In theory, it is possible to make a simple Google Site that meets accessibility requirements. In practice, Google Sites usually have accessibility issues.
Many content creators enjoy the ease and speed of creating a new Google Site. But making a Google Site accessible isn't straightforward because so much isn't "locked down" the way an accessible CMS (like Open Berkeley) is. A web content creator must have a strong grasp of accessibility to design an accessible Google Site and maintain its accessibility.
Even if you have the skills to create accessible content, there are a number of known issues and barriers in the Google Sites platform. These are not issues that editors have access to fix– you would simply have to avoid using any elements with accessibility issues.
We encourage you, whenever possible, to avoid using Google Sites. Instead, create a “subsite” for your program or event on your department or unit’s existing website.
Drawbacks and risks of Google Sites
- Editors can easily introduce accessibility issues and the platform has known accessibility barriers.
- If a Google Site is attached to an individual user’s account and the user leaves Berkeley without sharing/transferring ownership, your unit may not be able to access the site to edit, update or remove it.
- We can not add Google Sites to Siteimprove, which is required for public facing Berkeley websites. Siteimprove can alert you to accessibility issues and broken links. Without Siteimprove, you will need to manually test each page of your site and check for broken links with another tool.
- Per Title II of the ADA, all Berkeley websites must be accessible by April 2026 and you may have difficulty meeting the requirement with a Google Site.
- There is no governance for Google Sites and keeping track of them can be challenging, especially because it's so fast and easy to change the site name, which changes the URL.
- It may be difficult for students to find these sites, unless you specifically give them the link.
Inaccessible websites create barriers for end users and legal risk for UC Berkeley. Every time we launch another unique website, we add to our support burden and expand our risk exposure.