Create, Manage, and Edit a Google Site

Google Sites allow users to easily create and share websites. At Occidental, Google Sites is a featured “app” in the OxyConnect suite.

Students, faculty and staff use Google Sites to create:

• a personal homepage or professional portfolio
• an alternative course website
• a homepage for a club or organization
• a space for collaboration and project development

How to Create, Manage, and Edit a Google Site

1. To access Google Sites, log into OxyConnect and click “Sites” in the navigation bar at the top of the page.
2. Click the red button “CREATE.”
   1. On the next screen, select “Blank template” to start building your site from scratch, or select “Browse the gallery for more” to see existing templates that you can use.
   2. Name your site.
   3. Google Sites will automatically generate a URL based on what you have named your site. You can change it or leave it the way it is.
   4. Click the arrow next to “Choose a theme” and select the theme you would like to use.
   5. Click the arrow to “More Options.”
      1. Site categories: You can enter categories that describe your site. To see categories already in use, you can browse sites in oxy.edu.
      2. Site description: When others browse sites in oxy.edu, this description will appear next to the link to your site.
3. Managing your site
   1. To control your site’s settings, including who can access or edit the site, the appearance of the site, the organization of the pages within your site, and deleting your site, click “More actions” located at the top right corner of the screen. Select “Manage site” under “Site actions.” Here, you can edit the information you entered when you created the site. You can also delete the site.
   2. Under “Sharing and Permissions” located in the left sidebar, you can control in detail who can access and edit the site.
   3. Under “Site layout,” “Colors and Fonts” and “Themes” located in the left sidebar, you can change the layout, colors, and theme of the site.
   4. To go back to your main site page, click on the arrow next to your site name located at the top of the left sidebar.
4. Editing your site
   1. To add content onto the page you are on, click  located at the top right corner of the screen. When you are done, click “Save” located at the top right corner of the screen. You can also decide to “Cancel,” which will not save the changes you have made.
   2. To create a new page, click  located at the top right corner of the screen.
      1. Name your page. This will become part of the URL of the page unless you choose to change it.
      2. Next, choose the type of page you want to create. You have five template options: Web Page, Announcements, File Cabinet, List and Start Page.
         1. A Web Page is a rich text page.
            1. “Insert” allows you to insert images and tables of contents as well as Google features such as Maps and Calendars.
            2. “Layout” allows you to add columns or change the configuration of the main column and the sidebar.
         2. An Announcements page is like a “mini-blog.” You can easily add multiple posts that will appear on the same page. The editing features are the same as those in a Web Page but others can also add comments on your posts.
         3. A File Cabinet is a storage page for files, which appear in a list and can be organized into folders.
         4. A List page allows you to create columns and rows and to add items to the list. You can use an existing template or customize your own.
         5. A Start Page has areas that are only visible to each individual user.
      3. Finally, select where you want your page to go. You can “Choose a different location” if the choices that Google Sites provides aren’t what you want.

For additional information, please see the official Google Sites Help Page.