Tip - Getting Into SEO

Sorry it has been awhile since my last post...this time of the year is always hectic.  Anyways, happy to quench the thirst of readers with this next topic.

SEO.  If you are new to the game, it means search engine optimization, that in turn means "Why isn't my website on Google?"  There are a couple beginning tips I have for those making their websites public:

1. Make it Public!  Make sure you Google Site is set to viewable by the public.  This is an option, More Actions > Manage Site > Share this Site > Change to Public.
2. Buy a Domain!  This is the biggest step in SEO you take make for your website.  For just $9 - $12 a year you can own a domain, and it is not as difficult as you may think.  I recommend GoDaddy.com, but bypass all the bells and whistles, just buy the domain.
3. Submit to Google!  I don't mean bow down to the power of Google.  If you simply type into to google "submit url to google," click on the first real webpage and fill out the extremely short form that tips off google to the fact you have a new website.  They will crawl it/ index it in a week safely.  A good way to supplement this action is to work with Google Webmaster Tools, which is supported in Google Sites More Actions > Manage Site > General.

I'm sure if you are a beginner you'll need some help with managing the domain and nameservers, dns records, all that crazy stuff.  I'll help you out with my next post.  Stay tuned and thanks for visiting, join up!

Backgrounds, Layout, and Call to Action

Intro


Here at Kirksville Web Design, we aren't afraid to try new things. New gadgets, backgrounds, layouts, and styles. It great to test the creative mind and think outside the box.

Everything in a website has to work in symbiosis, it has to agree. The background image on a Google Site largely dictates the flow of a website, the layout leads your visitor, and the call to action creates conversions (e.g. a product sold, a form filled out, page read). Here's an example of everything working together - synchronicity.

Like a Clownfish in the Anemone - Elements need to work together for mutual benefit

Background


There are two primary background images for the Google Sites Designer: background image wrapper and background image. One usually acts as the header, one as the footer (and doesn't matter much which one is which).

The header can be understated or a huge attention grabber. If you are using a slideshow - you want the header to be short in height, because the slider is your more important element. That's why Kirksville Web Design recently cut down it's header to a third the height - to make the slider standout and allow the visitor to now have to scroll down as much.

Make sure your footer isn't an arbitrary color/pattern/dimension - it can match the header or at least compliment it.

You can see it all, no scrolling down. Get to the meat of the subject - those sample websites.

Layout


Content is king. Layout makes sure that content is easily deciphered by the visitor. No walls of text, please.

Google Sites is limit on it's page layouts - 1,2,3 columns. I usually go with three columns or create a table to make four or five. This is usually for listing information. Visitors will most likely read only your titles, subtitles, and the first sentence of a paragraph.

Work your layout around your images, slideshow, and finish it off with a big, audacious, highlighted call to action.

Three columns - simple, elegant, spaced out. Modern = Space between elements.

Call to Action


The Call to Action button is a huge deal on the home page. Send the visitor instantly to where they need to go.

Sign up, Get Started, Search, Buy, Contact Us - whatever your conversion is. Contrast it, make it stand out. This isn't the time for a muted, subtle, hard to read element.

A different font, a contrasting color, big and easy. Like the easy button.

Top 10 - Wish List for Google Sites in 2013

Hey folks! +Kyle Horst here with +Kirksville Web Design and I am super excited for 2013 when it comes to Google Sites. 2012 was a successful year for us and I foresee the demand for Google Sites growing. People are migrating to Google Apps in droves and Google Sites enjoys a slice of that success.

First, lets review 2012:

1. Easy Edit Site Layout - "Shift + L" That's the hotkey I've been learning quickly for Google Sites because it's quick and easy to edit Site Layout now. No more jostling between different tabs to verify the look and feel.
2. New & Improved Commenting - This feature flies under the radar most of the time, but it's really nice for Wiki type projects. Those comments at the bottom of the page are now easier to follow and track thanks to some Google + type functionality.

Now onto our Wish List for 2013:

