Google Sites Help, Tips and Tricks by Beckystar

Long Time No Blog

2013-10-03T10:07:00.003+01:00

Hello Everyone,

I apologise for the length of time that has passed since my last blog.

Google Sites Directory

Get your google site added to the unofficial Google Sites Directory. Together we can make this the biggest directory of Google Sites in the universe! Benefits to you are people looking for google sites examples hit on your site which increases your visit and visitors.

www.gsitesdirectory.com

Get Help With Your Google Site

Get help from google sites top contributors including me, just ask us a question in the sites forum or contact us directly.

http://www.siteshelp.co.uk

http://productforums.google.com/forum/#!forum/sites

Inspiration

For inspiration check out a google website designers website here.

http://www.bekwud.com/

Media Player Problems (With Google Sites)

2013-03-24T20:55:00.000+00:00

If you need a hand with your media player woes .... you need Mori!

Here is his site ... take a peek https://sites.google.com/site/mori79/html-gadgets/media-players

Post your working media player site pages to the comments of this post so we can see your working versions! :)

Beckystar x

Help! My Site Has Been Disabled!

2013-03-24T11:43:00.001+00:00

Hello Everyone,

I know it is frustrating fro you ... take a breath ...

disabled google site

If you site has been disabled and you GENUINELY have not violated the terms, simply click on the appeak form and fill it out, it takes seconds.

However, what follows then does not take seconds, it can take a while for your site to be reenabled.

If you have violated the terms .... sorry .... but tough luck.

Here is more info about diabled sites from my fellow TC Phil
http://sitesguide.pjrprojects.co.uk/google-sites/about/sitesdisabledowneraccount

If you have had your google site disabled and it has not been reenabled contact me direct with your website / google site address.

Bye for now :)

Beckystar x

Forget Fancy Sliders, Using A Google Presentation Looks Just As Cool!

2013-02-08T22:27:00.002+00:00

Hi Guys

I know, websites look great with moving banners but it is hard to install a fancy banner such as a Nivo slider or carousel onto your google site. Why not use a template ready for your text and pictures changes?

Feast your eyes on these slick animation tutorials, if you need any help please do not hesitate to contact me! Use a theme, follow the instructions carefully .... share you banner'd website on the comments below .... don't be shy!

Loves x

Map Your Google Site To Your Custom Domain Name

2013-01-31T17:06:00.002+00:00

Hello everyone,

Congratulations on creating your google site! Now you are ready to mask it if you so choose to, to a domain name you have purchased.

For example, you would like your sites.google.com/site/mygooglesite to appear when people visit www.mysite.com

You can find out how to do this through the google sites help centre documentation however these instructions are not as easy to follow as steegle.com 's comprehensive guide.

If you need help I can just do it for you! I can provide you with a service for a small fee, you add me as an owner to your site, I log into your site / apps and map it for you, when you are happy you then remove me as an owner.

It is always easier to do it correctly the first time than try and unravel errors in mapping the site.

I am a google sites top contributor so you can rest assured you are in safe hands. Contact me becky@siteshelp.co.uk

Good luck people!

Loves x

Subscribe To Page Changes Or Site Changes Within Your Google Site

2013-01-31T16:34:00.001+00:00

If you would like to subscribe to a page change click on MORE > Subscribe to page changes > You will then get a little pop up saying you will be notified of changes to this page.

If you would like to subscribe to site changes click on MORE > Subscribe to site changes > You will then get a little pop up saying you will be notified of changes to this site.

The notifications will be sent to the email address related to the google account which is logged into the site at the time.

I hope this helps you . . . if you get stuck here are some images to guide you!

