Check out this Google Sites review to see if this is the product you need for your website creation.
For your business, Google Sites can efficiently connect you and your employees while working on collaborative projects. With its capacity to work across different operating systems, everyone in your team can be productive from anywhere. All updates are saved on the cloud and only you can grant editing privileges.
Every month, internet marketing, which involves ads marketing and search engine optimization, keeps evolving. Just a few years ago, Google, the biggest search engine in the world, favored WordPress websites when generating SERP (Search Engine Results Pages). Today, it’s a different matter. Even the web crawlers are changing.
The evolving search protocols, web security, and limited storage of servers are just some of the problems that Google Sites can solve. Google Sites helps businesses create secure web pages that can support private networks and client projects. This is made possible by visual interfaces like drag-and-drop tools. Meeting collaboration requirements will be easy with Google Sites’ built-in business apps and HubSpot’s integrated tools.
With Google Sites, you can sell goods, services, and digital creations, on your website. If you have a Google Business Account, then AdSense, a program for easily monetizing blogs and websites, will be readily available for you too.
What Is Google Sites?
Google Sites Review
Nowadays, the number of businesses using Google Sites is growing exponentially. What is the reason for this sudden boom? Google Sites helps businesses build their private networks and internal IT projects, by simplifying the development process and enabling seamless user collaboration.
This business app can bring people together when creating wikis and websites, efficiently and economically. Google Sites eliminates the need for servers, and it centralizes media, documents, and spreadsheet sharing.
Today, startups and project managers are turning away from the leading Website Builder (WordPress) and turning to Google Sites instead. The main reason for these transitions is due to the changes in Google’s search protocols. When generating SERP, the search engine giant now prefers fast websites built from its own content management system (Google Sites).
What exactly is Google Sites? Some say it’s an app, while others think it’s a website-building platform, like Wix and WordPress. At the end of the day, Google Sites is both an app and a website builder. Technically, it is a CMS with a host of additional features and services.
If you have used other Google Products before, such as Hangouts and Workspace, you might find Google Sites useful to your team. Adding it to your Digital Toolbox can lighten your workload. It’s a part of Google Workspace, formerly G Suite. Google Workspace today is a host of business productivity apps, including Meet, Gmail, Drive, Sheets, and more.
Google Site is part of that group. Google Sites allows you to edit and create files online while collaborating with other people in real time. Like GitHub, a provider of collaboration features on the web, Google Sites also serves as an efficient free web service for working on interconnected and multi-level IT projects. With this app, you can create the following:
- Team websites
- Public-facing sites
- Project hubs
- Digital portfolio
The best part about Google Sites is its efficiency and straightforward UX. UX stands for user experience and it defines the utility and ease of use of an application. Google Sites removes the complexity of automation frameworks and other web development tools, like Selenium and Visual Studio.
Not everyone can use such tools. For some IT projects, such as hypersites and digital portfolios, you may need to onboard developers. Google Sites can remove this requirement and allow your team to produce web-based IT products without designers and programmers. How is that possible?
How Does It Work?
Google Sites is a low-code digital platform. It can diminish or even eliminate the need for programming languages, in web development. Visual interfaces like drag-and-drop tools are used instead.
With this app, building websites will seem like creating a Facebook profile. Just upload the files and media your team needs and everything will be ready. When creating a website, all changes are added to the Drive of your business account. This includes the modifications and updates your colleagues have made.
Anytime and anywhere, everyone in your team can access the app’s intranet platform, which is integrated with all G Suite and Hubspot tools. If you’re a marketer, Google and Hubspot provide numerous valuable marketing tools. This includes SSL Checker, Growth Grader, Webmaster tools, and Blog Ideas Generator.
Google My Business is a prime example. Without paying for anything, this tool allows your brand to appear in the search results for a specific keyword. It is all up to you which keyword to use.
End-users of Google Sites can update content anywhere, even if they don’t have web design or developer skills. What’s more, there is no need to purchase additional software. This CMS enables anyone in your intranet to integrate their operating system with your online services and their personal devices.
Your colleagues will have unlimited storage. Plus, they can access all the marketing tools that your business needs for it to become flexible and support your team’s growth.
