Google Sites

Google Sites can be used to share your students’ work with the school community, host curricula, create a portal for your class, and create and curate online resources.

Present: Google Sites

Ways Students Can Use Google Sites

  • They can use it to create digital portfolios to feature their work and achievements

  • Create and manage to-do lists for their assignments and classroom activities

  • Collaborate on group projects

  • They can use it to present their findings on a particular research subject. They can include docs they have created, videos, links and many more

  • Students can use it to contribute in knowledge building inside the classroom and to help with course materials


Ways Teachers can Use Google Sites in their Classroom

  • Create a webpage for the class where to include course materials and rich content including videos, images, slides, and audio recordings

  • Use it for posting homework, assignments, and class events

  • You can also use it as a discussion board where every student can have a say

  • Create a page for posting announcements , class events, reading materials, classroom rules, and many more

  • Use it as a wiki and let your students collaboratively work on their assignments and edit content

  • Use the File Cabinet page to upload documents, PDFs and other materials to share with your students

  • You can also create a private page where to share information with parents like curriculum resources

  • Embed a calendar to keep track of your deadlines or Google Spreadsheet to keep track of your research

Student Walk-Through for Google Sites

2020 Copy of Creating a web site in the new Google Sites

Training


Google Sites, Soup to Nuts

How to use Google Sites

You can create a website to share info with others.

Tip: Google Accounts managed by parents can't use Classic Sites, but are able to see and edit pre-existing sites in new Google Sites.

Create a site

  1. On a computer, open new Google Sites.

  2. In the bottom right, click Create .

  3. Add content to your site.

  4. To publish your changes, at the top right, click Publish.

Step 1: Add content to your site

Step 2: Publish and share your site

New Google Sites vs. classic Google Sites

Learn about the differences between classic Google Sites and new Google Sites.

Learn how to move from classic Google Sites to new Google Sites.

Create, name, or copy a site

You can create a website for personal or business use with Google Sites.

Note: This section is for new Google Sites (at the bottom right, you'll see Create ). Get help with classic Google Sites.

Create & name a Google site

  1. On a computer, open new Google Sites.

  2. In the bottom right, click Create .

  3. At the top left, click Untitled Site.

  4. Enter the name of your site file press Enter or Return.

  5. Add content to your site.

  6. To publish your changes, at the top right, click Publish.

Rename your site

  1. On a computer, open new Google Sites.

  2. Find the site you want to rename.

  3. Click More Rename.

  4. Type the new name and click OK.

Add a title

  1. On a computer, open a site in new Google Sites.

  2. In the top left, click Enter site name.

  3. Type the name of your site.

  4. Press Enter or Return.

Make a copy of your site

  1. On a computer, open the site you want to copy in new Google Sites.

  2. In the top right, click More Duplicate site.

  3. Under "File name," enter a name for your copied site.

  4. Optional: To change the location of the site, click Change.

  5. Click OK.

Note: If your site is large, it may not copy.

Change or re-use a URL

You can change your site's URL, or re-use an existing URL that you own.

Change your website's URL

  1. On a computer, open your site in new Google Sites.

  2. In the top right, next to "Publish," click the drop-down Publish settings.

  3. Under "Web address," enter your desired URL.

  4. Click Save.

Re-use an existing URL that you own

If you want to use a web address that's currently in use or has been used in the past by a site that you own, change the URL of the existing site before assigning it to a different site.

Step 1: Change the address of the existing site

  1. On a computer, open the site with the URL you want to reuse in new Google Sites.

  2. In the top right, next to "Publish," click the drop-down Publish settings.

  3. Under "Web address," enter a different URL.

  4. Click Save.

Step 2: Reuse the address for a different site

  1. Open the site you want to use the URL for.

  2. In the top right, click Publish.

  3. Under "Web address," enter a URL.

  4. Click Publish. The URL is now assigned to your new site.

Note: To reuse a URL that you own, you can also permanently delete the existing site before assigning the URL to a different site. Learn how to permanently delete a site.

Classic Google Sites

Note: This section is for classic Google Sites (at the top left, you'll see "Create"). Get help with new Google Sites.