Select MORE >

Click on SUBSCRIBE TO PAGE CHANGES >

See the little pop up message (peachy colour background) confirming you will be notified of the changes

Alternatively select SUBSCRIBE TO SITE CHANGES

See the little pop up message (peachy colour background) confirming you will be notified of the changes

Regards, Beckystar, Top Contributor of Google Sites

Add The Spotify Play button to Your Google Site

2012-11-01T18:56:00.003+00:00

Simply add the Spotify Play Button to your google site and strike up the music. You can feature any song, album or playlist. Your google site visitors will only have to hit the play button. It's completely free, legal and awesome. Check it out on spotify So here is how you would embed it on your google site ....

Insert > More Gadgets > Featured > Embed Gadget > Paste in the code below:

<iframe src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:track:4bz7uB4edifWKJXSDxwHcs" width="300" height="380" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true"></iframe>

Change the height of the gadget in both height fields to 380 > Change the width to 300 and make sure pixels is picked from the drop down menu > Untick display the title on your gadget field The just save!Let me know how you get on.

Here is the working result!

Google Play Music Heads to the UK and Europe Before US! Yippee!

2012-11-01T18:43:00.000+00:00

Enjoy this excellent news! Yay UK!

Copy Your Google Site Created in Google Apps For Teams

2012-08-08T20:31:00.002+01:00

Here is a tutorial on how to copy your Google Apps For Teams Site as this will be closing on 4th September 2012. for more information on this closure check out the official Google Apps For Teams Administration Help Page.

If you want to keep the Google Sites you have created in your Google Apps for Teams account you will need to copy your site to another Google Account by 15th October 2012. Your Google Site name will need to change too.

Tip! You need to have another google account ready to copy your site to.

Log into your apps for teams site and navigate to the site you would like to copy > click More > Click on the blue button Sharing and Permissions > fill out the Add people field with the email address of your new Google Account > select 'Is Owner' from the drop down menu > then Share and Save.

Ok, now sign in to your Google Site with the account you shared the site with > click More > click manage site from the drop down menu > scroll down slowly and click on the Copy This site button

Enter a name for your site eg. mysite2012 > fill out the code at the bottom of the page > click on the red copy button > then be patient whilst your site copies. It may take some time depending on the site size, your connection to the internet etc

And you're done!

Tip! If you are using a custom domain you must remove it from your site if you want to map it to your new site.

If you need anymore help contact me or remember to visit the official help pages from Google Apps for Teams Adminstrator Help.

B x

Act Now! Google Apps For Teams Is Shutting Down

2012-08-08T20:10:00.001+01:00

Happy Wednesday!

Please note that if you have a Google Apps Site created in Google Apps for teams your account will be officially shutting down on September 4, 2012.

Here is a link to the official google apps administration team help page filled with all the information and tutorials of what you need to do

Don't panic ...

If you're an admin of a Google Apps Teams account you will already be receiving email instructions from google on what to do. Here is how to deal with your Google Site:

1.Your Google Apps for Teams account will become a personal Google Account.If your username is not available it will automatically default to user%domain.com@te.gtempaccount.com.
You will still be able to log in using the Google sign-in process such as http://www.google.com/docs and http://www.google.com/sites instead of the /a/domain.com URLs you were using originally.

2.Copy Your Google Apps For Teams Site - follow this tutorial on how to do so

3.Once the changes have taken place you must change your username by upgrading to Gmail or change your primary address to a non-gmail address.

If you need a hand feel free to contact me through my profile or my help site.

Get Metatag Page Descriptions for Google Sites Created in Apps

2012-07-30T15:21:00.001+01:00

Happy Monday all!

Ok, do not fret you can get metatags in google sites created in Apps, however you may not see the page descriptions box when you click on more > page settings.

If this is the case then you need to log into your apps account and make a simple chanage.

Go to google.com/apps and log into your apps account in 'domin management' mode.

Click on domain settings, the click the radar button readinig Rapid release.

All you are doing is giving google the green light to add features rapidly as they shoot along.

Enjoy labelling all those pesky pages won't you ...

