After many years of using Google Sites, many of us have been waiting for a refresh/modern platform. It has arrived! With change always come some growing pains, and there are some with the New Google Sites. With the New Sites just being released, there are some things missing. Be aware that as of right now some things are limited: fonts are locked/non-changeable, arrangement of sections is basic, no HTML embedding, no ability to create copies for templates, and no gadgets are a few of the things I noticed right away. Knowing this going in helps, but there is good news! For starters, it is very easy to use...similar to other platforms like Weebly. There are drag and drop boxes/sections and object sizing is very easy. I feel it is more “student friendly” and more like all the other Google tools. Sites now lives within Drive (perfect!), allows easy sharing (great!), and makes nice looking sites with very little work (YES!). Dive in and take a look. Keep in mind that Google has already stated that they are working on adding features and will eventually allow your Old Sites to convert over. Follow the steps below and get creating!
The "New" Google Sites
There are 2 ways to get to Google’s New Sites:
- Go to https://sites.google.com/new and click the red “+” button in the bottom right.
- Go to your Drive>New>More>Sites.
Get Creating! Once you have started the sky's the limit!
- Inserting items:
- Click the Insert tab in the top right. You can also double click anywhere on the page to add these.
- Choose what type of item you want to insert.
- You can easily add Google Items as well!
- Creating Pages:
- Click the Tab for Pages and click the New Page icon.
- You can reorder these whenever you like.
- Changing Themes.
- Right now there are only a few to choose from. These themes set banner and font style/color.
- Publish/Share Site:
- When you are ready to publish or share, it is easy!
- Click the “Publish” button and your site will be live!
- You have the opportunity to set your web link, who can see the site, and if it is searchable on Google!
Now is the time to start playing and explore. Just a tip, while in the editing view, your site looks different than it will when published. I recommend always clicking the “Preview” icon (eye) before clicking “Publish” to verify your site looks like you intend. Alos, keep an eye out for updates. Hopefully more functionality is coming soon!
If you have a request for a missing feature submit Feedback!
For more information on the New Google Sites and help, head here:
If you want these steps in a document click Here!