Build a Website

A knowledge base article about Build a Website provided by the UC Berkeley IT Service Hub - Knowledge Portal

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

Questions to Consider

Want to leverage the power of the Berkeley Brand on a fully-supported platform? Then use Open Berkeley.
Do you have web development experience, or can you afford to hire someone who does? If yes, the DIY WordPress or Drupal option 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 will need to choose between Open Berkeley and DIY Drupal/WordPress.

Website Building Options	Open Berkeley	Do-It-Yourself Drupal or WordPress Sites	Google Sites
Service Description	Open Berkeley is a turnkey web platform solution for UC Berkeley campus websites.	Hosting-only service for self-supported Drupal and WordPress sites.	Google Sites allows you to create a simple personal website, wiki, or project site without any prior programming or design skills.
Target Audience	Campus departments; those without prior web experience or anyone wanting built-in features.	Campus departments; those familiar with WordPress or Drupal site building and development.	Individuals or teams using G Suite; those without prior programming or design skills.
Best Uses	Creating Berkeley-branded departmental websites.	Creating departmental websites.	Portfolios, simple websites, wikis, team or project sites.
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 Berkeley IT team (Web Platform Services). Regular releases of new features.	Fully self-service; Ability to host domain at berkeley.edu.	Intuitive drag and drop interface; Collaborate with others to build your website in a short amount of time; Fully integrated with Google Drive; Websites can be public or private.
Cost	Requires setup, and monthly maintenance fees. Contact Service Provider for rates.	Requires paid hosting fees and any third-party developer costs.	No direct user costs; funded through IT Productivity Suite fees.
Contact the Service Provider	Web Platform Services Learn more	Web Platform Services (for hosting questions only) Learn more	bConnected Learn more