B x
www.siteshelp.co.uk

New Feature Alert! Improvement - Meta Tags & Search Snippets for Google Sites Pages

2012-07-27T18:37:00.001+01:00

Good news! Something the Google Sites Top Contributors' team have been asking for (for a long time!) is meta tags for google sites pages. You should now be able to add page descriptions via the "Page Settings" dialog.

Click on more > Page settings > Add your page description and save.

That's it!

The thing that takes the time is the content ... BUT you need to make note of the dictionary's description of a meta tag, otherwise you will just be adding mindless keywords which, quite frankly, will look and sound like a big fat spam sandwich.

noun Computers .

a tag in HTML that is inserted at the top of a Web page chiefly to describe its content and provide keywords for use by search engines.

So, describe the pages content, briefly. It really helps if the content of your page has original content in the first place, then naturally your meta tag will also me original.

The content of meta tags is often used in search snippets too (aka search results text).

So, let me know how you go with this new mega exciting new feature!

Bx

Google Sites Indulgence

2012-06-15T10:56:00.001+01:00

For examples, ideas, inspiration or pure google sites indulgence here is a google sites directory.

Together we can make this the biggest google sites directory.

Add yours today.

Just fill out the form.

Please note that this directory is not affiliated with google and is not responsible for the content in any of the sites listed in the directory. If you are the owner of a site on the directory and you would like it to be removed please email office@webprincess.co.uk requesting to remove the site.

What Do You Want To See Here ....

2012-06-15T09:46:00.000+01:00

So guys, what feature would you most like for your website? Let me know nd if there are any fetures I can post on I will, all down to you! I look forward to hearing from you my little google sites monsters x

Spring cleaning!

2012-04-11T16:34:00.002+01:00

Well quite often people have problems editing their site, my first advice is always clear your cookies, history and cache. So I thought it would be helpful to collate together here all of the OS (Operating System) instructions. So hit the link and get spring cleaning!

Firefox
Internet Explorer
Chrome
Safari

B x

Add Google +1 Sidebar Button

2012-04-11T16:11:00.001+01:00

Howdy peeps, long time no speak!

Ok so this how you add a +1 to your side bar ....

Navigate to your google site in edit mode > click on more > click on manage site > click on site layout > look for the sidebar section > click on add side bar item > when the pop up box appears scroll down and select +1 button by clicking on the add button > the item box then shows under the sidebar menu, you can click and hold onto it and move it up or down depending on your preference > then remember then to click the save button at the top of your page!

For screen shots and more info click here.

Any probs let me know ....

Beckystar x

New Feature Alert! Upload multiple files

2012-03-08T19:56:00.002+00:00

One you have all been waiting for ...

Now google sites allows you to upload multiple files and this is how you do it!

Navigate to your google site > navigate to the page where you want to upload the multiple files > do not press edit, just click on the add files button near the bottom of the page ....

Then hold down ctrl and click on all the files you would like to upload ....

Then release the ctrl key > click on "open" ....

And then you are done!

This is the result ....

Enjoy! B x

New Feature Alert! HTML Box Gadget

2012-03-08T19:26:00.002+00:00

Howdy peeps,

Good news! You can now insert html using google sites new HTML, CSS, Java Script gadget.

Please bear in mind however that some scripts will not work, as I discovered this morning when I unsuccessfully added a twitter gadget (which is mainly js).... this apparently due to the code being tidied up by google's sweeping brush, however lets hope in time more complex code will be allowed ....

Even with this little hold back the tool is certainly handy and this is how you use it ....

Navigate to your chosen page > click on edit > where you would the html box to be > click on insert > select the html gadget from the list > add your chosen html and save

Screenshot of html gadget box containing code

Here is the result ...

Enjoy! B x

Change your contents background colour

2012-02-26T22:48:00.001+00:00

Hello,

Google Sites does not offer customisation to the content colour background of individual pages on your site, so, here is a quirky work around for you...

Go to your chosen page, ready for it's makeover! Click in the content area > Click on edit > html > copy and paste the code below into the html, make sure it's the very first line > remember to save your changes!

