Build a Website

UC Berkeley students, faculty, and staff have a few options for building websites, including both campus-supported and self-service, DIY offerings. The table below can help you decide which option may work best for your needs.

Questions to Consider

Do you have web development experience, or can you afford to hire someone who does? If yes, the DIY Wordpress or DreamWeaver templates should meet your needs. If not, explore what Open Berkeley or Google Sites offer.
Will your website need to be hosted as a top level domain, e.g. https://department.berkeley.edu? If so, you’ll want to choose between Open Berkeley, WordPress, and Dreamweaver templates.
Want to leverage the power of the Berkeley brand? Then stick with using Open Berkeley, WordPress, or Dreamweaver templates.

Website Building Options	Open Berkeley	WordPress Template	DreamWeaver Template	Google Sites	GitHub Pages
Service Description	Open Berkeley is a turnkey web platform solution for UC Berkeley campus websites.	The Berkeley brand WordPress Template combines the power of WordPress with the Berkeley brand look and feel.	The Berkeley brand DreamWeaver Template provides html templates and code snippets to transform Dreamweaver into a Berkeley branded website creation tool.	Google Sites allows you to create a simple personal website, wiki, or project site without any prior programming or design skills.	GitHub Pages is a static site hosting service designed to host your personal, organization, or project pages directly from a GitHub repository.
Target Audience	Campus departments; those without prior web experience or anyone wanting built-in features.	Campus departments; those familiar with WordPress theme setup and configuration.	Campus departments; those with HTML coding experience.	Individuals or teams using G Suite; those without prior programming or design skills.	GitHub@Berkeley users; software developers.
Best Uses	Creating Berkeley branded departmental websites.	Creating Berkeley branded departmental websites.	Creating Berkeley branded departmental websites.	Portfolios, simple websites, wikis, team or project sites.	Websites for individuals and their projects, hosted directly from their GitHub@Berkeley repository.
Features	UC Berkeley branding built into platform; Ability to host domain at berkeley.edu; Built in security monitoring and updates; Built in accessibility; Training and support provided by onsite campus team. Regular releases of new features.	UC Berkeley branded accessible styling; Ability to host domain at berkeley.edu; Self service/DIY instructions.	UC Berkeley branded styling; Ability to host domain at berkeley.edu; Three basic templates to choose from; Self service/DIY instructions.	Intuitive drag and drop interface; Collaborate with others to build your website in a short amount of time; Fully integrated with Google Drive; Website can be public or private.	Create and publish GitHub Pages sites online using Jekyll Theme Chooser; GitHub Desktop; or the command line.
Cost	Requires setup, and monthly maintenance fees. Contact Service Provider for rates.	Templates free to use but requires paid hosting fees and any related developer costs.	Templates free to use but requires paid hosting fees and any related developer costs.	No direct user costs; funded through IT Productivity Suite fees.	No direct user costs; centrally funded through IST.
Contact the Service Provider	IST Open Berkeley Team Learn more Email	Public Affairs Branding Team Learn more Email	Public Affairs Branding Team Learn more Email	IST bConnected Team Learn more Email	IST Enterprise Integration Services Learn more Email