How to Create free a Website with Google Sites | Halek Hossain
If you're interested in creating a website for your business but don't have extensive technical skills or the budget to hire an expert - Google Sites may seem like one of your best bets.
As the name suggests, Google Sites is Google's website builder tool and it's easy to use and free to boot. If you've ever used a beginner-friendly site builder like Wix, you'll have no problem getting the hang of Google Sites – it doesn't require much technical knowledge, no coding skills, and no experience in website design.
Google Sites started its journey in 2008 and has come a long way since then. Although the older version of Google's site builder, called Classic Sites, can still be seen online, it is no longer available for use as it was phased out by Google in 2021 in the name of a newer version.
This new version comes as part of Google's no-cost, web-based office suite you've probably heard of - it's Google Docs, and it's as easy to use as they say. Plus, it doesn't put a limit on the number of sites you can create - that is, as long as you don't exceed the 15GB storage limit on your Google account.
So, to cut to the chase, let's find out how you can get your Google site off the ground.
Steps to Create free a Website with Google Sites
To use Google Sites you need to log in to your Google Account or sign up if you don't already have one.
You'll be asked to provide your name and email address to create a new account with Google, but you can also add your phone number and recovery email address so you can recover your account if needed. Of course, you should come up with a strong password.
1. Go to the Google Sites homepage
To begin this adventure, go to Google Sites and click the "+" button under the "Start a New Site" heading. However, before getting down to business, feel free to explore the templates available in Google's gallery (personal portfolios, various types of small business sites, help centers, and the like).
Also, if you want to learn more about how Google Sites work, you can browse their well-provided knowledgebase - just go to the main menu and select a "Help" option in the drop-down sidebar menu.
2. Choose a perfect theme for your site
As soon as you get to the site builder dashboard you'll want to choose a theme for your site and you'll find them at the top of the right menu - just click on the "Theme" button.
Although you'll only find a few free themes out there, you can adjust the main colors and fonts to your liking. Also, if you already have a theme you want to use for your site, you can import it from your Google Drive account.
3. Edit layout, text and images
Once you've chosen your theme, go ahead and give your site a catchy title – just click on "Enter Site Name" and type in whatever you have in mind. You'll also want to title your landing page - there, you can choose the font style and size, and add links if you want.
There are multiple site layouts to choose from (several combinations of text and images), and all are easy to add and edit – you can click them or add them to your site using drag-and-drop functionality.
For images, you can upload them from your device, from your Google Drive account, or search for them in Google's browser. In addition to images, you can add YouTube videos, maps, and calendars directly to your page layout.
4. Add other elements to your site and combine them
Now, it's time to add all the content you wanted to display on your site, and you can do this using the editor's right-down menu - scroll down to see everything.
There, you'll find options to add collapsible menus, tables of contents, image carousels, buttons, dividers, and more.
Also, if you scroll up a bit, you'll see an option to embed HTML code (JavaScript and CSS are also supported), so if you want to do that, paste the code there, hit the "Next" button, preview how your code will look. , and press the "Insert" button to finish the process.
5. Add other pages and sub-pages
To add pages to your site go to the right menu, tap the "Pages" button, and then hover your mouse over the "+" sign which will give you a few options - adding a new page is one of them. All pages you add will automatically appear in the site navigation menu on the right.
If you click on a page in this list, you'll be given a few choices: to set the page as a homepage, duplicate it, add sub-pages, hide it from the menu, or delete it entirely.
6. Integrate your site with other Google apps
One of the main advantages of using Google Sites to build your site is that it integrates well with other Google apps - such as Google Maps and Google Drive.
To add Google elements to your site, tap the "Inset" button in the right menu and find what you want to include - yes, it's the same as adding other elements to your site.
7. Preview and publish your site
Once you're finally happy with your work, find the "Preview" button in the top menu (next to the Undo/Redo buttons) and see how your site will look on different devices - desktop, tablet and phone.
After making the necessary adjustments, go back and hit the "Publish" button - the big, blue button in the upper right - and share your site with the world. However, before that, make sure to adjust the site URL, who can access it and choose whether you want search engines to display your site.
That's it, you've successfully created a site with Google Sites!
Google site website free?
Yes, you can use Google Sites for free forever, but there are a few things you'll want to consider first
First, to own a site you'll need a domain, and if you don't want to use one assigned by Google Sites, you'll need to purchase one - however, a top-level domain with the right domain name registrar (eg .com, .org. or .net) won't set you back more than $15 per year.
Meanwhile, you won't be charged for adding features or support like other site builders, once your site exceeds a certain storage limit (that's 100MB per site), you'll have to pay for additional storage space.
Also, while we're on the limit, the maximum attachment size is 20MB, which isn't that much.
What is Google Sites best for?
Google Sites can work wonders as a collaboration solution for teams or as a presentation tool, but it lacks the functionality and features that would make it a fully functional site builder.
For example, it doesn't offer any e-commerce tools so you can't create an online store with it - although you can create a site that looks like it. Also, it cannot help you create a professional looking personal blog as it does not provide any blogging tools.
However, if you're looking for a safe place where you can practice your web design skills, Google Sites can help.
Also, it can serve as an online portfolio where you can showcase all your visual skills.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Google Sites to Create a Website
While we've already covered most of the benefits of using Google Sites, let's cover the basics - it's completely free, it integrates with other Google products, it's highly secure, and it's easy to understand and use.
On the negative side, Google Sites does not have the full set of functionalities and features that a professional site builder should have, such as a high level of customization and lots of templates, advanced marketing tools, support for third-party integrations, essential e-commerce. tool, or the right SEO tool. Also, there is no dedicated customer support channel.
Even non-techies with very limited time can understand and use Google Sites to seamlessly create professional-looking (yet not professional) sites.
Google's Site Builder is an impressively intuitive tool that can help businesses create simple intranets and increase engagement, learning, and collaboration.
However, its heavy reliance on Google's own products and overall simplicity make it less than ideal for public sites.
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