If you want to create a website, you might come across some Google Sites reviews in your search for the best builder out there. Let me warn you in advance - Google Sites isn’t exactly the type of a builder that most people search for.
That’s not to say that GS is not worth paying attention to - it is. It’s just a bit… Unique.
If you’re looking for a traditional type of a website builder, I’m sorry to say that you’re not going to find one here. Google Sites won’t help you create a blog, an eCommerce site or start up a completely new brand of your own. For a builder like that, check out our list of the top website builders of the year (don't miss out on Squarespace and Zyro!).
However, if you don’t really need a website per se, and are only looking for an advanced way to create and share content - continue reading this Google Sites review.
TL;DR: Google Sites isn’t a traditional website builder - it’s a tool that helps you work on projects and collaborate with your colleagues. That said, it’s very easy to use, requires zero technical knowledge and is completely free.
Do you have any tips for those who are building a website with a website builder?
When using a website builder, try to keep the best practices by using headers and text. It's important to think about your headers as an outline of your website for SEO purposes, and not just change the size of the text to appease a user.
Pros
- Free
- Easy to use
- Perfect for individual projects and small businesses
Cons
- Not a website builder
- Lack of unique templates
- No custom domain
Table of Contents
Google Sites Review: PROS
So - what in the world is Google Sites?
Well, as you might have gathered from the name of the builder in question, Google Sites is a Google-made tool that helps you create certain specific sites for the purposes of storing, sharing and interacting with various types of content.
Now, how is that different from a traditional website builder?
Frankly, Google Sites doesn’t let you create a website per se. Instead, it’s a separate type of a sub-site - there are no domain name options (unless you count the subdomain, that is), and Google Sites reviews often talk about the limitations of the tool in question.
However, Google Sites has never tried portraying itself as something that it is not.
While you won’t be able to launch the next big dropshipping business via the site, user Google Sites reviews will tell you that the collection of various tools on the platform allows you to work on individual projects, share these project publicly or with designated groups of people, embed various widgets, and so on.
If you see that Google Sites reviews aren’t exactly what you’re looking for, and that dropshipping business is starting to sound progressively more alluring, then you best check out some of the best actual website builder reviews - Squarespace and Zyro are great places to start.
Very Easy to Use
The one thing that (most) traditional website builders have in common is that they are generally very easy to use.
It’s kind of a given, to be honest - the whole point of a website builder is to be able to provide a person with no technical computing or programming knowledge with the ability to create their own website, start to finish. If there are difficult technicalities involved, the builder can often be considered a flunk (CMSs are the one exception).
While user Google Sites reviews acknowledge the fact that GS isn’t a traditional website builder, people looking into the functionality aspect of the platform will soon find out that it’s actually extremely easy to use.
Upon entering the site for the first time, you’ll be greeted by a blank screen and a small “+” sign at the bottom of the page. Pressing it will reveal the entire site creation page - you’ll find all of your customization options on the right side of the screen, with your page displayed in front of you.
You can click anywhere on the page in order to add a widget. The widgets vary - you can create a new page, add an embedded link, an image, a text box, and so on.
What’s really cool about this feature is that, once added on the page, these widgets can then be manipulated and dragged around. Now, it’s worth noting that you can’t really place stuff ANYWHERE on the page - there are specific lines that cannot be crossed. That said, user Google Sites reviews claim that there’s still plenty of room for creative freedom.
Honestly, whether you’re using Google Sites for business or for your own personal projects, the platform is still going to prove itself to be a breeze to learn and understand.
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Good Customization Options
While user Google Sites reviews do note that the platform falls in comparison to many of the best website builders out there, keeping in mind the limited usability of GS, it still manages to offer some pretty cool customization options.
For starters, on the right side of the menu, scrolling a bit down, you’ll find a bunch of different features that can be added to your page. These include, but are not limited to - buttons, calendars, maps, sheets, tables of content, and so on.
Furthermore, you can customize all of those features to your own liking. Once they’re put on the page, you’ll be able to move them around, increase or decrease their size, etc.
While user Google Sites reviews note that the theme (template) options for GS are pretty scarce, they are still very easily applied, no matter how much you’ve customized your page already.
Fluid Page Design
Many user Google Sites reviews will tell you that, as of late, the website builder industry has come across a new challenge.
With the advancement of technology gaining more and more momentum, an increasing amount of people are utilizing their mobile devices for surfing the web. And that’s to put it really lightly - whether it be online shopping or even playing games, so much of what had been attributed solemnly to PCs or laptops is now available on your smartphone.
Search engines know this pretty well. In turn, they try to show their users websites that are configured to not only look good on one’s desktop or laptop, but also on a phone or tablet.
Naturally, as many Google Sites reviews note, that puts a pretty big strain on website builders. And no, I’m not talking about Google Sites cost (although we’ll get to Google Sites pricing in due time) or anything like that - no, I’m referencing fluid and adaptive design templates.
