Short answer: Google Sites lets you build a website in your browser from a template, add pages and content, and publish it at a web address you enter. You decide whether the published site is Restricted or Public. The site’s owner can connect a custom domain, but some fonts don’t work there and Google Groups embeds won’t render properly. Features that depend on Google Account authentication may not work either.
What you need to build a Google site
Google Sites works in the browser. You can view a site on a computer, phone or tablet, but you must use a computer to edit it.
To edit, Google asks for Chrome version 24 or later, or the latest version of Firefox or Safari, with cookies and JavaScript turned on. You can view your sites with the 2 most recent versions of Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge or Safari.
Google says you can create a site for personal or business use. Google Accounts managed by parents can’t use Google Sites, though they can see and edit sites that already exist.
If you used the free website that came with a Google Business Profile, our guide to the Google Business Profile website explains what happened to it.
Create the site and its pages
Open Google Sites and, under “Start a new site,” select a template, or click Template Gallery at the top right. Enter the site’s name at the top left, then add your content. Google notes you can build your own site or save time by starting with a template.
Pages live in the Pages panel on the right, where you add, duplicate or delete them. Dragging a page under another makes it a subpage, and Google allows up to 5 levels of subpages. You can also choose which page is the homepage.
Each page can get a custom path in its properties. Google warns that publishing a custom path or renaming a page creates a new URL, which might affect your Analytics data.
Page paths are limited to 1,024 characters, and nesting pages makes their paths longer. For path errors, Google suggests shorter page or menu section titles, shorter custom paths or less nesting.
Hiding a page takes it out of the menu, but people can still reach it with a link. You can’t hide the homepage, and hiding any other page hides its subpages too.
Add your content
From the Insert panel you can add Google Docs, Slides, Sheets, Forms and Charts, as well as YouTube videos, calendars and maps. You can upload .jpg, .png or .gif images from your computer, and Google points you to Google Drive for other file types.
Embed takes web addresses, full pages from other websites, and HTML, CSS or JavaScript code. Google notes that some websites won’t let you add their content.
If a file is stored on a shared drive or has restricted sharing permissions, only people with access will be able to see it. Google says you must share embedded files with your collaborators and viewers when you publish the site.
Publish the site and choose who sees it
Preview first, and choose a layout option at the bottom right to check the page. When you click Publish, you enter the web address for the site, and terms that violate Google’s Acceptable Use Policy won’t be allowed.
In Share, next to “Published site,” you select Restricted or Public. A restricted site can be shared with specific people and groups, and work or school accounts may find other options.
A public site can also ask search engines not to show it, in Publish settings. Google calls this a request that doesn’t guarantee the site won’t show up in public search engines.
To change the address later, enter a new one under “Web address” in Publish settings. To reuse an address you own, first give the old site a different address or permanently delete it.
Connect your own domain
A custom domain gives the site an address like www.yourdomain.com. Only the site’s owner can connect one, in Settings, Custom domains, Start setup, and then follows the steps of the domain registrar.
If Google asks you to verify ownership, add the domain as a Domain property in Google Search Console, then add its TXT record to your DNS records. Our Google Search Console guide explains Domain and URL-prefix properties.
Google allows up to five custom domains per site, and changes may take up to 48 hours to become visible. The address must include a subdomain, like www, and Google sets a limit of 20 mappings a week for a URL.
You can also buy a domain through a Google Workspace plan, whose default subscription is Business Standard. Our guide to domain names explains how to register one.
Additional fonts from Docs and Slides that aren’t in Google Fonts don’t work with custom URLs, and Google Groups embeds won’t render properly. Features that depend on Google Account authentication may not work either.
The site must also be shared with the world for published viewers, or it redirects to its sites.google.com address. Google adds that the domain may stop working if you delete the site, transfer its ownership or move it into a Team Drive.
Measure visits with Analytics
To measure visits, add a valid Analytics Property ID in Settings, Analytics. Google says data can take up to 24 hours to show up.
If visitors reject tracking cookies, Google warns that the data might be inaccurate and underestimate actual use. Our guide to setting up Google Analytics 4 shows how to create the account and the property.
How to build your first Google site
- On a computer, open Google Sites and start from a template, or build your own site.
- Name the site, add your pages in the Pages panel and choose the homepage.
- Insert your text, images, maps and Google files, and share every embedded file with the people who will view the site.
- Preview the site, click Publish, enter its web address and set it to Restricted or Public.
- Connect your own domain in Settings, Custom domains, and add your Analytics Property ID in Settings, Analytics.
Each step follows the Sites Help center from Google.
Checks before you share the address
- Every page you want people to find is in the menu, and every hidden page is hidden on purpose.
- Every embedded file is shared with the people who will view the site.
- The published site is Public, or Restricted with the right people added.
- A public site that should stay out of search engines has the request turned on in Publish settings.
- Your custom domain includes a subdomain such as www and doesn’t redirect to sites.google.com.
- Your Analytics Property ID is in Settings, and you check your data again after renaming a page or changing a path.
RememberBuild from a template, publish at the address you choose and decide who can see the site. If you connect a domain, share the site with the world, and expect some fonts and embeds to work differently there.
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Questions about Google Sites
Can I use my own domain with Google Sites?
Yes. The site’s owner connects it in Settings, Custom domains, and Google may first ask you to verify ownership in Search Console. Google allows up to five custom domains per site, the address must include a subdomain such as www, and changes may take up to 48 hours to show.
Can I edit a Google site on my phone?
No. Google says you can view a site on a computer, phone or tablet, but you must use a computer to edit it. For editing, it asks for Chrome version 24 or later, or the latest version of Firefox or Safari, with cookies and JavaScript turned on.
How do I keep a Google site out of search results?
If the site is public on the web, click “Request public search engines to not display my site” in Publish settings and click Save. Google calls it a request that doesn’t guarantee the site won’t show up in public search engines, and the option exists only for public sites.
Can I add HTML or JavaScript to Google Sites?
Yes. Click Insert, then Embed and Embed code, add your HTML, CSS or JavaScript, click Next and then Insert. Google asks for JavaScript within script tags and CSS within style tags. A full page embed, from Add in the Pages panel, puts the code on a page of its own.
Why did my Google Sites custom domain stop working?
Google says it may stop working if you delete the site, transfer its ownership to someone else or move it into a Team Drive. The site must also be shared with the world, or visitors are redirected to its sites.google.com address.
Sources
All pages read on November 7, 2026. Sites Help from Google, to build the site: How to use Google Sites; What you need to use Google Sites; Create, name, delete, or copy a site; Add, delete & organize pages. To add content and publish: Add Google files, videos, website content, & more; Publish & share your site. For domains and data: Use a custom domain for your site; Use Analytics with your site. Ours: the web design page and the guides to the Google Business Profile website, Google Search Console, domain names and setting up Google Analytics 4.