Can Google Workspace host website?

When I first started using Google Sites I thought it was just a tiny feature of the entire Google Workspace suite for quickly creating very simple web pages for intranets. But considering the  array of features available, I started wondering, can Google Workspace host my website?

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As a whole you can use Google Workspace to host your website. You can host a static, portfolio-type website using inbuilt themes provided by Google Workspace. You can also associate your domain name with your Google Sites website.

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Google Sites comes free with Google Workspace. It has a drag-and-drop interface that allows you to build a website from scratch. No programming or design skills are needed. It provides a collaborative environment where multiple people can work on the content and the layout of the website. All Google Sites themes that come with Google Workspace are easily scalable to all screen sizes.

It is also very cost effective as hosting your site on Google does not cost you anything, so you definitely save some money with it especially if you add Google Workspace business promo code on top of it to save 12% on your first year bill.

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Can use Google Sites with a custom domain name like

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https://yourdomain.com ?

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You can use Google sites with your custom domain name but for that, you will need to change the CNAME values where you have registered your domain name. Explained later.

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Google Sites in Google Workspace is intended for those people who quickly want to assemble an online place that can be remotely accessed internally and externally. If your website can be accessed by the general public, Google terms it as a “public-facing website”. So yes, if you’re thinking “can Google Workspace host my website?”, it can.

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Using a custom domain when hosting your website on Google Workspace

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If you have created your website using Google Sites, and assuming you haven’t yet mapped a custom domain with your Google Sites URL, currently, your website URL should look like:

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https://sites.google.com/yourdomain.com/company-website/

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But you want it to appear as

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https://yourdomain.com

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Let’s see how it is done.

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From your Google account, you need to log into your Google Workspace admin section.

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From there, click Apps, then Google Workspace, and then, Sites.

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Scroll a bit, and you come across the “Custom URL” section. Click it.

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In the proceedings screen, click the “+” icon.

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In the popup that appears, in case you haven’t specifically created your website using “Classic Sites”, keep ”New Sites” selected and click Continue.

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In the next screen you will need to enter your site URL. This should be of the format

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sites.google.com/yourdomain.com/company-website

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Make sure you don’t enter www or https in the beginning of the URL. Also remove “/” in the end of the URL if it is there, otherwise, it will show you an “invalid site” error.

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You proceed to the next screen.

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This is where you enter the custom URL that will be mapped with your custom domain. In the screen below, the custom URL that I have added is “company-website”. You can have your own URL.

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Once you have set up, your complete URL (without your custom domain), should appear like

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https://company-website.yourdomain.com

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The proceeding screen tells you how to set up the CNAME record for the custom domain name. You will need to make this change where you have registered your domain name.

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The steps in the above image include:

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• In a separate tab, go to the website where you have registered your domain name (Google Domains or GoDaddy, for example).
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• Go to the section where you manage your DNS for the particular domain (yourdomain.com, but in our case, googallydemo.com).
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• Find the CNAME settings and enter the first part of the custom URL you created above, as the CNAME value or alias; in our case, it is “company-website”.
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• Set the CNAME destination to ghs.googlehosted.com.
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• Save the changes.
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• Go back to the Google Admin tab and click the “ADD CUSTOM URL” button.

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It may take some time for the changes with your domain registrar to propagate, but once the changes are propagated, your Google Sites domain will be mapped with your custom domain and when people go to yourdomain.com they will be redirected to the website that you have created using Google Sites.

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Extra notes:

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• Your domain name https://yourdomain.com will work when people access your website outside of your intranet or organization. When your website is accessed within the Intranet or within your organization, the original URL like https://sites.google.com/yourdomain.com/company-website will work.
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• You can create up to 2000 custom site addresses using Google Sites.
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• To be able to host your website via Google Workspace you need to register a domain name and connect it with your Google Workspace account whether you map the custom domain with your Google Sites URL or not.

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Why is it easy to host your website on Google Workspace?

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In Google Sites you don’t need to use HTML, JavaScript, or any other programming language used for creating interactive websites. Different elements such as paragraphs, images, videos, bulleted lists, breadcrumb navigation, and horizontal and vertical menus can be inserted simply by clicking the relevant icons or buttons.

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It was initially designed for internal information dissemination systems where people can collaborate and brainstorm within the organization.

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Since it can also be accessed publicly (by people who do not belong to your organization) you can also use Google Workspace to host your website. It gives you the following features:

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• Different header image for different sections.
• Top navigation menu.
• Prebuilt themes that can be changed with a single click.
• Google forms integration for lead collection and as a contact form.
• Google calendar integration for appointments.
• Image carousels
• Section layouts
• Buttons
• Announcement banners
• Dividers
• Section layouts

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Can you host your website on Google Workspace for free?

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Already paying for your Google Workspace account? Do you have a premium version? Then yes, you can host your website for free on Google Workspace, as Google Sites is an integral feature of your Google Workspace account.

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In fact, there is no need to spend money on other hosting services if you’re looking for a simple solution to create a portfolio website.

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You can easily build individual pages and designate one of the pages as your homepage from where you can link to the other sections on your website.

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You don’t need to pay for bandwidth. Even if thousands of people are accessing your website every month you don’t need to pay extra to Google. There is no limit to how many web pages you or your team can publish.

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You can easily manage sharing permissions (who can and cannot update your website) in just a few clicks without needing help from an IT manager. You can maintain your web pages just as you work in Google Docs.

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What are the benefits of hosting your website using Google Workspace?

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One of the biggest benefits of hosting your website on Google Workspace is that it comes free if you already have a Google Workspace account. You may have to pay for domain registration but that’s it. As of now you can create 10,000 pages per site (source). 

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Another benefit of hosting your website on Google Workspace is that there is no need to hire a web design agency for creating a professional website.

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Sure, you cannot host an e-commerce website or a dynamic website, but there are some awesome features available with Google that you can also use with Google Sites if you need a website just to showcase your portfolio or list your services. Some benefits include:

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• Embed Google Calendar for managing online appointments.
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• Embed multimedia by dragging and dropping.
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• Use Google Forms as a contact form or even for conducting polls and surveys – data is automatically saved in a Google Sheets document.
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• Integrate with other Google apps such as Google Analytics, Google Maps, Google Docs, and Google Drive.
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• Use drag-and-drop interface to create professional websites that seamlessly scale for different screen sizes.
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• No need to hire an expensive web design agency for designing and maintenance.|
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• Regularly update your website like you’re editing a Google Docs document.
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• Google level security – they will need to hack Google to hack your website.
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• Change public access to private access, and vice versa, with a single click.
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• Change layout and theme with a single click throughout the website.
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• Activate a functional website within minutes.

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Are there some disadvantages of hosting your website on Google Workspace?

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Google Sites in Google Workspace is not a conventional web hosting service. You don’t get an FTP account. You cannot take online orders. Third-party apps cannot be used. Layout options are quite limited.

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You cannot upload your own CSS, JavaScript, Perl, or PHP files. This further means if you want to install a CMS or a blogging platform like WordPress, you cannot do that.

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Final thoughts on using Google Workspace for hosting your website

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Using Google Workspace for hosting your website works perfectly if you’re looking for a simple solution to showcase a portfolio website.  It’s a completely visual interface. Zero coding is required. Maintaining individual pages is a breeze. It is one of the easiest website building platforms that lets you quickly create and publish a website.