Create a site or change your web address

Create a site

  1. On a computer, open classic Google Sites.

  2. At the top left, click Create in classic Sites.

  3. Select a template.

  4. Enter a name for your site and a URL.

  5. Click Create.

Change your web address

You can’t change your web address, but you can create a copy of your site and move it to a new web address.

Note: You can only copy sites you own.

  1. On a computer, open a site in classic Google Sites.

  2. At the top right, click More actions Manage site.

  3. Click Copy this Site.

  4. Next to "Site Name," enter a name.

  5. At the top, click Copy.

  6. Optional: You can now delete the old site.

Change how your site looks

You can change the look and style of your site at any time.

Note: This section is for new Google Sites (at the bottom right, you'll see Create ). Get help with classic Google Sites.

Choose a style

Tip: You must have more than one page to change the menu location.

  1. On your computer, open a site in new Google Sites.

  2. In the top right corner, click Settings .

  3. In the "Settings" window, go to Navigation Mode.

  4. Choose Top or Side.

  5. At the top right, click Publish.

Change the font

  1. On your computer, open a site in new Google Sites.

  2. On the right, click Themes.

  3. Click Font style and choose an option.

  4. To publish your changes, at the top right, click Publish.

Change how a section looks

  1. On your computer, open a site in new Google Sites.

  2. Point to a section on the page. Then, at the left, click Background .

  3. Choose a style or add a photo.

Move the menu to the top or left

Note: You must have more than one page to change the menu location.

  1. On your computer, open a site in new Google Sites.

  2. In the top right corner, click Settings .

  3. In the "Settings" window, go to Navigation Mode.

  4. Choose Top or Side.

  5. At the top right, click Publish.

Change the color of the menu

  1. On your computer, open a site in new Google Sites.

  2. In the top right corner, click Settings .

  3. In the "Settings" window, go to Navigation Color.

  4. Choose Transparent, White, or Black.

  5. At the top right, click Publish.

Classic Google Sites

Note: This section is for classic Google Sites (at the top left, you'll see "Create"). Get help with new Google Sites.

Change your site’s design

Change the theme or layout

Choose a style

  1. On a computer, open a site in classic Google Sites.

  2. At the top right, click More actions Manage site.

  3. In the menu on the left, click Themes, Colors, and Fonts.

  4. Under "Base theme," click Expand .

  5. Choose a new theme.

  6. At the top, click Save.

Change the layout

  1. On a computer, open a site in classic Google Sites.

  2. At the top right, click More actions Edit site layout.

  3. In the menu at the top, choose an item.

  4. Make changes to the layout.

  5. When done, at the top right, click Close.

Change the background or font

Change the background

  1. On a computer, open a site in classic Google Sites.

  2. At the top right, click More actions Manage site.

  3. In the menu on the left, click Themes, Colors, and Fonts.

  4. Make changes to the background. Then, at the top, click Save.

Change the font style, color, or size

  1. On a computer, open a site in classic Google Sites.

  2. At the top right, click More actions Manage site.

  3. In the menu on the left, click Themes, Colors, and Fonts.

  4. Under "Background," click Text.

  5. Make changes to the font. Then, at the top, click Save.

Related articles

Delete or restore your site

You can delete any Google Site you own, or restore a Google Site you deleted.

Tip: This section is for new Google Sites (at the bottom right, you'll see Create ). Get help with classic Google Sites.

Delete your site

  1. On a computer, open new Google Sites.

  2. On the site you want to delete, click More .

  3. Click Remove .

  4. To permanently delete your site, empty your Google Drive trash.

Restore your site

Google Sites are saved as files in Google Drive. To restore your site, you'll have to restore it from Google Drive. Learn how to restore your site.

Classic Google Sites

Tip: This section is for classic Google Sites (at the top left, you'll see "Create"). Get help with new Google Sites.

Delete or restore your site

Delete a site

  1. On a computer, open a site in classic Google Sites.

  2. Click Settings Manage Site.

  3. Click General Delete this site.

  4. To confirm that you want to delete the site, click Delete.

Restore a site

If you deleted your site within 30 days, you can restore it.

  1. On a computer, open a site in classic Google Sites.

  2. Click Deleted sites.

  3. Next to your deleted site, click Restore site.

Reuse the web address of a deleted site

You can permanently delete a site and reuse the web address. After a site is deleted permanently, you can’t restore it.