1. Anyone can comment - I think I speak for every Google Sites enthusiast when I say we want public commenting. Tie this into Google + and we are set to blog a bit more on Google Sites and take in all sorts of feedback. This would breathe new life into Google Sites
2. More Font Control - Certain elements of Google Sites, their font size, well it can't be changed, no matter how hard you try in the HTML editor. So give us a bit more freedom to work with fonts Google. =)
3. Bugged Out Background Image - This has bothered me for a while. If the Google Translate feature is tripped by a visitor your background image, which you have set to the bottom of the page, will no longer stick to the bottom. It can easily destroy a Google Sites look. =/
4. Set Column Width - The wish here is two-fold: Allow for the editing of the column width for page layouts and allow for setting the column width for the List type page. We don't always want them to be equal in width.
5. Tags - What a wonderful idea. We see tags used everywhere in Wordpress and Blogger, but wouldn't it be nice to tag your pages and your files in Google Sites? Yes, please.
6. Improve File Cabinet - We love the file cabinet, but at a certain point it becomes hard to manage and organize files. You can't upload to a specific folder and docs are automatically alphabetized. We could use some better Google Drive capabilities too.
7. Improve the Announcements Page - The announcements page template is handy, don't get me wrong, but it would be useful to have more Blogger type features, like an archive widget, comments, and easy add social media gadgets (+1, tweet, etc.). Also, change author, change date/time, auto-scheduling posts, to name a few options.
8. Add Custom CSS - When you design Google Sites, you will inevitably hit some roadblocks for fonts/colors/styling that you just can't change via conventional HTML editing means. A universal Add Custom CSS feature would be wonderful. Let us override certain styling if and when we need to.
9. Fixed Background Image - This feature could make for some interesting designs, definitely more based on high quality photos. It would pair nicely with an option to expand background to 100 percent of the browser window. That way you have a nice full page background effect. It a popular design choice on many modern websites.
10. Center Justify the Horizontal Navigation Bar - If you are designing a website with a more center justified look, then the nav bar is the only thing holding you back. In RTL reading languages (Hebrew, Arabic) the nav bar is justified right, so it's very possible to easily add an option to center it. Maybe in 2013.

Here's hoping for a great 2013 in the Google Sites world. Thanks!

News - Social Sites Help Page Rank

Google has released, as part of the their Webmaster Help Youtube channel, information that can help the Google Sites webmaster improve search engine optimization.  The new video discloses that Google now considers social sites in page rankings.  So, your efforts on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Buzz, will get you noticed by Google.  "In what capacity?" you might ask.

Google Realtime is a search engine that processes all the most recent social data, while not the most visible avenue it could grow.  Backlinks are still important to Google and remember, it's their goal to properly rank what's relevant and popular.  I've provided the video below.



How can I get my Google Site noticed by Google Search?
It's one of the most frequent questions on the Google Sites help forum.  You want to be on the front page of a Google search entry, or at least somewhere.  Look forward to my next post on this hot topic.

Business - Supplementary Google Services

Let's jump right in!

Google Places
Combine Google Maps with your local phonebook and you get something akin to Google Places.  Any business can claim their business listing based on their address.  Recently, Google Places has seen some major activity, like Google Tags and Google Boost.

Tags let's you promote your website (among other options).  Boost lets you claim an advertisement slot for a local search.  Overall, it is to your benefit to promote the website you've made with Google Sites with Google Places.  It is a great avenue to help the small business in town.  So, when you make someone a website, be sure to throw this in as a bonus feature.

Google Places provides easy visibility for small clients

Blogger
Most websites nowadays have a complementary blog along with their website.  Blogger is basically push-button publishing and it has a lot more features than Google Sites' Announcement Page.  It's too bad that you can integrate Blogger in Google Sites, like be under the same domain (If someone knows how to do that please let me know).

YouTube
Take a page from Google's own marketing strategy.  They have dozens of Youtube channels and Blogs.  If you create a Youtube channel with your Google Site, you've tapped into one of the most visited internet locales available.  Of course this means you have to make videos, perhaps a bit more time-consuming avenue than you would like to take.  A client might want to make a video and post it on their website, like a personal appeal from the owner.

Google Analytics
If you go to Manage Site > General, you will see a space for inserting a Google Analytics ID.  This a great tool to monitor your websites ebb and flow.  Statistics are a wonderful thing, and Analytics easy setup with Google Sites is even more wonderful.  You'll need that hard data of visitors and pageviews when it comes to marketing yourself to clients and investors.  You can easily share the statistical information with them too, so they can get involved in building their website's popularity.

Click picture to visit a product tour of Google Analytics.  Powerful Data...

Google Webmaster Tools
You'll find implementing this right by your Google Analytics ID.  Webmaster Tools helps you identify keywords in your website so you can make sure you're hitting the right online market.  Although I use this less than Analytics, it's chuck full of more useful information.

Google Adwords
You can pay for SEO results, kinda, it's called Adwords.  Neither I, nor my clients, have the capital for such an investment in online advertising, but Google claims that even small business can have a share in this advertising pie.  You could see results, but consider this an additive to your website package.

Google Adsense
Simply put, you can put ads on your websites.  Manage Site > Monetize.  Unless your seeing a higher volume of visitors (100+ a day) this probably isn't worth your while.  It takes away from the aesthetic of a professional website, or at least one that represents a business.  I don't have any ads on my websites for that reason.  Also, relevant ads could take people away from the very service they are looking at obtaining from your website.  For example, I built a website for a heating and cooling business and the ads that showed up were for competitors air conditioners.  =/

It's very easy to implement Ads on your site, but is it worth it?

