Google Sites lets you build a website in your browser without writing code or paying for hosting

Google Sites is a free website builder owned by Google. You sign in with a Google account, pick a template or start blank, and drag text and images onto the page. Google handles the hosting — your site lives on Google's servers — so you do not pay monthly fees or manage technical setup. The site is live as soon as you publish it, and you can edit it anytime by signing back in.

The trade-off is simplicity for flexibility. Google Sites works well for small projects: a portfolio, a small business homepage, a club or family site, documentation. It does not work well if you need a store with a shopping cart, a membership system where people log in, or a blog with hundreds of posts. For those, you would need a more powerful platform.

Key Takeaways

  • Google Sites is free and requires only a Google account; your site is hosted by Google at no cost.
  • You create pages by dragging and dropping text, images, and other content onto a template or blank canvas.
  • Google Sites works best for small websites like portfolios, business cards, and documentation, not for stores or membership sites.
  • Your site is private by default; you choose whether to publish it publicly or share it only with specific people.
  • You can use a custom domain (like yourname.com) if you own one, though Google Sites itself does not sell domains.

What you need before you start

You need a Google account. If you have Gmail, YouTube, or Google Drive, you already have one. If not, go to accounts.google.com and create one — it takes a few minutes and is free.

You do not need to know HTML, CSS, or any programming language. You do not need to buy hosting or a domain name to get your free guide. You can publish a site at a Google-provided address (like yourname.sites.google.com) at no cost. If you already own a domain name through another registrar, you can point it to your Google Sites site, but that is optional and comes later.

The steps to create your first site

Step 1: Go to Google Sites and start a new site. Open sites.google.com in your browser. Sign in with your Google account if you are not already signed in. Click the plus sign or "Create" button. You will see a list of templates — blank, portfolio, business, event, and others. Pick one or click "Blank" to start empty. Either way, you can change everything later.

Step 2: Name your site. A dialog box will ask for a site name. This is the title that appears at the top of your browser tab and in search results. You can change it anytime. Click "Create" and Google will open the editor.

Step 3: Add and edit pages. On the left side of the editor, you will see a navigation panel. Click the plus sign to add a new page. Each page gets its own URL path (like yourname.sites.google.com/about). You can rename pages, reorder them, or delete them. Most sites start with a home page and an about page.

Step 4: Add content to your pages. In the main editor area, click anywhere to add text, or use the toolbar at the top to insert images, videos, tables, or other elements. Drag elements around to position them. Google Sites saves your work automatically as you type, so you do not have to worry about losing changes.

Step 5: Publish your site. Click the "Publish" button in the top right. Google will give you a public URL. Anyone with that link can view your site. You can also change sharing settings to make the site visible only to specific people (useful for a family site or internal documentation).

Choosing a template versus starting blank

Google Sites templates come with pre-built layouts, placeholder text, and sample images. Using a template is faster if you want a standard structure — a home page with a hero image, an about section, a contact form. You can delete any section you do not need and add your own content.

Starting blank gives you a completely empty canvas. You build the layout yourself by adding sections and elements. This takes longer but gives you more control if you have a specific design in mind. Most people find a template saves time, even if they customize it heavily afterward.

Making your site look like yours

Click the "Theme" button in the top toolbar to change colors, fonts, and overall style. Google Sites offers a set of built-in themes. You pick one and it applies to the whole site at once. You can also customize individual elements — click any text or image and use the toolbar to change its color, size, or alignment.

The "Pages" panel on the left controls navigation. You can reorder pages by dragging them, nest pages under other pages to create submenus, or hide pages from the navigation menu if you want them to exist but not show up in the main menu.

Adding forms and interactive elements

Click the "Insert" menu in the toolbar to add a contact form, a sign-up form, or a survey. Google Forms is built in — when someone fills out your form, the responses go to a Google Sheet that you can view anytime. You do not have to set up a separate service or write any code.

You can also embed videos from YouTube, maps from Google Maps, or calendars from Google Calendar. These stay live and update automatically — if you change an event in Google Calendar, it updates on your website without you having to edit the page.

Publishing and sharing your site

By default, your site is private. Only you can see it while you are editing. When you click "Publish," you choose who can view it. You can make it public (anyone with the link can see it), restrict it to people with a Google account, or share it with specific email addresses. You can change these settings anytime.

If you own a custom domain (like yourname.com), you can point it to your Google Sites site. You do this through your domain registrar's settings, not through Google Sites itself. Google provides instructions for the most common registrars. This step is optional — your site works fine at the Google-provided address.

What Google Sites cannot do

Google Sites is not designed for online stores. If you need a shopping cart, payment processing, and inventory management, you need Shopify, WooCommerce, or a similar e-commerce platform. Google Sites also does not support membership logins, where different users see different content. It does not have built-in SEO tools beyond basic metadata, and it does not scale well to hundreds of pages — it is meant for small, focused sites.

If you outgrow Google Sites, you can export your content and move to WordPress, Wix, or another builder, though the process is manual and you will lose some formatting. Plan ahead if you think your site might become complex later.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Google Sites for free, or do I have to pay?

Google Sites is completely free. There are no hidden fees, no premium tiers, and no ads on your site. Google hosts it, so you do not pay for hosting either. You only pay if you buy a custom domain name through a registrar, which is optional.

How do I add a custom domain to my Google Sites website?

Go to the site settings (gear icon in the top right), click "Custom domain," and follow the steps. You will need to own the domain already through a registrar like GoDaddy or Namecheap. Google will ask you to add a DNS record to your registrar's settings. It usually takes a few hours for the change to take effect.

Can I password-protect my Google Sites website?

Not with a password. You can restrict viewing to specific people by email address, or require anyone viewing it to sign in with a Google account. If you need a password, you would need a different platform.

What happens to my site if I stop using Google?

Your site stays live as long as your Google account is active. If you delete your Google account, the site is deleted too. You can export your pages as HTML files before that happens, but you cannot easily move a Google Sites site to another platform — you would have to rebuild it.

Can I sell things on a Google Sites website?

Google Sites does not have built-in shopping cart or payment processing. You can embed a Stripe or PayPal button for a single product, but you cannot manage inventory, shipping, or multiple products. For a real store, use Shopify, WooCommerce, or BigCommerce instead.