Top-tier website builders today offer their customers website templates that don’t only look modern and beautiful, but are also adaptive. These templates should be able to look natural and work properly on any type of a resolution, and with any type of a device.
You’ll be happy to learn that Google Sites, in its totality, functions very well on all of the devices across the many different platforms out there. Whether it be your phone, laptop or anything else, a page (site) created with the tool is going to adapt in both terms of functionality and visual layout.
Google Sites Review: CONS
Now, we’ve established that Google Sites is great for anyone who’s looking to do some collaborative work with their colleagues or work on a solo project, all together. However, GS does have its limitations, and the obvious one would have to be the “website builder” part.
Not a Real Website Builder
We’ve referenced this time and time again throughout the Google Sites review, but it definitely deserves to be addressed more specifically.
The biggest con of Google Sites is the fact that it isn’t a real website builder.
Now, this isn’t going to be too big of a problem if what you’re looking for is a visual tool that would aid you in some specific projects. That said, with the tag of a “website builder” still being attributed to Google Sites, it will throw many people off course.
Think about it yourself. Say, you have zero know-how when it comes to website builders. You’ve never used one, and while looking for a good entry point, you somehow ended up on Google Sites.
With the intention of (for example) creating an online shop, you cheerfully sign up, thinking that everything is going to be a breeze from here on out. However, as soon as you see that there aren’t any eCommerce options, you’re left disappointed.
That’s the main problem of this tool - it’s a bit confusing, since the terminology is often so loosely used.
Only a Few Templates
If you’re opting to use Google Sites with the idea of creating super-original and eye-catching content in mind, you’ll most likely end up disappointed.
You see, the builder does not have any templates per se - at least not in the sense that most other legitimate website builders use templates. Instead, GS offers a few different “themes” for your page.
The themes, though, leave a lot to be desired. They change some fonts and specific page styling details, but they don’t really impact how the page looks overall. Sure, an argument can be made that that’s what layouts are for, but I digress - with a very limited number of layouts, too, there’s little-to-no room for creating a unique site.
Price
Google Sites pricing is a pretty interesting topic.
Online, you will often see users talk about Google Sites cost. It’s especially interesting when you have people who have never used the platform speculate on just how much could the service cost. Often times, there are numbers being thrown around - well, I’m here to burst that speculation bubble.
As soon as you take a look at the Google Sites cost, you’ll immediately see that there is none.
Yup - the service is completely free to use.
To be completely honest, that’s likely the biggest benefit that GS has. In addition to being able to create various different site pages and share them as means for growing your projects or even using Google Sites for business, the fact that it’s completely free makes it much more accessible to a wider group of people.
And honestly, whether you care about Google Sites pricing for your own means or are looking to use Google Sites for business, the tool being free will allow you to use it in one way or another, even though you might have been looking for an actual website builder.
Closing Remarks
If you’ve made it this far into the Google Sites review, the platform has likely caught your interest for one reason or another, even though you might have initially come expecting to read about a real, fully-fledged website builder.
To sum up this article, I’d advise you to view Google Sites as a helpful tool for some specific projects that you’re working on. After all, you can set your privacy settings so that only you would be able to access the site.
When it comes to collaborations, however, this is where the topic of Google Sites for business comes in. You see, the platform is relatively popular among smaller companies that want to manage their projects in a shared, easy-to-access and use way.
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Conclusions
So - Google Sites isn’t a legitimate website builder. It’s a helpful tool for managing different projects, and can be utilized to create specific, low-key sites, but it won’t suffice for anyone who wants to create a real, fully-functional website. For this purpose, you’re going to have to take a look at some of the best website builders in the current market. Such website builders as Zyro and Squarespace will help you to create unique-looking and functional sites.
That being said, many user Google Sites reviews note that the platform does have its advantages. If you ignore the scarce theme choice pool and the actual limitations of the builder, you’ll be greeted with a very user-friendly, easy-to-use tool for project management.
And the best part of it all is that Google Sites is completely free to use. No monthly fees, no hidden pricing options, nothing - all you need to do is log in with your Google account and you can start creating your page in no time.
All in all, even if you do find a website builder that’s going to suit your wants and needs, always remember that you can utilize Google Sites as a helpful tool, in addition to owning and managing a website.
With that said, I hope that this article was useful to you, and wish you the best of luck in finding the most suitable website builder for yourself!
Contributed by: Mike Evans , Consultant at Spice Digital Solutions
Mike Evans is a digital marketing consultant that is focused on getting small business tangible results. He specializes in web design, eCommerce, SEO, PPC ad management, and third-party d...
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- + Free
- + Easy to use
- + Perfect for individual projects and small businesses
- - Not a website builder
- - Lack of unique templates
- - No custom domain
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