For a range of colours look at the wicked wiki link below ... be sure to use the hex codes ... Simply replace my chosen colour's digits C0C0C0 with your six digit hex code, make sure you leave the # and the rest of the code in tact.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Web_colors&mobileaction=view_normal_site

Please do comment in here a link to the pages you have made over with this trick! I look forward to seeing them!

Enjoy x

New Feature Alert! Feedback on tap!

2012-02-26T21:49:00.001+00:00

Hey,

Please find here a way to report your issues.... straight to google! It's like a direct call through the bat phone. Don't expect a response though, it's simply a data gathering tool.

So if a lot of sites users are having the same issue it gets escalated to the sites techy team quicker, faster fixes, less stressed users!

Ok, so navigate to More > Report An Issue.

Fill out the form and submit! ...and you're done.

Enjoy x

New Feature Alert! Help on tap.

2012-02-26T21:38:00.001+00:00

Happy Sunday!

Ok new hot off the press feature for you ... Are you stuck and need some help with your google site? Well you can now buzz straight over to the help forum whilst working on your site. There you will find all kinds of helpful souls from users or top contributors (like me!)

Navigate to:

More > Google Sites Help Forum

And you have arrived!

Enjoy x

How to create a form for use in google sites

2012-02-18T01:14:00.001+00:00

Contact forms are so important! And it is simple to integrate them with your google site.

Get that client engaging with you whilst they are on the page! Don't loose sales ...
Get a discussion going! Be interactive.
Get a guest book! Memories for a special occasion

1) Is use google docs - create a form and insert it on your page. All the responses are recorded in excel so it is easy to monitor data, get a notification when someone fills in the form by email and here is how to do it. Here is a form in action ....

2) Is use wufoo, my favourite .... here is one of their forms in action, and you auto get an email notification.

3) Is ...very cool, here is an example, it even publishes your responses in a pretty excellent way too ... and here is how to do it

Any problems just shout, you know where I am.

Enjoy!

B x

Reminder - Set up your Google Site for mobile phone viewing

2012-02-04T11:28:00.002+00:00

Although this feature has been out for a while I thought I would remind you, if you have not yet done so to "switch on" mobile viewing for your google site.

It's really easy to do.

Click on more actions > manage >general > scroll down until you see the "automatically adjust site to mobile phones" check box, tick the box by clicking on it > remember to save your changes

Now reach for your moby and take a peek how your site looks! I think sites with the horizontal navigation look best on a smart or android phone.

I have seen sites that look better as desktop mode, but it all depends on your site.....

Let me know how you get on.

B :)

A word about giving view permissions

2012-02-03T14:07:00.000+00:00

When giving view permissions I have some advice for you before you go ahead.

Each user would need a google account.

They don't need a gmail email just a google account.

Therefore you could create a google account using your aol email for example.

Any easier option would be to consider making the site "only available to those with a link" instead.

Click on share > click on the drop down menu > select only those with the link.

Don't forget to save your changes.

B x

Delete is a dirty word!

2012-01-26T00:46:00.001+00:00

I had an experience where i deleted a site which was mapped to a custom domain and really struggles to reuse the domain ... Silly Beckystar!

Anyway ... Now soft delete has been introduced it's not that bad. If you delete and change your mind you can restore the deleted site.

Tip! Don't delete make your site private instead > hit the 'share' button > change the site from public to private. This will at least be an archive and an ideal way to restore or use the content if require.

Ok, back to the original inspiration for this post ... How To Delete Your Site!

Hit the more action button > click on manage site > click on general in the side bar > scroll half way down, blink and you'll miss it ... Hot the delete button. You can recoverthr site up to 30 days after the delete but after 30 days the site will disappear into the ether forever and you will not be able to reuse the name either.

I hope this info's useful.

... while you're here why not add your website to the unofficial google sites directory? It's free and takes seconds!

B ;)