This is the moment your collection gets a home on the web. Creating a site only takes a minute of your time, and then we handle the rest behind the scenes.
Creating sites is a job for team owners, so if you do not see the button described below, ask the owner of your team.
Start a new site
From the Sites page, click New site in the top corner. (If your team has templates, you will also see Create Site From Template next to it.)
You will see a short form with a few choices to make.
1. Pick your platform
Choose between Omeka (that is Omeka Classic) and Omeka S. Each card has a short description to help you decide. If you want more detail, our guide on Omeka Classic vs Omeka S breaks it down.
The platform is permanent, so choose with care. You can always create another site on the other platform later.
2. Choose a version (or don't)
Once you pick a platform, the Version list fills in. Most people should leave it blank, and we will install the newest version for you.
3. Name your site
Give your site a name. It is how the site appears in your Sites list, and it also becomes the site's title in Omeka, so your visitors will see it too. Each site on your team needs its own name.
You can rename the site in the dashboard later, but that only changes the name in your dashboard. To change the title visitors see, edit it in Omeka's own settings.
4. Pick a circle (optional)
If you group your sites into circles, choose one here, or create a new one with the + button. You can skip this.
5. Set the admin email
This email becomes the login for your new Omeka site. It is filled in with your own email by default, which is usually what you want. We generate a secure password for you automatically, and you can see it once the site is ready.
Click Create and you are done with your part.
While your site is being built
Your new site is set up in the background, and it usually takes a few minutes. You are taken straight to the site's dashboard, where an amber Setting up your site… label shows at the top.
Below it, the Activity list narrates each step as it happens, newest at the top:
- Creating the site database
- Provisioning the site on the web server
- Requesting and installing an SSL certificate
- Creating storage for the site files
- Installing the platform, which takes the longest
- Running Omeka's initial setup with your admin email and password
- Installing the platform's default themes
There is no need to keep the page open. Feel free to grab a coffee and come back. We will also send you an email when the site is ready.
Your site is ready
When everything is finished, the page updates on its own: the setup label is replaced by two buttons, Public Site and Admin Site, and the site's settings appear below.
Your site starts out on a temporary web address that we create for you. It works right away, so you can start building immediately. When you are ready to use your own domain name, see using your own domain.
Next up: logging into your Omeka site so you can start adding items.