What is Google Sites? Differences from SharePoint

About this article

This article was created using an automated generation workflow powered by generative AI.

We outline Google Sites as a service within Google Workspace used to share team, project, and internal information as web pages. Reviewing Google's official Sites product page and help documentation, this guide summarizes the similarities and differences with Microsoft SharePoint, the relationship with Drive and Docs, and practical use cases for beginners.

Information verification baseline date: 2026-09-19

Bottom line first: What is Google Sites?

Google Sites is a Google service that allows you to create, co-edit, and publish websites without programming. You can build pages using drag and drop, and embed files from Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Calendar, and Drive.

It is particularly suited for creating gateways to multiple types of information, such as internal portals, project sites, event guides, and procedure manuals.

Where is it located within Google?

flowchart LR
  User[利用者] --> Sites[Google Sites]
  Sites --> Docs[Docs]
  Sites --> Sheets[Sheets]
  Sites --> Drive[Drive]
  Sites --> Calendar[Calendar]
  Sites --> Forms[Forms]
  Editor[編集者] --> Sites

How does it look from the Microsoft 365 perspective? – Practical Examples of SharePoint Sites

To understand the positioning of Google Sites, it helps to examine what SharePoint sites consolidate within Microsoft 365. According to official Microsoft documentation,team sitesare designed for collaboration, bringing together files, lists, pages, and news. Meanwhile,communication sitesare primarily used to broadcast information to a broad audience, such as departmental portals or company-wide news.

flowchart TB
  M365[Microsoft 365] --> SP[SharePoint]
  SP --> Team[チームサイト]
  SP --> Comm[コミュニケーションサイト]

  Team --> Lib[ドキュメント ライブラリ]
  Team --> Lists[Microsoft Lists / リスト]
  Team --> Pages[サイト ページ]
  Team --> News[ニュース]
  Team --> Notebook[共有 OneNote]
  Team --> Group[Microsoft 365 Group]
  Group --> Teams[Microsoft Teams]
  Group --> Outlook[共有 Outlook / カレンダー]

  Comm --> Portal[部門・社内ポータル]
  Comm --> Announce[ニュース・お知らせ]
  Comm --> Reports[レポート・イベント]

  style SP stroke-width:3px

Specific Example: Creating an IT Department Portal

flowchart LR
  Employee[職員] --> Portal[情シス部 SharePointサイト]
  Portal --> Manual[規程・マニュアル]
  Portal --> Request[申請・問い合わせ]
  Portal --> News2[工事・設備のお知らせ]
  Portal --> Files[図面・共有資料]
  Portal --> FAQ[FAQ]
  Portal --> Team2[担当者のTeams]

Applying this same concept to the Google ecosystem, you structure a portal using Google Sites as the entry point, displaying Drive documents, Docs, Sheets, Forms, Calendar, and more. Google Sites allows you to embed Docs, Slides, Sheets, Forms, Charts, Calendar, and Drive files.

In other words,Google Sites does not equal all of SharePoint.Understanding through diagrams that Google Sites is primarily a "portal for viewing," while SharePoint strongly integrates file infrastructure and lists in addition to sites, helps prevent confusion.

What can it do?

1. Building a site without writing code

You can start from a template or a blank site and place text, images, and pages. Google officially recommends drag-and-drop editing and responsive layouts for different devices.

2. Embedding Workspace information

You can embed Workspace content such as Docs and shared Calendar into the site. Instead of using Sites itself as a massive file repository, using it as an easily readable gateway to information stored in Drive and other services makes organization much simpler.

3. Editing with multiple people

You can set up co-editors to update the site as a team. Manage operations by distinguishing between those who can edit and those who can view.

4. Setting the sharing scope

Creation is not completion; preview the site before publishing. When publishing, verify the web address and audience. When handling internal corporate information, always confirm who has viewing permissions.

Differences from SharePoint

For Google Workspace users, Sites serves a purpose similar to Microsoft 365's SharePoint sites. However,they are not the same product。

For those with Microsoft experience,While Google Sites is easy to understand as a simplified entry point to SharePoint's page and site features,it is safer not to assume that Sites alone replaces SharePoint's document management, lists, or the broader Microsoft 365 infrastructure.

Who is affected?

General Users / Administrative Staff

• Internal Portal

• Project Information Page

• Manual Repository

• FAQ

• Event Announcements

• Microsoft Forms Submission Link

IT Administrator

Verify external sharing permissions, editors, viewers, and the sharing settings of the embedded Google Drive files. Be aware that even if the site is visible, the permissions for embedded files are controlled separately.

Developer

Rather than operating Google Sites in bulk via API like a typical CMS, you can combine it with peripheral Workspace features, such as embedding web applications built with Apps Script into Sites as needed. Google officially provides documentation on embedding Apps Script web apps in Sites.

Are a Cloud Project, API, and Authentication Required?

For standard Google Sites creation, editing, and publishing, you do not need to set up your own Google Cloud Project or OAuth.

On the other hand, if you are embedding a custom web application into Sites or automating peripheral services like Google Drive via API, a Cloud Project, OAuth, and Apps Script will be involved on that service's end.

Safely Testing

1. Create a blank site in Google Sites.

2. Set the title to "Test Portal".

3. Place a single text element.

4. Place a single link to a test Google Drive file.

5. Check the desktop and mobile display views in the preview mode.

6. Before publishing, verify the target audience and then proceed.

Success conditionis that the intended page structure is displayed in the preview.

If you want to make one change first, add a single page to create a two-tier hierarchy of "Top" and "Procedure". This confirms that Sites is not just for creating a single page, but a gateway for structuring information.

Security Considerations

• Verify the viewing audience before publishing.

• Do not place internal information that must not be exposed externally.

• Check the sharing settings of embedded Drive files as well.

• Do not increase the number of editors more than necessary.

• Do not store actual accounts, confidential information, tokens, etc., in samples.

• Check "Publish site" and "Share source file" separately.

Pricing and Delivery Format

Google Sites is provided as a Google Workspace product. Since organizational use depends on subscription editions and administrator settings, check the current Google Workspace pricing and management information when deploying. It is safer not to memorize pricing and terms as fixed values since they are subject to change.

Official Information

• Google Sites Official Product Page

• Google Sites Help: How to use Google Sites

• Google Sites Help: Publish and share your site

• Google Sites Help: Create a site

• Google Apps Script overview

What should I do next?

For general users and administrative staff, start by creating a single test portal, embedding one Docs or Drive file, and previewing it. IT administrators should verify the sharing scope and Drive permissions. Developers should consider how to integrate features built with Apps Script or the Workspace API rather than forcing the automation of Sites itself.

Papanda TRY: Publish only approved dummy information on Sites

Google Sites is better suited for code-free comparisons and browser-based visual demos than for heavy programming.browser-based visual demosCreate a top page for a fictional project, adding only headings, links to Docs/Sheets, and fictional contact information.

Success criteria: Verify viewing permissions and ensure the page displays as expected from a different browser or incognito window. Do not include internal-only information or real email addresses in public samples.

What kind of service is it overall?

Google Sites isa gateway for consolidating information within Google Workspace into human-readable web pages.

It serves team site use cases similar to SharePoint, but it is not a direct, feature-for-feature replacement of SharePoint within Google. In Google, it is easiest to start with the concept of using Sites to showcase Drive, Docs, Sheets, Calendar, Forms, and other tools.