other design elements to your site.
Sharing your site
Click on the Share button in the top-right corner of the screen to share your site with others.
Choose the access level you want to give your collaborators, such as "Can edit" or "Can view".
Share the link to your site or invite specific users by entering their email addresses.
Publishing your site
When you're ready to publish your site, click on the Publish button in the top-right corner of the screen.
Choose whether you want to publish your site on the web or to a specific audience.
Review the settings and click on the Publish button to publish your site.
As you become increasingly familiar with editing and managing your site, you can find other lessons through the http://www.gsite.live website that will help you to add even more features. Also, learn to search using relevant keywords on YouTube and on Google.com to help identify other valuable information.
Important notes
To avoid creating confusing issues at a later stage, always organise your working methodology and create a valid site plan before starting to develop your website. Google Sites does however have the flexibility to enable you to rearrange the interlinking of pages within your site at a later date.
If you have created websites previously using other applications, you will find that the Google Sites application has its own quirky methods of achieving results, and as with any application you are initially unfamiliar with, it is important to follow a structured approach to learning and using the application.
Register the domain name you wish to use with your site. However, think carefully before selecting your domain name as changing it later may lead to issues with navigation and may also lead to issues with search engines. If you wish to experiment with your site before registering a final domain name, you can do so in a test site, but remember that internal links within the pages may possibly need to be updated if you move blocks of text from your test site to your final site that uses a different URL. It may be best to register your domain name with Google Domains, and although this is not absolutely essential it does help.
On a sheet of paper draw out a map of your proposed website showing how you plan to link the various pages together. Most sites are structured with the 'Home' page being the page that visitors arrive at via the domain name, although other arrangements are possible, and a domain name can potentially be pointed to any page within a website, although it is usually best to stick to conventional arrangements to avoid later confusion.
Major Functions and Features of Google Sites
You can create a new site by going to the Google Sites website and clicking on the "Create" button.
Add pages to your site: You can add pages to your site by clicking on the "Add Page" button.
Edit your site: You can edit your site by clicking on the "Edit" button.
Share your site: You can share your site with others by clicking the "Share" button.
When you share your Google Sites website account with others, you can choose who has access to it and what level of access they have. You can for example choose whether they can simply view it or edit it, or edit selected pages. If you choose to allow others to edit pages at your site, you can also choose whether they can add new pages or only edit existing pages, and you can select which pages any individual is authorised to edit.
You can share your site with the following:
You can enter the email addresses of those individuals or groups you wish to share your site with.
You can also share your site with a group of people who share a common interest, including members of a Google Group.
You can make your site public, which means that anyone with access to a relevant link to the site or who knows the URL of a page can view it.
To share your site, click the "Share" button in the top right corner of the site. In the Share dialogue, enter the email addresses of the people you want to share your site with or select a Google Group. You can also choose whether they can view or edit your site. Click "Send" to send the invitations.
You can also choose whether you need to approve edits made by others before a page is published or republished. To do this, follow these steps:
Open the site that you want to control edits for.
Click the Settings gear icon in the top right corner of the page.
Click "Permissions".
Under "Edit permissions", select "Editors must review changes before publishing".
Click "Save".
Once you have enabled this setting, any changes that editors make to pages will be saved as a draft. You will then need to review the changes and approve them before they are published. To approve changes, click the "Review changes" button. You can then review the changes and make any necessary edits. Once you are satisfied with the changes, click the "Publish" button.
The people you invite will receive an email with a link to your site. They can click the link to view or edit your site depending on the permissions you have granted to them.
You can embed content into your Google Sites website from other websites, such as images, videos, and documents, into pages at your site.
You can customise your Google Sites website look and feel by changing the theme, colours, and fonts.
Further Information
Google Sites Help Center provides additional information about how to use Google Sites.
Google Sites Blog provides tips and tricks for using Google Sites.
Google Sites Community is a forum where you can ask questions and get help from other Google Sites users.
Following are some potential add-on features for Google Sites:
Google Analytics can be used to track traffic to your site and see how people are interacting with it.
Google Maps can be used to embed maps into your site.
Google Forms can be used to create surveys and collect feedback from visitors to your site.
Google Sheets can be used to create and embed spreadsheets into your site.
Google Slides can be used to create and embed presentations into your site.
Google Drive can be used to store files and access them from your site.
Google Calendar can be used to embed a calendar into your site.
Google Chat can be used to embed a chat widget into your site.
Google Meet can be used to embed a video conferencing widget into your site.
Google Online Stores can be embedded into your Google Sites website
The above are just a few of the many potential add-on features that can be used with Google Sites. To find more information about add-ons, you can visit the Google Sites Add-ons websites. You could potentially even create your own unique applications and embed those into pages on your website, although there may possibly be some limitations to doing this.
Note: To obtain further information about Google Sites, enquire with Google Bard.
Following are some relevant links to valuable web pages and videos:
Google Sites - Tutorials for Beginners videos
Please note that Google Sites may from time to time add new features or change existing ones. We do try to keep the above information current, although may occasionally miss new features.