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Your Ultimate Guide to Setting Up a Custom Domain on Google Sites

Feb 12, 2023

There is no doubt that adding a custom domain to your Google Sites is a popular question as well as a daunting task. Throughout this article, we will explain how to easily add a custom domain to your site.

Add your domain to Google Sites and verify


The first step is to add a custom domain directly to your Google sites.


Go to your Google Sites and click the Gear icon (settings). In the Settings pop-up, select 'Custom domains'. You will only be able to see this 'Custom domains' menu option if you are the site owner. To add a domain, click the 'Add' button.

Add a custom domain to your sites
Choose an option for adding a domain from your domain registrar

If you have a domain registered with Google Domains, you will be asked to login. You can then select a domain and the DNS records will be automatically added. 

Select a domain to add from Google Domains

If you own your domain through a third party registrar, like GoDaddy, enter the domain and click the 'verify ownership' link. In your GoDaddy DNS manager, you would need to enter the TXT/CNAME record. Once records have been added and saved, click the 'VERIFY' button.

Set up domain from a third party domain registrar
Verify domain with Cname and Txt records

Don't forget Google Search Console


Your domain must be connected to Google Search Console in order to be verified. Select 'Add property' from the navigation pane.


It may seem redundant, but connecting to Google Search Console is the best and fastest way to connect your domain to Google sites. In addition, it will help you with your SEO efforts. Check out this blog post for more information.

After verification is complete, you will have to wait up to 48 hours, but most likely you will see your Google sites on your domain in a few hours.


Add a domain in Google Search Console
Verify domain via DNS record in Google Search Console

Added: Add a custom domain for Google Workspace


The following steps are for Google Workspace Admins who need to add a domain they own to their workspace. Go to the Google Workspace Admin console, Custom URL page under 'Settings for Sites' or click this link for a shortcut.

To add a custom URL, click the + icon. Click continue. The classic site can no longer be selected.

Add a domain on Google Sites: Google Workspace Admin console
Add a domain on Google Sites: Google Workspace Admin console, select new google sites

Enter your google sites url. Please remove 'https://' and 'home' and click continue.

As an example, if your Google site URL is https://sites.google.com/domain.com/event-testevent-test/home, enter sites.google.com/domain.com/event-testevent-test 

Add custom URL for Google Sites in Google Workspace Admin Console

Select the domain you want to add to the site. Enter www instead of a subdomain name if you want the main domain. As you can see, you need to enter a CNAME on your DNS manager. I used the subdomain ddd in this example.

Enter domain for your Google Sites for Google Workspace
Setup CNAME for Google Sites in Google Workspace

You will see the status change to complete once you have completed the above steps. Please refer to above ultimate guide for the remaining steps with 'Google Search Console'. 

Google Sites Custom URL status in Google Workspace

Or, save time with our service:

Our all-in-one service offers the following:
1) configuring a custom domain for your Google site,
2) integration with Google Analytics, and
3) submission to Google Search Console. 

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The 2023 Guide to Maximize Web Presence: “Mastering Google Sites” with 30 Surprising Things You Never Knew You could do with Google Sites. 

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