When it comes to building a website, you have a ton of options at your fingertips. That said, it makes finding the best option difficult. And two of the major options you should consider include Google Sites and WordPress.
Each of these platforms help users build websites, but how they go about it is very different. In fact, they are so different that comparing them head to head is a bit difficult.
But by focusing on the major factors that all users should consider, we should be able to do it.
Let’s look at how Google Sites stacks up to WordPress and see what’s right for you.
Overview: Google Sites Vs WordPress
Both of these tools allow users to build websites, so there are a lot of similarities on a general level. However, the way they both go about it is quite different from one another.
Thus, let’s take a look at each one before we look at specific categories.
Google Sites Overview
Google Sites is a free cloud-based website builder that was designed for small personal projects and internal websites. It is not intended to be used to build larger websites and lacks features to do so.
The real target audience is personal and school projects, which is why the learning curve is so low. And that is one of its strengths; it’s extremely easy to use. Unlike most website builders, you can host all of the pages you build for free.
You also have access to 24/7 support and unlimited storage. It’s a great starting point for a lot of people, but due to the limitations of the platform, can ultimately hurt serious web developers who try to build a full website in it.
WordPress Overview
WordPress is a content management system (CMS) that allows you to build any type of website with no code necessary. In fact, most of the websites you visit are probably made with WordPress since over 40% of the internet uses it.
It has attained this level of popularity for a variety of reasons. Most notable is the ease of use. Instead of coding websites or features, you use a plugin to add them to WordPress.
They are the equivalent of apps for your smartphone.
WordPress also has incredible versatility. You can build anything from a blog to a full eCommerce website in an extremely short period of time. And did I mention that WordPress itself is free?
The only real cost is finding a web host, but that is true for most website builders.
Note: This review is looking at self-hosted WordPress sites vs Google Sites, not WordPress.com.
So What’s the Difference Between Google Sites and WordPress?
To put it simply, Google Sites is designed for small projects that will not get a lot of traffic, like an internal site for employees or a site for a gaming clan. Whereas WordPress can do that and build larger websites that get millions of visitors.
While both are free, Google Sites is full of limitations that either don’t have a workaround or require a lot of knowledge to implement. WordPress does not have any limitations in this sense.
You can use thousands of plugins to add the feature you need.
If that does fail, you can still hard code the feature. This is why WordPress is popular with both beginners and experienced web developers.
Ease of Use
Building a website has gotten a reputation of being difficult. But modern website builders have been trying to change that. Most are simple enough to be used by anyone and to be honest, they need to be.
Having a website in the 21st century for small businesses is no longer an option, it’s a requirement. Let’s see which is easier Google Sites or WordPress:
Google Sites Accessibility: Winner
Google Sites core audience is beginners and enthusiasts, so you can expect the overall experience to be very straightforward. The editor utilizes a What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) design, which means the page you are looking at is the final result.
This is much easier than other editors that force you to use a preview option to view what the site will look like. Not to mention it saves you a lot of time during the editing process.
The tools at your disposal are all very simple to use and easy to find.
It’s also worth highlighting the help center. You can find detailed guides with screenshots for just about everything. And it’s built right into the editor. It’s also worth pointing out that since you don’t have to install anything, there’s no maintenance.
That said, you are limited to the tools Google Sites provides.
WordPress Accessibility
When forty percent of the internet all use the same website builder, it must be doing something right. And in this case, it’s how easy it is to use. WordPress is used by professional web developers and people who have never built a website before.
Anyone can build a website with WordPress because it does not require any coding, but the option is there for those interested. It utilizes the Gutenberg editor, a block-based system, that allows you to quickly add elements to any page.
Need to add a header? Use a Header block. Need to display an image? Use an Image block. It’s really that simple, but deep at the same time because you can customize every block to meet your needs.
Results
This is a difficult comparison because WordPress has so many more tools at its disposal, which creates a small learning curve, whereas Google Sites has a limited selection of tools that help beginners.
Google Sites is easier to use due to this, but WordPress is just as easy once you learn where everything is.
Design
In today’s competitive online marketplace, your website not only needs to be fully functioning, but it also needs to look great. The design options available to you are determined by the platform you choose.
So let’s take a look at what each one offers.
Google Sites Design
To be perfectly honest, Google Sites does not offer a lot in terms of design. This platform offers users a small selection of themes and templates. A theme determines factors such as color or background images.
