Google Sites Theme Selection and Customisation

Learning Objectives

• Choose the right theme for your Google Sites project
• Customise fonts and colours to match your brand
• Preview and apply your theme changes across all devices

Introduction

Your theme sets the visual foundation for your entire website. Getting this right from the start saves you time later and ensures your site looks professional. This chapter walks you through selecting and customising themes in Google Sites, showing you exactly how to make your site reflect your style or brand.

Lessons

Choosing Your Theme

Google Sites offers several built-in themes to get you started. Here's how to pick the right one:

Step 1: Open your Google Sites dashboard and locate the "Themes" tab on the right side of your screen.

Step 2: Browse the available themes. Hover over each one to see a quick preview of how it will look.

Step 3: Click on the theme you want to apply. It will automatically update your site.

Step 4: Take a moment to see how your existing content looks with the new theme before making further changes.

Each theme comes with its own layout style and colour scheme. Pick the one that's closest to what you're after – this reduces the customisation work you'll need to do later.

Customising Fonts and Colours

Once you've selected your base theme, you can adjust the fonts and colours to match your needs:

Step 1: Click "Customise" at the top of the Themes panel.

Step 2: Select "Fonts" from the menu. You'll see options for both headers and body text. Choose fonts that are easy to read and fit your site's purpose.

Step 3: Click on "Colours" to adjust your colour scheme. You can change text colours, background colours, and link colours.

Step 4: Make your changes one at a time and watch how they affect your site in real-time.

If you have brand colours, use them here to keep everything consistent across your online presence.

Previewing and Applying Changes

Before you publish your changes, always check how they look:

Step 1: Click the "Preview" button to see your site as visitors will see it.

Step 2: Use the device toggle to check how your site looks on desktop, tablet, and mobile. This is crucial since many people will visit your site on their phones.

Step 3: If you're happy with how everything looks, click "Publish" to make your changes live.

Step 4: If something doesn't look right, go back and adjust it before publishing.

This is the bit most people miss – always check your site on different screen sizes before going live.

Practice

Choose a theme from Google Sites and customise it by changing at least one font and one colour. Preview your changes on desktop and mobile to see the difference. Try switching between a few different themes to see how they affect your content layout.

FAQs

Can I switch themes after I've already built my site?
Yes, you can change themes at any time. However, some layout changes might affect how your content appears, so always preview before publishing.

What happens if I don't like my customisations?
You can reset everything by selecting your theme again from the Themes tab. This will restore the original theme settings.

Are there more themes available than what I see?
Google Sites provides a fixed selection of themes. While the choice is limited, effective use of fonts and colours can make your site look quite different from the default.

Do theme changes affect my site's loading speed?
No, theme changes in Google Sites don't impact loading speed. The themes are optimised for performance.

Jargon Buster

Theme – A pre-designed template that controls your website's overall look and layout

Customisation – The process of adjusting design elements like fonts and colours to match your preferences

Preview – A way to see how your site will look to visitors before you publish changes

Responsive design – How your site automatically adjusts to look good on different screen sizes

Wrap-up

You now know how to select and customise themes in Google Sites. The key is to start with a theme that's close to what you want, then use fonts and colours to make it your own. Always preview your changes on different devices before publishing – this simple step will save you from nasty surprises later.

Next, you'll learn how to add and organise content within your chosen theme structure.

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