Conclusion: All in all, Google services alone can help you succeed in creating websites that are visible.  You can be your own SEO technician with a can-do attitude.

Bug Report - Images Not Found

UPDATE 12/31/2013 - This Bug Seems to have disappeared and no more image loading problems are occuring.

Google Sites is currently experiencing an issue where images, whether background images, logos, page images, icons, etc, are not being found and result in a broken image link. At this point it is very sporadic and images may appear, reappear and be generally glitchy.

It has been reported to Top Contributors on the Google Sites Help Forum and consequently has been escalated to Google Sites team representatives.

Ya, it's a problem.

Video Tutorial - Image Formatting and Icons

My latest video tutorial for Google Sites.  We've been creating this sample website for a bakery quite steadily.

Here's what you an expect to learn in this video:

• How to insert images by URL
• How to format images horizontally
• How to create images as links
• How to find free icons for your website

I hope you enjoy this latest video.  Any suggestions or ideas can be submitted as comments.  Thanks for tuning in.

Free Font Favorite - RB No2

Just a quick post here to highlight another amazing free font, one of 2011's best fonts - RB No2 by Rene Bieder of fontfabric.com.

Here is a link to the free download:

http://fontfabric.com/rbno2-free-font/

Kirksville Web Design - Looking Good in RB No2

Enjoy! Chime in you other lovers of typography.

What's Next for Google Sites?

It has been quite some time since the last significant Google Sites upgrade.  That upgrade made possible the horizontal navigation and drop down boxes that users had been clamoring for.

Google's Last Big Upgrade: Horizontal Navigation and Dropdown Boxes, but that was so long ago...

So, what is Google cooking up next for us?  Visit the Google Sites forums and you'll see a lot of speculation, and I've summarized and accumulated that information here for you.  Ultimately, Google's direction for Google Sites will determine priorities and we'll analyze the trends Google is promoting.

Trend: Intranet
Google, it seems, has been targeting businesses and schools for aggressively.  Google renamed their Google Apps Premier Edition to Google Apps for Business.  Evidence that they want to reach an audience that will pay for their product ($50/user, actually).

Recent webinars like, Improving Team Collaboration and Productivity with Google Sites, tailor the suggested use of Google Sites to intranet, project-type websites.  Will this trend mean Google Sites will become more practical and less aesthetic?  Really, Google has even scaled down their Google Groups aspect to encourage this intra-firm use of Google Sites.  All this doesn't bode well for the web designer use, although Google has a knack for balancing the multipurpose design.

Speculation: Page Permissions
A popular request on the Google Sites suggestions forum for some time, page permissions are an excellent idea to expand both the uses of a intranet website and a public internet website.  What meant by page permissions?  Basically creating a login ability for varying levels of access throughout a website.  For example, a members and guests sort of permissions format.  The current, owner/collaborator/viewer format is unsatisfactory.  Will Google implement such a suggestion soon?  We all hope so.

Trend: Google Apps
Google Sites has been the sort of side-kick to the Google Apps line-up.  Google certainly is trying to promote the use of Google Sites within the Google Apps complex.  It is one of their "core apps" after all.  Therefore, it would be unexpected for Google to cease making important upgrades to it.

Speculation: Embed Google Groups
If the two shall meet, Google Groups and Google Sites, there would be much rejoicing for an essential forum option.  An announcements page just won't do it.

Google Groups, They're revamping it, but couldn't they just incorporate it?

Great Ideas for Improvements:

• Navigation could support images more so than just transparency.
• More Fonts!  There are around six right now, it's hard to be more unique.  At least allow for them eh?
• Flash Options - We all love to see the stylish animated banner/header on websites.  Could this be implemented?
• Column Widths - It's been mentioned on the forums, the ability to adjust how wide you columns are in page layout.  Two equa-distant columns is boring and the sidebars are too narrow.

What would you like to see next in Google Sites?  Please comment below and share your hopes and dreams.
 

Video Tutorial - Embed Tools from Google

Learn to embed those important tools like Google calendars and Google Docs.

See the progress made to our sandbox website http://sites.google.com/site/numsbakedgoods 

A Bit of a Summary
This video focuses on important elements to any Google Site, that is, using the inherent interactivity of Google Docs and Calendars, etc, to convey and gather information.  Google Doc's forms are fairly simple and I show you where the input information shows up and how to be notified via e-mail.

Note: Remember it is important to make your Docs and Calendars public for them to be seen on a public website.  Also, make sure that your Calendar has a relevant time zone, this setting is available in..."settings!"




