Everything you need to create your free website with Google Sites

Best Website Builders Specifically for Small Businesses

Is it surprising that Google’s thrown its hat into the ring of site builders? Not really. Google has already proven that it can do pretty much everything else related to the world wide web, from social media to email.

So, in all fairness to the reigning champ of the web, it’s about time Google gave us a website creation tool. However, it’s important to note Google doesn’t actually have a site builder. It currently has two site builders, one of which has been around for over a decade.

Google doesn’t offer as many features as you might like from a website builder. However, a Google website integrates “well-ish” with other Google products and shares the collaborative aspect found in all of Google’s tools. If you’d like a site that looks good, integrates well with Google, and offers all features necessary for a small business website, consider these four:

1. BigCommerce: Best Overall E-commerce Site Builder
2. Shopify: Best Customizable Website Builder
3. Zyro: Best Budget Website Builder
4. Squarespace: Best Quality Templates

What Is Google Sites and Why Use It?

Google Sites is a website-building platform from Google. If you're familiar with other website platforms like WordPress or Wix, you can think of Google Sites as something that's somewhat similar, but perhaps more specialized for businesses and web-based teams. 

 Google

If you already use other Google products and find them particularly useful for a business or organization that you work with, Google Sites might just be another one to add to your digital toolbox. Here's what you need to know about it.

A Brief Intro to Google Sites

Google Sites is an app that's a part of Google Workspace (formerly G Suite), which is a group of Google's business productivity apps, including Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Meet, and more. 

Google Workspace is free for anyone with a Google account to access and use, but there there are a variety of paid Workplace subscriptions that range from $6 to $18 per month that offer additional business-level features, including a custom domain for your Google Site.

There's also a Workspace Individual subscription that costs $9.99 per month that's aimed toward entrepreneurs and business owners. A Workspace Individual subscription includes features such as smart booking services, professional video meetings, personalized email marketing, and more.

But you don't need a paid Google Workspace account to access and use Google Sites. If you have a Google account, navigate to Google Sites, then select the plus sign to create a new site. If you don't already have a Google Account, create your new Google account in order to use Sites.

Your site's domain will be https://sites.google.com/view/[your site's name], but you also have the opportunity to purchase a custom domain or use a domain you already purchased from a domain registrar.

An older version of Sites, referred to as "classic," was similar in function to Google Docs. The newer iteration, however, works similarly to Google Forms.

What Google Sites Allows You to Do

Google Sites allows you to create a website without having to know how to code it yourself. When you're creating your Google Site, keep the Google Sites Support Page open and handy, so you can refer to it if you have questions.

Like other platforms, such as WordPress.com and Tumblr, Google Sites has site-builder features that make it easy and intuitive to design your site the way you want. You can also add "gadgets," such as calendars, maps, spreadsheets, presentations, and more to make your site more functional.

Choose a theme and customize it any way you want for a professional-looking site that looks and functions great across all desktop and mobile screens.

Why Use Google Sites?

Google Sites offers endless possibilities to make your website unique and customized. You may find that other platforms may be more appropriate, like Shopify or Etsy, for example, if you were planning on setting up an online shop, but you'd have to use both Google Sites and those platforms to determine for yourself whether one is better than the other in terms of what best suits your style and needs.

If you have a large team you work with, you may want to consider using Google Sites to build an intranet for communication purposes. The great thing about Google Sites is that you get to choose who can and can't access your site. So whether you want external visitors to be able to visit your site or you want to give collaborative editing privileges to certain users, you can easily do that with just a few clicks using Google Sites.

Integrating With Other Google Apps

This means that Google Drive features like Maps, YouTube, Calendars, and Docs can be integrated into users’ websites. This also means that users can work on a single website at the same time without having to worry about overriding anyone else’s work. This is real-time collaboration at its best.

This video will help you understand where Google Sites fits in with other Google apps like Maps or Google Docs. It will also show you how easy it is to create a website.

There are Two Versions of Google Sites

That said, the fact that there are two builder tools introduces some serious issues. For starters, this means that users need to learn about and understand the differences between the two before committing to one over the other.

Secondly, Classic is going away very soon. While it’s not an easy tool to use by any means and the websites that come out of it are unattractive, it enables users to accomplish a lot more than the new Google Sites.

Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of both website building platforms and save you time in having to poke and prod each yourself to see which one is best.

Google’s Site Builder Tools: Classic and New

The original version of Google’s tool is called Classic Google Sites and still exists today, though it appears that Google has plans to phase it out starting in 2018.

Once the depreciation is announced there will be a year where operations remain unchanged, followed by 3 months of read-only operation.

