Using the Google Sites Announcement Banner to Highlight Key Updates for SEO

The announcement banner in New Google Sites is a versatile tool that displays a prominent message at the top of your website. This feature can be used to highlight recent updates, share important news, or promote special offers. From an SEO perspective, the announcement banner can drive traffic to specific pages or sections, signaling to search engines that your site is active and regularly updated. Frequent updates also enhance user experience, which may lead to longer visit times and more page interactions, both of which can indirectly improve SEO.

To add an announcement banner, open your Google Sites editor and navigate to Settings in the top right corner (gear icon). Select Announcement Banner option in the Settings window, and toggle the "Show Banner" option to enable it. Alternatively if you just start typing in the "Message" box the banner will enable itself automatically.

This keeps your message relevant to SEO search terms and may encourage more clicks from users looking for similar content.

The announcement banner allows you to link to a specific page, guiding visitors directly to your latest updates. For example, link to a new blog post, a refreshed services page, or a featured product. Adding a call-to-action, such as “Read More” or “Learn About Our New Services,” encourages clicks and helps direct traffic to high-priority pages, which can increase engagement and improve search ranking signals.

If your website includes seasonal content, limited-time offers, or important updates, the announcement banner can keep these front and center. By directing visitors to time-sensitive content, you keep users engaged and show search engines that your site is timely and active. This activity can improve SEO by drawing more repeat visits and increasing the likelihood of social sharing or bookmarking.

For the best impact, keep your banner message concise—around 50-70 characters is ideal. Include one or two relevant keywords that match the content you’re linking to. This approach keeps the banner visually clean and prevents keyword stuffing, which can negatively impact SEO.

Including a call-to-action (CTA) like “Discover More” or “Read Latest Updates” can increase click-through rates. Make sure your CTA aligns with the linked page content, so users know exactly what to expect. A strong CTA enhances user engagement and can boost the banner’s effectiveness.

You can set the banner to display on home page only, or all pages. Think carefully what you want your user to see, and when they will want to see it. A new blog or post should probably only be displayed on the homepage, but a discount offer for visitors is likely to be of interest across the site. Use it wisely!

Conversely, if you really want to draw attention then use a bright colour that is clearly visible to the user.

If you regularly publish blog content, use the announcement banner to alert visitors to new posts. For instance, if you’ve just posted a guide on “Using Google Sites for Small Business,” the banner can link directly to it with a CTA like “Read Our Latest Guide!” This approach drives visitors to high-value content, increases engagement, and signals to search engines that your site is updated with relevant information.

Whether it’s an upcoming sale, holiday hours, or an annual update, the banner is an effective way to keep visitors informed. For example, a banner reading “See Our Holiday Service Hours” could link to an informational page about seasonal hours, helping users find what they need and supporting longer engagement times.

Start using the announcement banner to drive traffic to essential pages and watch as your site’s engagement improves.