Google Sites makes it wonderfully easy to implement these practical applications.  Love Google Sites and the Google Apps package.

Google Sites New Look Becomes Permanent

I've heard all sorts of praise and criticism about Google's new look for all it's apps. Honestly, I liked the black bar at the top, but that not really the point of this article.

So Google Sites go its own little stylistic refresh and non Google Apps users have been testing it out over the last couple weeks. Anyways, that new look becomes permanent across all Sites users and accounts.

From a recent post by Google, on 12/6 the new look will be the default standard look and I'm so far not sure that you can hold on to the old look. I wouldn't imagine so at least. So warn your Google Sites end users. Like me, I think they will find it a refreshing change.

Bug Report - Slow or Non-existant Google Sites Templates

Intro

It looks like the Template Gallery in Google Sites is experiencing some technical difficulties. I got the screenshot below and for the past couple days copying and creating new sites has been difficult. So what's the deal?

The Bug

It you try to create a new site from a template or copy a site (acts similar to a template) you might not get any options for template to use.

If you do see templates, it might take an infinite amount of time for the site to actually create or copy.

Solution

None at the moment. According to the Google Sites Help Forum, Top Contributors have submitted the issue to the Google Sites team.

Potential Cause

Every time Google Sites get particularly buggy, there have been updates, upgrades, or changes to the Google Sites application. Could this bug be reasoned that way? Probably. We've long await a better way to manage the Template Gallery, which contains thousands of templates, some spammy, some poor quality, some excellent. It's a veritable grab-bag.

So let's wait and see. Stay tuned.

Business - Selling Points of Google Sites

When I have proposed building a website for a business or organization, there are several selling points I try to drive at.  That is, I focus on the advantages of using Google Sites to build their website.  Let's look at some of these:

• There are no initial investments to build a Google Site - The designer doesn't have to purchase any software, have taken any classes, or even provide hosting.  The customer is able to buy at cost your time and effort.  You can undercut the competition!  Custom sites can cost $400+, you can do better than that.
• Visit the Links Page for a bunch of free resources like GIMP, Dafont.com, and Stock Exchange.

GIMP, Free Photo Editing and Design Program

•  The customer is not out of the loop, they can participate in uploading and creating content.  Since you are using a very user-friendly medium, the customer can learn to get involved instead of always paying or bothering the webmaster.  Share you site to the customer as a collaborator, if they want.
• Promote the Google Apps package deal.  If you design using Google Sites no doubt you have experience with the other Google Apps Small Businesses can use like Google Calendar, Gmail, etc.  If you sell them the package deal you are on your way to becoming a Google Apps Authorized Reseller.

You have an impressive cloud package to present.

• Google Sites is good for SEO.  You are basically using an all HTML platform, and though you might not be able to implement slick Flash elements, Google can efficiently index your website.
• You can provide quick turnaround.  If you are a Google Sites expert, or even a novice, you can create a draft of a website in like 8 solid hours.  Unlike web design companies that take weeks or months to produce, you can be very timely.

 I hope this helps any web designers that want to sell their creative work using Google Sites.  Don't forget to act professional because no client wants a wonky webmaster.

Top 6 Google Webfonts for Google Sites

Intro

I think everyone knows I love typography. Ever since the Google Sites team released the availability of the hundreds of Google WebFonts I have striven to take advantage of the best fonts around. There are readable fonts, striking fonts, accent fonts and cute fonts.

I've cut through to the cream of the crop and found the best fonts suited for Google Sites. So enjoy these top 6 webfonts for Google Sites and implement them on your Google Sites template designs and portfolios.

Sanchez

This is a newcomer and is trending because of its slab-serif style, reminiscent I think of Museo, which is very popular as well but not a Webfont.

Oswald

This font is narrow, masculine and bold. I think it is ideal for paragraph headings. Reminds me of Bebas Neue in a way. Remember narrow isn't great for paragraph text.

Open Sans

It's the poster child font for Google, besides their logo. Clean and crisp, it's a great all-around font that is very legible. Use it at 16px/12pt for best results.

PT Serif

This is my go to serif font. You know how many webfonts don't render too well, especially at small sizes? Well this does great and overcomes that pitfall for many of the Google Sites fonts.

Ubuntu

It's a bit fun this font, I mean it's unique and works wonderfully as another all-around-good-font for Google Sites. Check out those interesting little tweaks that make this font great.

Montserrat

This font renders a bit bolder and bigger and therefore is good in certain Google Sites applications where that is needed. I'm featuring it in a Google Site I'm designing right now, so yay!

Conclusion

It's intimidating to look at that gigantic drop down menu of Google Sites fonts, but make some wise choices and pick something that looks best on any screen, any size and any browser. Have fun with your next Google Site!