A screen grab from the new Google Sites promotional video.

Visit the new Google Sites

What is Google Classic Sites?

Classic Sites has been around since 2006 when Google purchased an enterprise software called JotSpot. Its previous site builder tool (Google Page Creator) was then moved over to the new platform and rebranded as Classic Sites.

The purpose of this tool is to enable people to build collaborative (“social”) websites or company intranets on their own. So, things like project wikis, project trackers, training documentation, and customer portals are what Classic Sites does best.

Time-warp: The old Google Sites (called “Classic”) is still available. The company promises migration to the new Google Sites will be available sometime in 2018. As of press, some sites were able to migrate, but not all.

The New Google Sites: Easier to Use

Then in 2016, Google decided to revamp its site builder in order to align it with 1) the rest of Google’s design and functionality, and 2) other site builders’ capabilities. The New Google Sites definitely looks a lot nicer than Classic Sites and is much easier to use. However, it’s severely restricting in terms of what users can actually build with it.

New Sites is currently being worked on as Google engineers hope to re-integrate the features and functionality that were lost between Classic and New. And to help those who have created a website using the Classic version, Google has created a site conversion tool. This enables users to create a new draft of their site on new Sites with all of their content being transferred across. Users can then publish this to a new URL or replace their original URL with this new site.

Previously, you weren’t able to do this which led to a time-consuming process of copying and pasting everything from one site to another.

So, this is where we currently stand with Google Sites. Two tools. No clear choice as to which is best since both have deficiencies within them. However, for users that want to use a free builder tool and would love the easy integration with Google Drive, Google Sites (over other site builder tools) may still be the right choice.

A Review of Classic Google Sites

Thinking about using the Classic version of Google’s site builder to build a site for your small business? Here is what you need to know about Classic Google Sites:

Domain and Hosting

Hosting of your website with Google is no different than the hosting of your files on Google Drive.

When you set up a website with Classic Sites, you get to select the name of your site and then the URL will automatically generate based on that name. It will look like this:

sites.google.com/site/[sitename]

However, if you want to purchase your own domain, you can do so through Google Domains.

Pricing

Google Sites is free to use, up to a point. You won’t be charged for additional features or support like other site builders, but there is a charge once you hit a designated storage threshold. And you’ll have to pay for your domain if you decide not to use the one assigned to you by Google Sites.

How to Sign Up

If you already have a Google account, there is no sign up needed. Simply go to the Google Sites website and start building a site.

An Outdated Interface

It’s obvious that this site builder was built back in 2006 because the interface is supremely outdated. There’s part of the tool that resembles an older version of Google — very minimal, but still not all that great to look at. And there are other parts of the tool (mainly the WYSIWYG), that look like you’re working out of an older version of Microsoft Word.

Themes

In Classic Google Sites, there are two types of design choices users get to make. The first is the theme or design they want to apply to their site.

Currently, there are dozens of themes available to choose from, most of which look old and unattractive. There are some newer ones available, but they’re super simple and nothing more than a bunch of solid-colored banners (basically, the way Google designs its own sites).

Templates

Templates are the other type of “design” option users get to choose from. A template isn’t a design so much as a layout for a specific type of site. So users are presented with options like classroom sites, soccer team, travel journal, project wiki, intranet site, contractor site, project tracking, and so on. An entirely pre-built site with design, content, and pages is then populated into the website.

It also appears that other people can create and publish their own templates for anyone to use. But like with themes, these templates are not very pretty to look at.

Ease of Use

Now, the aesthetics of the themes and templates is obviously an issue. No one wants to create a website that looks like it came from the ‘00s. However, if you’re not publishing the site to the web and it’s merely for internal purposes, that might not matter.

Classic Sites is not easy to use if you intend on redesigning or customizing the content. It really is like using an old version of Microsoft Word. There’s no drag-and-drop either, so it will require a lot of trial-and-error on your part to figure out how to create and edit your web pages.

Features

This is one of the areas where Classic outshines New, and I think Google is aware of this and is one of the reasons why they are keeping Classic alive for now, at least.

Although the features of Classic really aren’t suitable for any business website that people want to be published on the web, there is a lot more that can be done with this site builder than the newer version. For instance:

• Add text boxes
• Customize text using header formats, stylization, fonts, etc.
• Add images from Google, a link, or upload
• Insert a table of contents
• Update the number of columns in the layout
• Turn the footer on/off
• Add a sidebar and place it to the left or right of the content
• Update colors
• Integrate additional Google tools like Google+, Groups, and Hangouts

There are also “Gadgets” that are supposed to accomplish similar results as plugins and extensions in other builder tools. However, the gadgets don’t really work well nor do they serve a purpose for the types of sites you can create with it.

