Google Sites templates make it easy to create a website without coding, purchasing hosting, or designing every page from scratch. Whether you’re building a business website, portfolio, classroom page, or team workspace, you can start with a ready-made layout and customize it in minutes.
The best place to start is Google’s free Template Gallery. If you want more creative designs, several independent providers also offer free and paid Google Sites templates.
In this guide, we’ll explore the best options, where to find them, and how to customize and publish your website.
Where Can You Find Google Sites Templates?
There are three main places to find templates:
| Source | Cost | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Google Sites Template Gallery | Free | Beginners and straightforward websites |
| I Make Templates | Free and paid | Creative portfolios and business designs |
| SitesAvant | Free | Business, education, portfolio, and community websites |
Google’s official gallery is the simplest choice because its templates work directly inside the Google Sites editor.
Third-party templates can offer more distinctive layouts, but their licensing terms and installation methods vary.
Best Free Google Sites Templates to Try
Google provides templates for personal, business, educational, and collaborative websites.
Here are six useful options available through its standard gallery. The exact selection can vary by account or organization.
1. Portfolio — Best for Personal Websites
The Portfolio template is a good starting point for freelancers, students, designers, and professionals showcasing their work.
It provides a structure you can adapt to highlight projects, experience, and contact information.
Best for: Personal portfolios, online resumes, and freelancer websites.
2. Restaurant — Best for Small Businesses
The Restaurant template offers a starting layout for presenting business information, images, menus, and contact details.
You can adapt its structure for a café, salon, consulting business, or another local service.
Best for: Small businesses that primarily need an informational website.
3. Class — Best for Teachers
Google Sites is particularly useful in education because it integrates with Google Docs, Drive, Forms, and other Workspace tools.
The Class template can help organize assignments, announcements, schedules, and learning resources.
Best for: Teachers, classrooms, and educational projects.
4. Event — Best for Events and Workshops
The Event template provides a convenient starting point for presenting schedules, locations, event details, and registration information.
You can embed a Google Form to collect registrations when appropriate.
Best for: Workshops, conferences, community events, and webinars.
5. Team — Best for Internal Websites
The Team template helps organize shared information for groups working together.
It can be used to display team contacts, useful documents, project updates, and important resources.
Best for: Internal company pages, team hubs, and departmental websites.
6. Help Center — Best for Documentation
The Help Center template is useful when you need a structured collection of instructions, FAQs, or internal resources.
It’s particularly suitable for straightforward documentation that doesn’t require an advanced knowledge-base platform.
Best for: Internal support resources, guides, and simple documentation websites.
Best Third-Party Google Sites Templates
If Google’s built-in designs feel too basic, independent designers offer additional options.
I Make Templates
I Make Templates provides free and premium layouts for different industries.
Some useful free options include:
- Bodie: A business-oriented template.
- Dempsey: A personal resume template.
- Bosch: A portfolio design for creative professionals.
- Rockford: A minimalist blog-style layout.
Its free templates can be used for personal and commercial projects under the provider’s published license terms.
SitesAvant
SitesAvant offers free Google Sites templates for businesses, schools, portfolios, and community organizations.
Its collection includes designs for company intranets, student portfolios, consulting businesses, and educational resources.
You can browse a design, open its preview, and follow the site’s instructions to create an editable copy.
Important: Not every third-party template advertised as free permits unrestricted commercial use. Some providers require a paid license for business websites or impose attribution conditions. Always check the terms before publishing.
How to Use a Google Sites Template
Getting started with Google’s official templates takes only a few steps.
- Open Google Sites: Visit sites.google.com and sign in with your Google account.
- Choose a template: Click Template Gallery and select a design that fits your website.
- Customize the pages: Replace sample text and images, edit navigation, and add your content.
- Adjust the appearance: Open Themes to change colors, fonts, and other supported design settings.
- Preview your website: Use the Preview option to check desktop and mobile layouts.
- Publish: Click Publish, choose your site’s web address, review sharing settings, and confirm.
Google Sites saves edits automatically, but the changes won’t appear on the public website until you publish them.
How to Install Third-Party Templates
Third-party Google Sites templates generally work differently from WordPress themes.
Rather than uploading a ZIP file, you typically receive access to a Google Site that can be copied into your account.
Follow the designer’s instructions to create an editable copy. If you already have access to the source site in the editor, you can use More → Make a copy.
You can then replace its content and publish the copied website under your own address, subject to the template license.
How to Make Your Google Sites Website Look Professional
Even a good template needs some customization.
Use your own branding: Replace placeholder logos, images, and colors with assets appropriate to your website.
Keep navigation simple: Most small websites only need a few clearly labeled pages.
Write useful content: Explain what your website offers rather than relying on generic template descriptions.
Optimize for mobile: Preview the website on smaller screens and adjust oversized images or crowded sections.
Make contact easy: Add a clear contact button, email address, or suitable Google Form.
You can also connect a custom domain to Google Sites. This allows visitors to access your website through an address such as www.yourbusiness.com, rather than the default Google Sites URL.
Are Google Sites Templates Good for Business Websites?
Yes, but it depends on the type of website you’re building.
Google Sites works well for simple business information, portfolios, event websites, and internal company resources.
However, it has limitations:
- Limited advanced SEO controls: You don’t get the same technical optimization flexibility offered by platforms such as WordPress.
- Limited design customization: You can modify themes and embed content, but full site-level design control is restricted.
- No native eCommerce system: Google Sites doesn’t provide a complete built-in product catalog, shopping cart, and checkout platform.
- Limited advanced functionality: Large blogs, membership systems, and complex websites may require another platform.
For example, a local consultant may find Google Sites perfectly adequate for displaying services and contact details.
An online store, on the other hand, would generally be better served by a dedicated eCommerce platform.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Google’s built-in templates are free to use. Third-party providers may offer free, freemium, or paid designs with different licensing conditions.
Yes. Google Sites supports custom domains. You’ll need to own the domain and complete the required verification and DNS configuration. Workspace accounts may have additional administrative restrictions.
Yes. You can continue changing text, images, pages, and themes. Publish your changes again to make them visible to visitors.
No. Google hosts websites created with Google Sites. You don’t need to purchase separate web hosting for a standard Google Sites website.
Google Sites can display products and link to external services, but it doesn’t include a complete native eCommerce platform. A dedicated online store builder is generally more suitable.
Conclusion
Google Sites templates provide an easy, affordable way to build simple websites without coding or managing hosting infrastructure.
For most beginners, Google’s official Template Gallery is the best starting point. If you need more distinctive designs, independent template collections offer additional options.
Choose a template based on what your visitors need, customize it with your own content, and make sure Google Sites provides enough flexibility for your long-term plans.