Video Tutorial #4 - Page Layout, Pictures, Animations

Here are the main points of my latest video:

• Planning Images/Pictures
• Inserting .GIF Animations
• Selecting Page Layout
• Formatting Text and Horizontal Lines (HTML)

If you would like a topic specifically covered in next week's video please comment.  Thanks for tuning in and please follow my blog for updates.  You can visit my youtube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/kirksvillewebdesign.

Google Sites Tip - Designing a Nice Background

Many sites, you will start to notice, have a main area with the navigation, body, etc, and a nice background that compliments the site. If you're designing in Photoshop I suggest using a page size of 1286x900.

This gives you ample room to work with a site thats going to be center in the screen. Try saving at least 150 px, equal on both sides to allow yourself a good amount of space for a real creative background. Or you can try designing your main area with no more than a 700 px width. Anything more and you may want to increase that 900 px width to maybe 1200px. Just remember try and keep a min. of 150 px on both sides.

So lets say that with your Side Menu and Main Content Area, you have a width of 900px. With your background being 150 on each side, you will make your over all image size 1200px wide.

Just remember to add guide lines that are 900px apart to keep you from designing over your set area.

go here for finish view

You can use anything you like to make a really eye-catching background, there are plenty of stock images out there for free, see this post.

GOOD TIP:

Try and use a Layer Mask of your finished background design. This will help get rid of the hard edges and make a design flow into the page. try using solid background colors that you are sure most browsers support. for some good color guides check out http://colorschemedesigner.com/

they offer tons of browser friendly colors.

Google Sites Tip - The File Cabinet Page

When you click create page in your Google Site you can choose from four primary types of pages.  One essential page is the 'File Cabinet' page.

Try Out a File Cabinet, Your Behind the Scenes Storage!

Rather than adding attachments at the bottom of your pages use File Cabinet.  Here's how:

• Create a File Cabinet Page
• Add Files
• Right Click the 'Download File' link and Copy Link Location
• Create a Link on your public web pages
• Paste your Link

Add Your File then Right Click the Download to copy Link Location

Now your visitors can easily click and view your uploaded files.  .PDF files should open automatically in the visitor's browsers.  .DOC files will be downloaded when the link is clicked, so inform your visitors accordingly.

If you copy the link for 'View File' from your file cabinet Google will open a Google Doc, which is messier and less straightforward for visitors.

Enjoy this little tip for your behind the scenes storage (I wouldn't add this page to your navigation).

Google Sites Tip - Using JotForm Contact Forms

Many of us have come to realize that Google Sites doesn't offer a nice contact form to manage visitors comments and questions.  However, http://www.jotform.com offers Google Site developers a fast and very creative way to make forms that are easy and simple to manage. Its a semi-free service, meaning it gives you a free amount of web storage, but you can upgrade for more space.

Simply Make an account, (email, password) and start designing. You can use the templates offered by JotForm or you can start from scratch. I find working with a blank slate is the best.

You have many different items to pick from to create your forms. Size, colors, fonts, there really isn't anything you can not custom design in these forms. Options you can work with include: FORM TOOLS, QUICK TOOLS, SURVEY TOOLS, POWER TOOLS, PAYMENT TOOLS.

As you see, its some real powerful items that can be used to design your form. So play around and have fun! Hope this add some nice creative design to just having a plain form.

Google Sites Tutorial - Background and Favicon Design

The latest video tutorial for Google Sites web design.  Learn how to design a background using GIMP, a free photoshop-like application that has been of tremendous use to me.  There was so much good information that I had to split this into two parts.  I had some mistakes while working with GIMP because I'm still a novice to be honest, but hey we all learn from mistakes.

Part 1

Part 2

My Small Business - Website Improvements

I recently upgraded by business' website appearance to reflect professionalism and clean design.  A big part of web design is of course graphic design.  I am not a professional graphic designer so I use works that artists provide free to the web design community.  It is important to make sure any images, photos, etc are approved by the artist for commercial application.  This narrows the field quite significantly.

Here are my favorite sources for free, commercial use graphics:
http://www.sunipix.com
http://www.sxc.hu
http://icons.mysitemyway.com/
http://www.devwebpro.com/developer-icon-sets-collection-of-the-best-free-to-both-personal-commercial-use-icon-sets/

(Note: Make sure the images you use are specifically approved for commercial use by author/artist)

Take a look at the new site at www.kirksvillewebdesign.com.  Here's a screenshot for the timid.

Pretty Nice Eh?  Google Sites can look good, I promise!

Google Sites Tip - Favicon

Definition: A favicon is the icon that is displayed in browser tabs, bookmarks, etc.