Limited Integration With Google Apps

Because of its simplicity, the Classic site builder doesn’t really integrate too much with other Google Apps, even though you do access it from your Google dashboard. You can integrate with Google tools like Google+, Groups, and Hangouts.

As you can see in the screenshot below, the interface is extremely simple, and not really suitable for building a full business website.

The “Classic” version of Google Sites works, but has a dated interface and limited capabilities.

Settings

The settings for Classic Sites are more comprehensive than the ones you’ll find in New Sites; however, there are so many different settings that it’s easy to miss the ones you want. User permissions, mobile-friendliness, theme updates, and more can all be done here, but they’re not easy to find.

Mobile

Sites designed with Classic are not automatically responsive. There is a random setting you have to switch on to enable the site to be viewed on mobile devices.

According to Google, only some users of Classic will be able to transfer their old websites to New Sites.

Alternatively, you can choose to move the content yourself. Classic users tired of the outdated interface who want to get up to speed with New Google Sites can rejoice. Just be careful…

SEO Features

There are no built-in SEO features in Classic Google Sites. For example, you cannot edit meta descriptions or meta tags. Even if there were built-in features, they would likely be outdated as best practices have changed dramatically since the builder was released.

A Review of New Google Sites

So, the classic Google Sites is clearly outdated. What about the new version?

Here is what you need to know about New Google Sites:

Domain and Hosting

This is the same deal as Classic Sites. Plus, remember to select the option to not have search engines show your site when you hit the “Publish” button.

Google Sites is a quick way to create business presentations, especially since it integrates with Google Sheets and Google Docs.

Pricing: Free

Same as Classic: it’s free unless you pass Google’s free storage threshold.

How Do I Sign Up?

Again, signup is the same as classic. If you’re already on Gmail or Google, then there is no signup process. Just get started.

The Interface is Intuitive and Minimalist

For those of you who like Google’s latest design (known as Material Design), then you’ll love New Google Sites. In addition to just being an all-around better-looking builder tool, it’s highly intuitive.

So if you know your way around other Google interfaces, this one will be a breeze. It even uses many of the same icons to accomplish similar tasks, so the consistency there is a bonus.

Themes: Designed to Offer Limited Options

As of writing this, New Sites only has a small handful of themes available. While they look a whole lot nicer and more modern than the options available from Classic, the themes don’t do a great deal except place a header image and title onto your site.

You can select your own accent color and font (from a very limited amount of options). But really, that’s all you get.

It’s easy to add Google Drive items, like charts, into the new Google Sites.

Templates: DIY

There are currently no templates available in this site builder. Everything needs to be built from scratch with the exception of the aforementioned home page header image.

The Drag-and-Drop Tool is Easy to Use

In addition to redesigning this new builder tool to match the rest of Google’s new streamlined interface, there is now a drag-and-drop available. This makes the process of creating new content and pages much easier than in the Classic iteration.

It also brings this tool more in line with how other site builders work (which was probably Google’s intention in the first place).

There are Some Issues Though

The one note I want to mention about this is that, while the drag-and-drop is convenient, the results are not great. For example, say you add a YouTube video to the page.

It’s automatically imported as a left-aligned video and is pretty small in size. If you expand the size of the video player, the blurriness of the original (and, yes, it was blurry) only gets worse.

Alignment isn’t something you can easily toggle between left, middle, and right for certain elements, either. Instead, New Sites uses gridlines so you can drag your element into position, which is likely to lead to issues since there’s nothing that tells you when you’ve hit a gridline or how even something sits between them.

It’s not the ideal way to help users build a site piece-by-piece.

Features

While there are few features that can be customized in New Sites, they’re much easier to apply than in Classic, which is a good thing because there are no templates to rely on here.

Here are some of the features included in New Sites:

• The Pages menu is where you can create new pages, duplicate them, and create sub-levels in your menu.
• The Insert menu contains all of the features where you can add text, images, content from a URL, a dividing line, Google documents, YouTube videos, an entire Google calendar, and more.
• A logo can be added to the top of the website.
• Navigation can sit in the top-right as a horizontal bar or as a hamburger menu in the top-left.
• The background image can be customized in the header and a readability layer can be added so that the title text is easier to read.
• A favicon can be added (that is the little icon you see in the tab of your browser from certain sites. For Digital.com, it is a teal “D”).

In addition, each new section that’s added to the site can have a unique background styling applied to it. The choices include an image background, solid white, and two different “emphasis” backgrounds with different colors to make them pop.

