Google Sites - Starting a New Site

This article explains how to create, publish, and make a Google Site accessible and compliant with Oakland University branding and ADA guidelines using your OU G Suite account.

This article explains the process of how to create a Google Site.

Who is Eligible?

Active Faculty or Staff

Overview

1. Log in to your Oakland.edu G Suite account at https://webmail.oakland.edu
2. Click on the grid of nine dots in the top right of the page to open the G Suite Apps menu or go to https://sites.google.com/new and then go to step 5 below.

3. Select the "Sites" icon from the Google Apps menu, you may need to expand the menu by clicking on "More" at the bottom in order to find "Sites".

4. From the Google Sites page select "New Google Sites" in the bottom left menu or go to https://sites.google.com/new
5. From the "Sites" page (https://sites.google.com/new) click on the large plus near the top left of the page below the text "Start a new site".

6. In the 'Enter site name' field type in your NetID. The example below assumes the NetID of testuser1.

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7. Add content as desired using the available options on the right side of the page such as "Text box", "Image", "Embed", etc.
8. When you are ready to publish your page click on the "Publish" button at the top right of the page.

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9. In the "Publish your site" dialog, confirm that your web address ends with your NetID. The example below assumes the NetID of testuser1.

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10. If you wish to make the site public (i.e. so that it can be viewed by anyone on the Internet), then select "MANAGE" to bring up the "Share with others" dialog. You may also access the "Share with others" dialog by selecting the person icon with the plus next to it.

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11. In the "Share with others" dialog select the "Change..." link next to the "Published - Anyone at Oakland University can find and view".

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12. In the "Publishing settings" select "Anyone can find and view the published version" and click "Save".

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13. Back in the "Publish your site" dialog you can click the "Publish" button and you should then get a message that your site has been published successfully.

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14. You can then view your site by selecting "view" from the success message or by selecting the downward triangle in the "Publish" button and selecting "View published site".

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15. You can continue to make changes to your site and re-publish through the "Publish" button.
16. Please refer to the following Google page for additional information on how to Get started with Sites.
17. Go to the following page for help to "Make your site more accessible". Sites should meet WCAG Standard 2.0 Level AA accessibility standards. One example is to add alternative text to an image to help describe the image to those who require the use of a screen reader.

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ADA Compliance

When adding images, be sure to add "Alt Text" to help with accessibility. To add alternative text to an image click on the image, select the three dots for the "more options menu" and then select "Add alt text". Please refer to some of the following resources to help with accessibility compliance:

• Accessibility Efforts and Toolkits
• ADA Compliance
• Digital Accessibility for Faculty

Sites should also follow the Oakland University Licensing and Brand Guidelines as specified at University Communications and Marketing's Logos and Colors page.