Google Sites allows the uploading of a custom favicon.  The favicon will be displayed for all pages of the site and is one of the simple things that makes your site more credible.

To make and upload a favicon is simple.  First of all, get the free graphics and photoshop-like program GIMP.  It is an essential program for web designers like myself.  I use it for all my graphics.

•  Open GIMP
• Create 'New'
• Specify a 32x32 pixel canvas
• Create your symbol/icon
• Save and name as favicon.ico, choose the 32 bpp option
• In your Google Site go to Manage Site > Attachments
• Click Upload and select your favicon.ico file

It's that easy!  Enjoy your new favicon and differentiate yourself from the typical Google Sites crowd.

That Favicon is Boring Anyway

Web Designer Font Favorite - Mangosteen

Mangosteen

A serif font from Dafont.com, Download Mangosteen

Sort of gives you the feel of the classic Copperplate Gothic, but provides a higher, thinner rendition. A beautiful free font that can stand on it own typographically. This is a nice gem of a font - take a look on how we used it below.

A nice final product using Mangosteen from Dafont.com

Here is How We Made this Graphic

It's not hard to make this graphic look pretty cool.

1. We picked a vibrant orange, #ff6600, being mangosteen and all. 
2. We didn't kern this font at all, it is nicely uniformly spaced.
3. Duplicated the main text. Converted the Object to a Path (this transforms it into a vector image rather than a text object)
4. Changed to #fff white.
5. Dynamic Offset allows you to grow the text image.
6. Duplicated the main text and changed color to #000, black and toggled opacity to 8.8% almost transparent really.
7. Clicked twice on the now gray text to slant the text left to right and maneuvered to create the shadow.

Have fun with Mangosteen

Google Sites Update: Logo now Maps to Custom Domain

The Old Problem
Imagine you had a Google Sites mapped to a custom domain, like www.kirksvillewebdesign.com. If you used Google Sites custom logo upload into the header, it would always link to your long sites.google.com/a/domainname.com/sitetitle URL. A total bummer!

The Update & Solution
If you Google Sites is mapped and someone clicks on your header logo, you simply go back to the base custom domain URL! No more confusion about your Site's location. And this will help search engines be less confused now with the dread duplicate content.

Original Issue Log: https://code.google.com/p/google-sites-issues/issues/detail?id=63#makechanges

What's this prove? 
Google still supports Google Sites, albeit delayed.

Fun Commemoration Graphic

Google Sites Tutorial - Pages and Navigation

I am posting here for your enlightenment a walkthrough tutorial for creating pages and setting up a navigation bar. The video is pretty self-explanatory so I needn't provide much of an introduction.  However, I make reference to this post on designing a background with the 'blank slate' theme.

Please take note of the tips and tricks mentioned in the video, these may things even a Google Sites' users may have overlooked.

My Small Business - A History

I submitted to Google Sites at Sitesstories@gmail.com, the history of my little business to date.  Here is that story.

Kirksville Web Design - A small business in a rural town of Missouri (Kirksville, MO) that has succeeded in creating professional-looking websites, using the Google Sites engine, for businesses and organizations.

We, I mean I (we sounds better in the business world I think), first made a website for a local friend plumber starting up a business.  It was more like I commissioned him than he commissioned me to do his website.  I started making what is now www.nemoplumbing.com.  It was my first domain buying, analytics processing, search engine optimization experience.  I also took advantage of Google Places and registered the business there.  Year to date it has received 440 visits.

Then I made a website for a more prominent business run by a friend, Foreman Heating and Air Conditioning.  I started to get more into graphic design, teaching myself to use a freeware photoshop-like program.  The website was created in about a month, collaborating with the owner along the way.  The website is www.foremanhvac.com.

I went searching for clients to commission me a website and there's not exactly a ton of sprouting businesses in rural Missouri, so I had to find someone willing to take a green professional web designer like myself.  To help my endeavor I built www.kirksvillewebdesign.com, deciding to hit the obvious market I was striving for.  That website has evolved with the changes Google Sites has seen recently, like horizontal navigation.  Eventually I found a willing client, Pancake City!  For those of you that don't know, Pancake City is like the biggest thing in Kirksville.  A locally-owned business serving home-cookin' if you know what I mean.  I created a series of menu webpages, even creating an Arcade out of Google Gadget games.  The website has seen 890 visits so far this year.  That's www.pancakecitykirksville.com

After that I made a website for MAPP, the Missouri Association of Public Purchasing, to which I am a member.  They needed a new webmaster and I volunteered for the job.  I successfully transitioned from there old website to the new Google Site.  I made forms, a Google Group forum, posted newsletters, and the newest item, I implemented Google Checkout so that members could pay for conference registration fees.  That was a great solution for them that is currently going to the board for approval.   So I even made a website for a state organization that receives hundreds of visits a month.  www.mappi.org is something I am very proud of.

