With the Internet reaching nooks and corners of the world, getting your brand online has been crucial for businesses of all sizes and verticals to increase visibility, generate leads, and nurture customers. However, building a website required lots of programming skills and investment of substantial money until a few years ago. But now, Google Sites from Google Workspace makes building a website effortless and cost effective.
Google Sites is a website development platform that lets you create stunning websites without any programming knowledge and design skills. Websites developed with Google Sites are responsive and look amazing on all screen types and sizes – from desktops and laptops to smartphones and tablets.
And the best part of using Google Sites is that it is completely free unless you want to have a specific domain name for your website. In this blog, let us discuss things like how do I create a google workspace account and how to use Google Sites to create websites like a pro!
Create a Google Workspace Account
To create a website using Google Sites, you will first need a valid Google Account. If you do not have one and are wondering “how do I create a google workspace account”, you can create one by clicking on https://accounts.google.com and providing all the needed information.
Once done, login to your Google Account. Click on the Google Apps icon (it looks like a grid of 3 X 3 dots next to your display picture) on the top-right corner. Look for Sites and click. If you do not find Sites, click on “More From Google” -> “Browse All Products” -> Sites. You have now reached the first milestone of how to create a website using google workspace journey.
Choose a Template
You can start designing the website on a blank canvas by clicking the + icon at the top. Alternatively, you can also choose one of the existing templates to make your website development process simpler.
Choose a theme
Next, choose a theme for your website. These preset themes can be used as is or can be customized based on your requirement. You can use the Layouts section on the right side of the screen. The Insert tab in the Layout Section has 4 options: Textbox, Images, Embed and Drive to let you customize your theme as you desire. In addition, a new content block can also be added in a variety of layouts within a page.
Edit Text and Images
Each section of the page can be edited. You can add text by clicking on the textbox and also format the text and hyperlink it as well. You can add an image by clicking on the Images icon in the right panel under Insert.
Edit your Background
If you are not happy with the initial layout or template or want to delete a few sections in your layout, hover on the template area and you will see a small palette icon on the left side of the screen. Click on it to change the colors and background of that particular section. You can also duplicate a section by clicking on the Duplicate icon below the Palette icon or delete a section by clicking on the Delete icon.
Everything that you see on your website page is customizable – text, images, layout, sections and even navigation. Clock on the gear icon on the top right corner and explore the features there as well to get an edge on design customization.
Add Google Widgets: One of the biggest advantages of creating websites with Google Sites is that it lets you seamlessly add any of your Google Content into the page. Some Google widgets that you can add to your page are – Collapsible groups, Table of contents, Image Carousel, Buttons, Dividers, Placeholders, YouTube, Calendar, Map, Docs, Slides, Sheets, Forms, Charts.
Add Additional Pages: You can add extra pages to your pages by clicking on the Pages tab in the right panel and clicking the “+” at the bottom. A New Page from the Pop-Up Menu opens up and you can specify a name for the page you want to create and click on Done.
This creates a new page with the already chosen template. We have now seen the basic steps on how to create a website using google workspace. It is highly recommended that you explore all the settings available to design and develop world-class websites. The next thing you need to do after designing your web pages is to publish it.
Publish your website
Now, we have learnt how to create a website using google workspace. Next, you need to make your website available for the Internet users. You can do so by clicking on the Publish button on the top right corner.
Choose a name you want to give your website in the Web address box. Say “mysite” and click Publish. Now, you can access your website as https://sites.google.com/view/mysite. However, if you want to create a custom domain for your website, say “https:///www.mysite.com”, then, you need to purchase a domain and configure the domain host to point to ghs.googlehosted.com.
Bottomline
We believe this blog has comprehensively helped you find answers for how do i create a google workspace account and how to use Google Sites to create websites. Sites from Google Workspace is one of the powerful tools to create websites without any coding and designing skills. All that you need is a Google Workspace account and Google helps you create Search Engine Optimised websites effortlessly for free of cost.
