Prepare Your Content for Google Sites
Learning Objectives
- Understand why gathering content before you start building saves time and improves results
- Identify what types of content you need for your Google Sites project
- Learn practical methods to organise your content for smooth website creation
Introduction
Before you start building your Google Sites website, you need to gather all your content. This means collecting your text, images, videos, and any other files you plan to use. Getting this sorted first makes the actual building process much faster and helps you create a better-looking, more organised website.
Lessons
Lesson 1: Why Gather Content First
Starting with all your content ready gives you several advantages:
- You can see the full scope of your website before you begin
- Building becomes faster because you're not stopping to find or create content
- Your website structure will be more logical and consistent
- You avoid the frustration of having half-finished pages
Step 1: Write down all the pages you want on your website
Step 2: For each page, note what content you'll need (text, images, videos)
Step 3: Check what you already have and what you need to create
Pixelhaze Tip:
Create a dedicated folder on your computer or Google Drive for this project. Keep everything in one place so you can find it quickly when building.
Lesson 2: What Content to Gather
Here are the main types of content you'll need:
Text Content:
- Page headings and subheadings
- Main body text for each page
- Button text and navigation labels
- Contact information
Images:
- Photos for your pages
- Your logo (if you have one)
- Any graphics or illustrations
- Background images
Other Files:
- Videos you want to embed
- PDF documents to share
- Audio files
- Links to external websites
Pixelhaze Tip:
Google Sites works best with images that are web-ready. If your photos are huge files from your camera, resize them to around 1920 pixels wide to keep your site loading quickly.
Lesson 3: Organising Your Content
Good organisation makes building your site much easier:
Step 1: Create separate folders for different content types
- Text folder for all your written content
- Images folder for photos and graphics
- Documents folder for PDFs and other files
Step 2: Name your files clearly
- Use descriptive names like "homepage-hero-image.jpg" instead of "IMG_1234.jpg"
- Keep filenames short but clear
Step 3: Review everything before you start building
- Check that images are good quality
- Read through your text for typos
- Make sure you have content for every page you planned
Pixelhaze Tip:
Write your text content in a Google Doc first. This makes it easy to copy and paste into your site, and you can share it with others for feedback before you build.
Practice
Create a content folder for a practice website about your hobby or interest. Gather:
- At least three pieces of text content (maybe an introduction, about section, and contact info)
- Three images related to your topic
- One additional file (could be a PDF, video, or link list)
Organise these into clearly named folders and files. Notice how having everything ready makes you feel more prepared to start building.
FAQs
Why can't I just add content as I build the site?
You can, but it's much slower and often leads to inconsistent design. Having everything ready lets you focus on making the site look good rather than hunting for content.
What if I don't have all my content ready yet?
Start with what you have and create placeholder text for missing sections. Just mark clearly what still needs to be done so you don't forget.
Can I edit content after I've added it to Google Sites?
Yes, Google Sites lets you edit text directly on the page and replace images easily. But starting with good content saves time later.
How do I know if my images are the right size?
Google Sites will resize images automatically, but files under 5MB work best. If your images are taking ages to upload, they're probably too big.
Jargon Buster
Assets – All the content files you use in your website (images, videos, documents)
Workflow – The order of steps you follow to complete a project
Web-ready – Images and files that are optimised for fast loading on websites
Placeholder text – Temporary text you use when you don't have the final content ready yet
Wrap-up
Getting your content organised before you start building your Google Sites website is one of the best things you can do for your project. It makes the whole process smoother, faster, and less stressful. You'll end up with a better website because you can focus on design rather than scrambling for content.
Next, you'll learn how to actually start building your site with Google Sites. With your content ready, you'll be surprised how quickly it comes together.
Ready to take your Google Sites skills further? Join our community of learners and get access to more detailed tutorials and support at https://www.pixelhaze.academy/membership