I've also made websites like www.martinconsultant.com and http://sites.google.com/site/customsiteswebdesign (If I ever decide to move away from Kirksville I'll need a more generic name).  Now, most recently, I have made a blog on Blogger, Web Design with Google Sites available at googlesiteswebdesign.blogspot.com.  I made created a Youtube channel for my tutorials using Google Sites under my name kirksvillewebdesign.  I am now making a website for a local grocery store and one for the bakery my wife might open.  Google Sites has enabled me to explore the creative side of me.  I've used all the tools Google has given me and achieved great personal success.

Google Sites, Gmail, Google Docs, Google Checkout, Youtube, Blogger, Google Analytics, Google Webmaster Tools, Google Buzz, Google Places, Google Adwords, Google Adsense.  I'm like a walking, Google-using, web designing machine.  Grazie Google.  Ciao!

Google Sites News - Share Settings

Google Sites, and really Google Apps, has been improved in terms of making it easier to share your website.  The share settings used to be part of the Manage Site contents, but now it has been moved to the More Options drop down menu next to Create and Edit Page.

Sharing has never been something I've used very much.  I always make my sites public and I limit collaborator privileges (call me a control freak).  Nevertheless, it is always great to be able to do something more easily.  Google Sites sharing is now similar to that in other Google Apps like Google Docs.

Remember your options:

• Anyone can see your site (public) *will be indexed eventually and then not very well
• Only those with a link can see your site (semi-private) *will not be indexed
• Only those given permission can see your site (mostly-private) *will not be indexed

 
For Google's post on website sharing see http://googleappsupdates.blogspot.com/2010/11/simplified-sharing-experience-extended.html

Google Sites Tutorial - Horizontal Navigation and Drop Down Boxes

Google Sites released the option for horizontal navigation not too long ago.  This new features greatly enhances the professional look of websites, and I have used it on all my new sites.  Please refer to my post on background layout for easy integration of horizontal navigation into your web design.

Horizontal Navigation is more appealing because we process information best that way.  It makes sense, we read from left to right.  Another benefit from this feature is that it eliminates the need for a sidebar.  While sidebars have their place in web design it is better to implement it on your terms, not because you have to for navigation purposes.

Also, horizontal navigation enables the use of dropdown boxes.  These are links that appear when the category is hovered over.  For instance, in my bakery website example.  I have a page called Baked Goods, the sub-pages of which will be scones, muffins, cupcakes, etc.  Those sub-pages, which you designate in Manage Site > Site Layout > Change Layout > Horizontal Navigation using the left and right arrows, are a nice option for less cluttered navigation.

For examples of horizontal navigation checkout: www.kirksvillehousingauthority.com, or www.pancakecitykirksville.com.

For a walkthrough watch this video below.

For more information Google has posted about this as well: http://googledocs.blogspot.com/2010/10/tips-tricks-making-most-of-your-sidebar.html

Google Sites Tip - Background Layout

When you making a background for your Google Site make sure you use "Blank Slate" as your theme.  This is the only theme I know of that support transparency.

First of all, take note of your header's height in 'Site Layout.'  If it is 125 pixels high, make a header that is exactly 125 pixels high.

Here's a great tip for horizontal navigation: The horizontal navigation bar is 25 pixels high.  So, in this scenario where you have a 125 pixel header, create a background that incorporates your horizontal navigation bar starting at 125 to 160.  That will give you some space above and below your bar.

If you don't want any space above and below make it snug 130 to 155.

Click on and save this background and use on your website.  Just make sure your header height is 125px.

 

Here's what it looks like on your Google Site

Here an example of a finished product using good background layout and design.

Google Sites Tutorials - Creating a Website

I have a youtube channel to which I am posting videos of how to use Google Sites to create your own professional looking free websites.  Here's a little introduction to my video.

First of all, I wanted to start from the beginning of using Google Sites to create a website.  Anyone can build a website with Google Sites with a little know how and some guidance.  I have been making websites for many months now, selling them and giving them away.  I use Google Apps all the time, and what makes Google Sites great is that it's free!  You can reap 100% profit here, well besides buying a lil' domain name for $10 a year. 

So, please join me on this tutorial for creating your site with tips and tricks from a web designer.

Please subscribe to my youtube channel: www.youtube.com/user/kirksvillewebdesign if you want to be notified of my next upload!  Have fun.

New Update - Admin Settings for Sites

Summary

This small but important update provides Google Apps administrators more control on the creation and visibility of Google Sites made within the Google Apps account. So, no, this won't have an effect on regular Google accounts Sites.

