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.
Start a new site
From the Sites page, click the New site button in the top corner.
📷 Screenshot: The Sites page with the "New site" button highlighted in the top right.
You will see a short form with a few choices to make.
1. Pick your platform
Choose between 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.
📷 Screenshot: The New Site form showing the two platform cards, with Omeka S selected.
2. Choose a version (or don't)
You can pick a specific version of the platform if you need one. Most people should leave this blank, and we will install the newest version for you.
3. Name your site
Give your site a name. This is just for you and your team, so pick something you will recognize in your Sites list. You can always rename it later.
4. 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 view 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. While it works, you will see a "Setting up your site" indicator at the top of the page.
📷 Screenshot: The site page header showing the animated "Setting up your site..." indicator.
If you are curious, the activity feed at the bottom of the site page shows each step as it happens:
- 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
There is no need to keep the page open. Feel free to grab a coffee and come back.
Your site is ready
When everything is finished, the page refreshes on its own and two buttons appear at the top: Public Site and Admin Site.
📷 Screenshot: The site page header showing the "Public Site" and "Admin Site" buttons after setup completes.
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, you can add it from the site settings.
Next up: logging into your Omeka site so you can start adding items.