To create a free website with Google, use Google Sites: go to sites.google.com/new with your Gmail account, choose a template, change the text and photos, and click Publish. Your site lives for free at an address like sites.google.com/view/yourbusiness. If you want your own domain, you buy it separately and connect it from the site's settings.
Google Sites is the cheapest way to get a website: it costs nothing, has no ads, and doesn't ask for a card. In exchange, you build it yourself block by block, and it has limits worth knowing before you use it for your business.
Quick summary
- Google Sites is free and shows no ads. All you need is a Google account.
- The free address is long:
sites.google.com/view/yourbusiness. Foryourbusiness.com.mx, you buy the domain separately and connect it. - You build it with templates and blocks: text, images, buttons, maps, and Google Forms.
- It works for a simple informational site. For online payments, booking appointments, or a store, it falls short.
- It's not the same as your Google Business Profile (your Maps listing). Ideally, you have both and link them: according to Google, customers are 70% more likely to visit a business with a complete profile.
Step by step: how to create a website with Google Sites
1. Open Google Sites
On your computer, open sites.google.com/new with your Gmail account. Google's help center says to do it from a computer; the editor isn't built for phones.
2. Choose a template
At the top, in the section for starting a new site, choose a template or start blank. For a local business, a single-page template is enough.
3. Name it and edit the header
Change the title to your business name and upload a cover photo: your storefront or your best work. Add your logo if you have one.
4. Add the sections your customers need
From the panel on the right, under Insert, add text blocks, images, and buttons. A local business site needs:
- What you do and where, in one or two sentences.
- Your services, with prices if you publish them.
- Hours and address, written as text, not only in an image.
- Map: insert a Google map with your location.
- Real photos of your business.
- WhatsApp button: insert a button that links to
https://wa.me/52XXXXXXXXXXwith your 10-digit number after the 52 (Mexico's country code). - Contact form, if you want one: you can insert a Google Form.
5. Check how it looks on a phone
Use the preview and switch to phone view. Confirm the WhatsApp button shows without much scrolling. This is the view that matters most: according to INEGI's ENDUTIH 2025, 97.3% of internet users in Mexico go online with a smartphone.
6. Publish
According to Google Sites Help, to publish:
- Click Publish at the top.
- Enter your site's web address.
- Click Publish again.
- Visit the address to confirm it looks right.
Your site lives at sites.google.com/view/ followed by the name you chose.
7. Connect your own domain (optional)
The free address is hard to remember and to put on a business card. To use yourbusiness.com.mx:
- Buy the domain from a domain registrar (or with a Google Workspace plan).
- On your site, go to Settings and then Custom domains.
- Click Start setup, enter your domain, and follow the instructions to connect it with your registrar.
According to Google's help center, only the site owner can connect it to a domain, the address has to include a subdomain like "www," and you can connect up to five custom domains to one site. Google notes that "Changes can take up to 48 hours but typically happen more quickly." The site also has to be published to everyone; otherwise, the address redirects to the sites.google.com one.
8. Link it from your Google Business Profile
Copy your site's address and paste it into the website field of your Google Business Profile, the listing that shows on Google Maps. That way, anyone who finds you on Maps can see your site with one tap. Add it to your Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp Business too.
Google Sites vs. Google Business Profile
Many people who search "create a website with Google" actually need both, and they're not the same thing:
| Google Sites | Google Business Profile | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A website you design | Your listing on Google Maps and Search |
| Where it shows up | At its own web address | On Maps and in Google results |
| What it shows | Whatever you add: services, photos, buttons | Hours, phone, reviews, photos, location |
| Cost | Free (your own domain costs extra) | Free |
| Reviews | No | Yes |
The listing helps people nearby find you, and Google puts numbers on it. Its Business Profile help center says:
"Customers are 2.7 times more likely to consider a business reputable if they find a complete Business Profile on Google Search and Maps."
The same page adds: "Customers are 70% more likely to visit and 50% more likely to consider purchasing from businesses with a complete Business Profile." The website lets you say everything that doesn't fit in the listing and send customers to your WhatsApp. If you're deciding whether you really need a website, read Instagram vs. a website.
Google Sites limits for a business
Google Sites is great for getting started, but it has clear limits:
- No online payments. It has no checkout or shopping cart.
- No built-in booking. You can paste a link to a booking tool, but it isn't included.
- Limited design. There are few templates and few font and layout options. Many Google Sites look alike.
- It doesn't build the site for you. You pick a template and fill in every block. If you want AI to make the first version, see how to create a website with AI.
- The editor is for computers. Making changes from your phone is awkward.
How much a Google Sites website costs
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Google Sites | Free |
| Hosting | Included, free |
| Security certificate | Included |
| Your own domain (.com or .com.mx) | Paid yearly to your registrar |
| Google Workspace (optional, for email on your domain) | Paid monthly plan |
It's the cheapest way to get your own domain: you only pay for the domain. To compare it with builders that include AI, flashier templates, or a store, see the best AI website builders.
Does Google rank Google Sites websites higher?
There's no evidence that Google treats a website better because it was built with Google Sites. Google says its systems aim to reward original, high-quality content that demonstrates experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (what Google calls E-E-A-T), however it's produced, according to its guidance on content and Search.
For local searches, Google explains in its tips to improve your local ranking:
"Local results are mainly based on relevance, distance, and popularity."
It also makes clear that "There's no way to request or pay for a better local ranking on Google" and that "More reviews and positive ratings can help your business's local ranking." To show up when someone searches for your type of business in your area, these matter more:
- That your website clearly says what you do and in which city or neighborhood.
- That your Google Business Profile is complete, with reviews and photos.
- That the website is linked from your listing and your social media.
- That you have your own domain; the
sites.google.comsubdomain doesn't help people remember you.
FAQ
Is creating a website with Google free?
Yes. Google Sites is free, has no ads, and all you need is a Google account. The site lives at an address like sites.google.com/view/yourbusiness. The only thing you pay for, if you want it, is your own domain.
How do I create a website on Google step by step?
Go to sites.google.com/new, choose a template, change the title, add text, photos, a map, and a WhatsApp button from the Insert menu, check the phone view, and click Publish. Enter the address you want and click Publish again.
Can I use my own domain on Google Sites?
Yes. Buy the domain from a registrar or with a Google Workspace plan, then on your site go to Settings, Custom domains, Start setup. The address has to include a subdomain like "www," and the change can take up to 48 hours, although Google says it typically happens more quickly.
Is Google Sites good for a business?
It works for a simple informational site: what you do, where, hours, photos, and WhatsApp. It doesn't work if you need online payments, a store, or built-in booking. For that, a builder like Wix, Hostinger, or Squarespace is a better fit.
What's the difference between Google Sites and Google Business Profile?
Google Sites is a website you design, at its own address. Google Business Profile is your listing on Google Maps, with hours, reviews, and location. Both are free and they complement each other: put your website link in your listing. Google says customers are 2.7 times more likely to consider a business reputable if its profile is complete.
If you build websites for businesses
Google Sites is a good way to show a business what it could have, but maintaining many sites like this, one by one and from a computer, doesn't scale. The Biz Layer is a platform for freelancers, social media managers, and small agencies that sell websites to local businesses and charge them a monthly fee. You build a business's site from a short form, send it on WhatsApp, and make changes by chat, from your phone too.