Users either can or cannot make Sites (that includes admins). Sites are either defaulted accessible within the organization or private.

More Admin Control means More Options - Check Google Apps Settings for Google Sites

Uses of Site Visibility Default Option

For users with sensitive information, making Google Sites private by default can be a relief. That way your information is private until you share it.

Uses of Site Creation Option

Administrators can create a company intranet Google Site and disable the ability to create more Google Sites. The change in creating Google Sites will not delete previously made websites or the right to access them. Therefore all information can be consolidated onto one Google Site.

Google Sites can be used less for making many different sites, and more for a single access point to the company intranet.

Conclusion

Google Sites are being used more for internal purposes. Google Sites are being used more by users and therefore require more options to control its use. 

Read the original article below for more information.

Original Article - More control for administrators over the creation and visibility of Google Sites

Released on 11/08/2011
Google Apps administrators now have the following new options in the Google Apps Control Panel for Sites:

Site Creation: Select whether to allow users in organizational units to create new sites.

Site Visibility: Select the default visibility for newly created sites per organizational unit.

Editions included:
Google Apps, Google Apps for Business, Government and Education

Languages included:
US English only (Next Generation Control Panel)

How to access what's new:
In the admin control panel, click ‘Settings,’ then Sites, then ‘Org Settings’ to see the new options.

Note: We’re aware of a known cosmetic issue where the organizational unit name does not display properly in the Site Creation section. We’re working on resolving this.

Change is Coming to Google Sites

The New Google Sites Icon

It is no mystery that Google Inc. has a new material design direction. The first revised icon I noticed was Google Maps, but now Google Sites, my favorite application has received some love.

Google Material Design Example - Could this be an upcoming Sites UX?

What can we glean from this new treatment? This is really a game of comparison. Take a look at the old Google Sites icon below.

The first thing I noticed is a full browser experience. Web building platforms like Squarespace has been flaunting this for years. A contemporary, full width, ultimately response experience. Could this be the new future of Google Sites? Obviously there is a lot of speculation that can be done.

I can't wait for the Google Apps for Work site to be refreshed and maybe we'll learn even more.

What do you think?

The Google Sites Icon used to be this.

Bug Report: Mobile Devices and JPG Rendering

I had a client come to me with a problem, which rarely happens. I make it a business policy to fix technical mistakes at no charge. Technical difficulties reflect badly on both the web design and the client, so I try to resolve them as quickly as possible.

The Bug
Some mobile devices, notably iOS devices, will scale the wrapper background image if it is in the file format .JPG .JPEG

The Effect
I was quite perplexed with this problem, so I do what all the best engineers do - troubleshoot. As you can see the teal banner that created a wonderful backdrop for my horizontal navigation bar, was shoved up and scaled down. Look for similar effect to your wrapper background image.

This ruined the navigation for mobile visitors to this website. The text was virtually invisible against the brown noisy background.

The Horizontal Navigation Bar is missed - ack! iPhone users will hate me and iPad users too.

The Solution
Change your Wrapper Background Image from a JPG / JPEG into a .PNG image. This will indicate to Safari or whatever browser, that the image should not be compressed or scaled down. Although the image will therefore be a bigger file size, it averts this issue. Don't make your .png images too big.

The Teal Banner is back because I converted by Wrapper background image to .PNG

Google Sites are Nicely Responsive to Mobile Devices - Just with some Hiccups
Even without the mobile rendering option in your general settings (I don't like it anyway), Google Sites are responsive to whatever device they are viewed on. Responsive web design means the website responds well to different viewing platforms, resolutions, sizes. Google Sites is nicely consistent across browsers and devices. Another reason to Go Google Sites.

Tip: Don't make any text smaller than 12pt. Accessibility and legibility are key to responsive design. Your visitors will thank you for not throwing them walls of tiny 8pt text.

Google Sites ePortfolios Hangout on Air

Update: The Hangout is over but I will post the video recording below. It was a lot of fun to create a Google Sites ePortfolio in about an hour. Enjoy!



Google Edu Hangout on Air

Electronic portfolios offer an authentic way to promote reflection on learning. Discover how to make a Google Sites template to share with your students and have them build their own portfolios.

The live event will begin Thursday, November 8, 2pm Eastern at my profile page: https://plus.google.com/116877812762735148703


Kyle from Kirksville Web Design will be Participating

So, if you have any questions related to the design or development side of ePortfolios, I will be weighing in and helping answer questions. I am very happy to help everyone learn about Google Sites and how powerful and fun a platform it can be.

Here's a fun graphic I made:

Also a Google Hangout Icon for everyone's use:

So hop on Google + and join this hangout if you are interested! Thanks all.