How to Build a Commercial Website Using Google

Step 3

Decide on the name and description of the site. The name is not the same as the domain name. It's a title of the page that will be shown in the browser tab. In this example, the name, or title, of the page is "Pearlofafrika's Art Gallery."

Step 4

Settle on a theme for your commercial website. Click on "More Themes" to view all themes before making your decision. Fill in the necessary information.

Step 5

Begin editing your page. Click on "Edit Page" at the top of the document. You can start typing text in the header and content boxes on the page.

Step 6

Click "Insert" from the menu bar, and click "Picasa Web Slideshow" to add images from Picasa to spice up your Google page. If you're not familiar with Picasa, it's an online and desktop software program that easily manages your images.

Step 7

Go to Picasa and upload images to a new album from your desktop documents or from the web. Create a slide show of the album. Copy the image's link embed code by selecting the code, right clicking your mouse and selecting "Copy." Go back to the Google Sites page.

Step 8

Create another page by selecting "Create New Page" button. Select name of page, and type. For the purposes of a commercial website, include the following web pages: home, contact page, about the company and products.

Step 9

Add images of the products you sell. Make sure to include high-quality images that are easy to see or read.

Step 10

Add a contact page. This is an extremely important point for all business websites. A client needs a way to reach the business for ordering and inquiry purposes.

Step 11

Add links to connect your pages together. Google Sites automatically adds a vertical navigation on the site, but to make it easier for your visitors to jump from one page to another, it's important to add links to your text. To do so, select the text by double clicking the word, click on "Insert" and select "Link." The Create Link box will pop up, and allow you to link to an existing page within Google Sites or to an external website. You can also choose whether or not to open the link in a new window.

Step 12

Change the appearance of the site at anytime by clicking the "Site Settings" button. Here, you can change the layout, colors and the themes of the site. You can also edit the navigation sidebar.

Step 13

Delete pages by clicking the "More Actions" button.

Step 14

Copy your website address (in the URL address bar) and sign out of Google Sites. Paste in the URL to test the completed site, as a visitor.

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• Skill: Moderately Easy
• Ingredients:
• Internet
• Browser
• Google ID
• Company
• Tip: Having a Google ID, you automatically have access to Picasa. It's a good idea to include images on your commercial website, because it gives the page an interesting aesthetic. Site visitors will not want to see blocks of text without images.
• Tip: Buy a domain name with Google for approximately $10 per year. This will add a more professional appearance to your commercial website.