Learn more about Google Sites

Integration With Google Apps

Even though the New Google Sites still isn’t a professional tool, it does integrate with other apps, including Google Analytics. You can easily import data and content from YouTube, Google Maps, or your Google Drive. This makes it an ideal choice for quick business reports and presentations.

See the right sidebar of the screenshot below.

The vertical dashboard at right lists integrations with other Google apps.

Settings

There isn’t a lot you can do with the Settings in New Sites. One feature you can use is to limit who can see your site by selecting a specific audience.

So, all that control that users had in Classic — regardless of how hard it was to find — isn’t available anymore. Part of that may be because Google found that users didn’t need those settings. Part of it may be because those settings are automated.

Mobile-Friendly Responsive Sites

There is no longer a choice to make your New Site mobile-friendly. Instead, when viewing your site in Preview mode, you can view it from a smartphone, tablet, or desktop view, which indicates that these sites are all automatically responsive now.

One thing to note about New Sites is that it only works if you have the latest Chrome or Firefox browsers. If you’re working out of anything else, you’ll have to remain with Classic until you’re ready to change browsers.

SEO Features: Somewhat Mysterious

There does not appear to be any SEO features in the new Google Sites. Any optimization would need to be done manually, and with no access to coding that could prove difficult. There is, however, some talk that Google ranks sites built with its site builder well regardless of content. Nevertheless, there is no way to predict if that is true or if it will continue.

Again, this isn’t really a good site builder for external sites.

Google New Sites vs. Google Classic Sites

Feature	Google New Sites	Google Classic Sites
Domain and Hosting	Free Google Sites domain or paid customized domain from Google Domains	Free Google Sites domain or paid customized domain from Google Domains
Pricing	Free (unless you buy a domain or exceed the storage limit)	Free (unless you buy a domain or exceed the storage limit)
Sign Up	Only a Google account is needed	Only a Google account is needed
Interface	Highly intuitive	Very outdated and restrictive
Themes	Minimal selection but far more modern	Dozens (but simple or outdated)
Templates	None	Pre-built sites available
Easy of Use	Drag-and-drop feature (but some teething problems)	No drag-and-drop Hard to customize content
Automatically Responsive	Yes	No
SEO	None	None
Integration with Google Apps	Yes	Basic ones, i.e. Google+ and Hangouts, available
Perfect for…?	Basic sites and documents	Building internal websites that don’t need to stand out from the crowd

Is the Google Sites Site Builder (New or Classic) a Good Choice for My Small Business?

This builder tool is most definitely not ideal for a public website. I really wouldn’t even recommend it for a company website either since it won’t be the best reflection of your company as a whole. Classic’s designs are downright awful and you’re basically stuck having to use its templates built in the ‘00s to serve as the layout. And Google Sites’ new designs and features are too basic to actually build a fully functioning website with.

Frequently Asked Questions About Google Sites

Here are a few common questions about Google Sites, with answers.

How Do You Get New Google Sites?

1. Go to the new Google Sites page
2. Click the “+” button in the bottom right-hand corner
3. Start adding content to your site, adjusting the layout, and so on
4. To save your changes, hit “Publish” (but don’t forget to change the settings if you don’t want your site to go live to the world just yet)
5. To change the name of your site, click “Untitled Site” at the top left-hand side
6. Enter the name of your new site
7. Press enter to save this
8. You can rename your site at any time by just clicking into the text again
9. To change the URL of your site, click on the three dots next to “Publish” and select “Custom URLS”
10. Finally, if you want to duplicate your site, go to the three dots again and click “Duplicate site”

What Can I Use Google Sites For?

For now, if you want to stay within Google and like the fact that the site builder is free, then use it for collaborative interfaces. Use it for scheduling school sports activities. Or for publishing information about an event with directions to it. Or for creating a repository of Google Documents you want a bunch of people to have access to from one centralized and branded location.

Google Sites vs. Google My Business – Which Is Better?

If you want to avoid all this back and forth, compromisation of quality, and want a site builder that will do much more for your company’s website, then take a look at Google My Business instead. You can get a free website automatically generated from your Google listing, which will offer you some online presence without any work.

But if your goal is to publish a usable site to the web and generate revenue and business from it, you may want to pursue other site builder options.

Should You Use Google New Sites or Google Classic Sites?

Google is urging new users to start using New Sites to build their websites, with the promise that more features are coming soon. But Google is also telling users that they can stay on Classic for the time being (at least as of 2018). When the feature build-out is complete and Classic is gone for good, we’ll have to revisit Google Sites to see if it’s become a true contender in the site builder space; it just isn’t at that point right now.