Whereas a template determines the page type and layout you are using. While this might sound good on paper since you can mix and match them, the number of options is very small. It’s great for simple projects, but not for a real website.
You can also add additional features using plugins for Google Sites, but the options available are quite limited.
WordPress Design: Winner
WordPress can build any type of website and it can make each one of those websites look unique and stylish. And this is all thanks to the huge library of themes you can select from.
WordPress has over a thousand free and premium options to consider.
Each theme can be further customized to meet your needs, and when I say customized, I mean every aspect of it. You can even take it a step further by creating unique pages with a page builder plugin like Elementor. Honestly, you have an unlimited number of options at your disposal.
You can also use plugins to add a variety of extra features. For instance, you can add a Google Apps login in WordPress in just one click.
Results
There’s really no contest between Google Sites and WordPress when it comes to web design. WordPress simply offers more options and full customization thanks to its huge library of themes and plugins to aid in development.
WordPress is the clear winner, it’s not even close.
eCommerce
Many businesses want to add an online store to help make shopping more convenient. In fact, it’s fully expected nowadays. But even a simple blog might want to offer merchandise with their brand.
Let’s see how each one stacks up when comparing the eCommerce functionality.
Google Sites eCommerce
Google Sites cannot be used to build an eCommerce website, but you can embed code from Shopify. This allows you to display some products on the site, but you lack the basic features most sites would have.
You also do not have much control over the store’s appearance. Other website builders allow you to construct unique product pages with the layout of your choice, but that’s just not an option.
This platform simply was not made for eCommerce, which is why no serious storefront should use Google sites
WordPress eCommerce: Winner
While WordPress started off as a blogging website, it quickly evolved to meet the needs of every type of individual and business, and eCommerce is no exception.
This is all thanks to the WooCommerce plugin that makes WordPress eCommerce ready.
It currently powers over five million stores and is just as easy as WordPress itself when it comes to setup and design. With it, you can build product pages, accept payments from most payment gateways (PayPal, Stripe, etc.), and even display those products on other platforms.
WordPress is one of the most popular options for building an online store, and due to how easy it is, it’s usually at the top of most lists.
Results
Google Sites was not made for eCommerce and has no tools that help it build a full store, On the other hand, WordPress has WooCommerce to help turn it into a fully functioning store.
WordPress simply has the tools for the job, while Google Sites doesn’t.
Pricing
This is a bit of a tricky category to discuss because, at their core, both Google Sites and WordPress are completely free. Yet, there are some fees associated with them that can make one of them “more free.” However, it’s also important to remember what each one offers.
Google Sites Pricing Winner
Google Sites is completely free. This not only includes the software to build websites, but unlimited storage, and hosting for your website. It will not cost you a penny to start a website, but there are other costs to think about.
I’ve said it a few times now, Google Sites was built for small projects, not for regular sites. Thus, if you ever plan on reaching a larger audience, you need to leave Google Sites behind as there is no scalability.
It’s also worth noting that you cannot simply transfer your website to another platform. You would need to start over if you plan on switching.
Note: Google Sites is also included with Google Workspace (previously G-suite), but is available separately for free, so we will not factor that in.
WordPress Pricing
WordPress is open-source software, which means it is completely free to use, but the software on its own won’t do much. You will need to hire a web hosting company to host your website, but the good news is that this is really cheap.
One month is typically less than the cost of your daily coffee. And the number of benefits that come by choosing to self-host WordPress is amazing, like a support team standing by.
You can also purchase premium themes and plugins to enhance your customization options. However, these are completely optional.
WordPress can scale up for websites of any size, thus it can grow with your website.
Results
On paper, Google Sites is the cheaper option, but choosing it could end up limiting your website in the long run, whereas WordPress offers a lot more with a price that’s really not that much higher.
And as the saying goes, you get what you pay for.
Google Sites vs WordPress: Final Results
While the score is tied, I think the result is pretty clear, WordPress is the better option to build a website. It’s easy to use, offers far more features, and it’s scalable. Most importantly, you can build any type of website.
And to be honest, the categories that Google Sites did take, were more of a technicality. It is easier, but only because it has fewer features. It’s also cheaper, kind of, but the reason it is cheaper is also a limiting factor.
If you plan on building a website, WordPress is the way to go.
Which of these platforms do you prefer to build with?