Pros and Cons
Like other content management systems, Google Sites is unique in its own way. It offers numerous advantages for designers, business employees, c-level executives, and web developers. It has limitations as well, similar to other popular CMS, such as Wix and WordPress.
You may find some of these features favorable for your team or business. In fact, you can cash in on these freebies. Almost everything is free on Google Sites. To better fine-tune your marketing model, you must understand the many features of this website builder.
In this Google Sites review, we’ve listed the things to like about the product:
- Flexible and accessible
Google Sites can work on any smart device with an internet connection. It works efficiently in any browser
- Plenty of customization options
Google Sites’ operating system allows developers to create customized tools. With this CMS, you can have all of Google and Hubspot’s marketing tools at your fingertips. You and your team can create custom applications too.
- Free control of permissions and site-level security
You can control who has access to each file, media, or project on your website. Like Docs and Spreadsheets, Google Sites allows you to edit privileges. You can appoint trustworthy individuals to work on existing projects. Likewise, you can revoke access anytime and anywhere.
- Easy website monitoring
Google Webmaster Tools (GWT) has been a staple in marketing and website management efforts. It’s free to use for Google Sites webmasters. With GWT, you can monitor how your website interacts with Google and relevant searches.
GWT gives you free detailed statistics on your website’s company performance, including clicks, impressions, and average CTR. It also reports technical issues like crawl errors, security concerns, and mobile optimization problems.
- Works like a
Google Sites can fulfill the basic tasks of project managers. With this CMS and the integrated apps, you can track your “next action” lists and manage reference materials in a variety of forms, like sheets, minutes, and timelines.
Google Sites allows you to add notes and context to your reference materials. This additional information is then delivered to your colleagues in real time. The website itself can provide a general overview of the project at hand. Valuable data could include budget, scheduling, and people involved.
- Enables passive and available communication
It also promotes passive communication. Without asking for access, your teammates can use resources and marketing tool relevant to their tasks. Other necessary communication could then be discussed through forums, news feeds, and web conferences.
- Functions as a zero-cost intranet platform
Jive and Slack are often used as intranet platforms in BPO startups. Some companies, like fast-food chains and IT firms, set up a private network for their departments. Like Google Sites, such apps and servers function as collaboration channels and knowledge management tools. There’s one caveat, though. Google Sites is 100% free, while similar platforms charge monthly subscriptions.
What’s not to like?
- Limited templates
Unlike Wix, which offers 800 pre-designed templates, Google Sites only has a dozen pre-created templates. You can use these themes to customize your website to your own taste.
- You can’t integrate Facebook pixels
There is no way for you to integrate Facebook pixels into your website. FB pixels is a piece of code that collects data from the social media platform. It can help you track conversions from your Facebook ads. Google Sites has not integrated this tool yet.
Who the Product Is for
IT managers, administrative assistants, and C-level executives, including CEOs, COOs, and CFOs, have found Google Sites easy to integrate into existing business models.
The platform’s straightforward UX and zero-cost collaboration channel have made it easy for employees and even entry-level staff to work without much supervision. They can finish tasks without hands-on guidance since important resource materials are centralized.
Google Sites is also well-suited for students and teachers working on collaborative projects. With the platform, creators can make and share attractive information resources. Private files can be shared with selected people. Existing portfolios can also be presented on the established website.
Pricing
To complete this Google Sites review here’s some pricing information that you need to know.
Google Sites is free with unlimited use and unmetered traffic. It’s part of the search engine giant’s push to keep users signed in to their Google accounts. If you’re currently logged in to your account, you can go to www.sites.google.com to create your first website, intranet, or collaboration channel. There are no risks, upsells, limits, or expiration dates. Google Sites charges $0 per month, and it offers unlimited storage space and unmetered visitor count.
Final Words
Google Sites is user-friendly, and it’s a low-code website-building platform. It can function as a CMS, forum, or collaboration channel. You just need to choose the right design and template for your website. Although it has limited design features when compared to Wix or Squarespace, it’s an efficient CMS to get your project and websites up and running. With Google and Hubspot’s marketing apps integrated into Google Sites, it’s a valuable zero-cost platform that can leverage your business and marketing endeavors.
We hope you found this Google Sites review helpful.