  1. Sign in to classic Google Sites.

  2. Click Deleted sites.

  3. Next to your deleted site, click Delete permanently.

Find what's changed in a site

You can review, compare, and restore changes made to sites in new Google Sites.

Important: To browse a site's version history, you need permission to edit the site. Version history might only be available for some sites on new Google Sites.

Find an earlier version

  1. On a computer, open Google Sites.

  2. In the top right, click More Version history.

  3. To find all edits from one day, go to the sidebar, and click Expand detailed versions .

Tip: To name a version, click More Rename. Then, enter a new name and click Save.

Restore an earlier version

  1. On a computer, open Google Sites.

  2. In the top right, click More Version history See version history.

  3. In the right sidebar, click Expand detailed versions.

  4. Choose an earlier version you want to restore.

  5. At the top left, click Restore this version Restore.

Tip: To return to the current version, go to the top left and click Back.

What you need to use Google Sites

You can view Google Sites on a computer, phone, or tablet. When you edit your site, you must use a computer.

Browsers

You can view your sites with the 2 most recent versions of the following browsers:

  • Chrome

  • Firefox

  • Internet Explorer

  • Microsoft Edge

  • Safari

When you edit your site, make sure:

  • Learn what's new in Google Sites

Stay up-to-date with the latest updates in Google Sites:

December, 2019

Customize image carousels

You can add captions and change transition speeds for image carousels in Google Sites. Learn how to add and customize an image carousel.

Review the latest changes to a site before publishing

You can compare a published site with a soon-to-be-published draft site in a side-by-side view. Learn how to review the latest changes to a site before publishing.

Version history in Google Sites

You can access version history for sites created in new Google Sites. Version history lets you revert to a previous version of a site, restore deleted site content, and access the history of who made changes to a site. Learn more about version history.

Embed Cloud Search

If you're using an account through work or school, you can replace in-site search with Cloud Search. You can also add an always-open Cloud Search box to the header, body, or footer of a site. Learn more about Cloud Search in work or school accounts.

November, 2019

Add a contact form

You can now add a contact form to your site to let visitors provide detailed feedback directly to you. Learn how to add a contact form.

September, 2019

Add collapsible text

You can now add collapsible sections of text (just like this one) to your site. Learn how to add collapsible text.

June, 2019

Show when a page was last updated

You can display the time a site’s page was updated. Learn how to show a page's last updated time.

May, 2019

Add image carousels

You can add a carousel to show scrolling images on your site. Learn how to add an image carousel.

April, 2019

Copy large sites

You can now make a copy of your larger site in new Google Sites. Learn about supported site sizes and how to copy a site.

February, 2019

Add a table of contents in Google Sites

To help viewers navigate your site, you can add a table of contents. Learn how to add a table of contents.

Add and Style Buttons - new Google Sites


Add buttons to a new Google Site

  1. Open the Insert panel

  2. Use the Button option

  3. Specify a Name for the button (the text that appears on the button)

  4. Specify the Link of the button (the target) by starting to type the name of the page:

    • this will search the current site, your other sites and Google Drive for site pages or Google Drive items to link to;

    • alternatively enter the URL to a website (web address) you want the button to link to.

  5. Move and size the button as required and style the button with:

    • Filled

    • Outline

    • Text

Copy Site

Duplicate a new Google Site

  1. Edit the new Google Site you want to copy

  2. Use the More (three-dot) menu, on the left of the publish button, and choose Duplicate site

  3. Enter the File name you want for the copied site in Google Drive, the Google Drive Folder you want the copied Google Site to appear in and choose if you want to Share with the same editors

  4. Once the copy process begins you will see one of two options:

    • if your site is small (50 pages or less) then you will see the link for the new site appear in the notification bar at the bottom of the site editor

    • if your site is large (more than 50 pages) the new Google Sites editor will notify you to check your email for site copy update

Notes | Copying a new Google Site

  • You can copy small sites in Google Drive but large new Google Sites will fail to copy and you need to open the site in the editor and copy from there.

  • Only editors and the owner can copy the site.

  • At the moment you cannot prevent editors from copying a site.