Google Sites Tutorial: Why Consider Google Sites for Building My Website?

Are you interested in launching your own website? Or are you looking to revamp your existing website? Maybe you’ve been wondering how to use google sites specifically? At one point, building a website from scratch seemed like a daunting task reserved for the technological elite.

However, with new user-friendly platforms and technology, building a website for the less tech-savvy is easier than ever. Google Sites has done all the heavy lifting for you to make building your website a simpler and more efficient process. Keep reading to learn about using Google Sites to create a new website or refresh your existing one!

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What Exactly are Google Sites?

Intuitive in design and free to use, Google Sites is a leading website development and publishing platform. Whether you’re an expert web developer or novice techy, Google Sites is accessible and easy to use for everyone. With a streamlined design framework, you can create and customize your website with little hassle in no time at all.

Google Sites is free of charge, and you can build as many Google Sites as you desire if it remains within 15 GB of storage. However, be aware that this storage reflects the total amount shared between Google Sites and your other Google apps.

The most recently released version of Google Sites is especially user-friendly. It includes a drag-and-drop design feature and the ability to easily insert text, images, or videos. In comparison, the “classic” model of Google Sites had an interface that resembled Google Docs. The current iteration of Google Sites has an interface similar to Google Forms so that it is more intuitive to use.

If you are already using the “classic” version, it is worth considering migrating over to the new Google Sites based on its more agile and streamlined design framework. Although there may be other flashier website builder alternatives, Google Sites is an ideal option for creating your website because it is money and time-saving.

What Does Google Sites Offer?

So what exactly does Google Sites give you the ability to do? Google sites gives you the power to create public-facing websites as well as internal project hubs and shared team sites. The best part? This is all easily achievable on your very own! You can skip the hassle of finding web designers, programmers, and IT support by using the comprehensive, agile platform that is Google Sites.

What’s more is that when you launch a new website, everything is automatically saved and added to Google Drive. This operates in the same way when files are saved to your Drive. No more worrying about losing your work!

The perks don’t stop there. Google Sites is a collaborative platform which means that you can share and edit your website with someone else at the same time and view each other’s edits in real-time.

You can also customize who can view your website. Whether it is public-facing for everyone to see, or you can select just certain viewers by restricting the sharing permissions so that your website is only accessible to those you want it shared with (i.e., specific businesses, clients, etc.).

Another wonderful feature about Google Sites’ websites is that they’re inherently optimized for viewing on mobile devices or tablets. So you won’t have to go through any extra steps to coordinate the layout and functionality of your website depending on different types of devices.

What Do I Need to Start a Google Site?

Because Google Sites include numerous features that make building a website a breeze, you don’t need to worry about looking elsewhere for different tools or resources. For this reason, the only things you need to jumpstart your Google Site are: an internet-enabled device, a Google Workspace account, and time. You can create a Google Workspace account by clicking here.

Steps for Creating a Google Site

After you create your Google Workspace account, open Google Sites and click “start a new site.” Then, you will have the option to select a template.

Design

There are pre-made, free templates that you can access directly from Google that grant you the ability to customize your site (i.e., fonts, colors, layouts) in seconds. All of the templates are categorized (i.e., education, work, personal, etc.), so you can easily select the template that is best suited for your needs. If none of the free templates are available on Google, you can edit existing templates or create one from scratch with an intuitive drag-and-drop builder.

Content

Next, you can start adding content to your site by adding text, images, videos, files, whatever you wish to include. The right-hand sidebar allows you to add different types of content to your website. For instance, you can organize and reorganize the layout of your website by dragging and dropping boxes that contain a certain piece of content to the area of your choosing.

Structure

Additionally, you can organize your content by adding multiple pages to your site for easier navigation. Finally, if you wish for others to have access to edit your site, you can add collaborators who can work in tandem with you. This is similar to Google Docs, where you can send a shareable link for others to view or edit your site.

Domain

Another step for developing your website is creating a domain name or linking your Google Site to a domain name that you already own. Then, if you hit any snags while building your website, you can visit the Google Sites Support Page. On this page, there is a running list of common issues or questions that people encounter while working on Google Sites functions.

Publishing

Once you’ve selected your template, added content, and established a domain name, you can publicize your site and content by clicking “publish.” Depending on who your intended audience is, you can share your site across social media or via email to gain visibility.

Delete or republish

If you decide you want to change, delete, or update the layout or content on your site, you can easily edit and republish your website.

The Best Website Platform for You

We aim to help you select the best platform to sell your products. By creating a Google Site and setting up your Ecwid store, you are better equipped to sell across numerous platforms (i.e., your website, social media, etc.). Click here for more information! If you have any questions, please contact us or visit our Ecwid Ecommerce Blog for additional information.

 

About The Author
Max has been working in the ecommerce industry for the last six years helping brands to establish and level-up content marketing and SEO. Despite that, he has experience with entrepreneurship. He is a fiction writer in his free time.

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