Google Sites Limitations You Should Know Before Building Your Site

Google Sites feels like a quick way to get a page online, but it comes with a handful of roadblocks that can bite you later. Below we break down the most common limits so you can decide if the tool matches your goals.

Storage and File Size Limits

First off, every site gets a hard 15 GB of storage shared with your Google Drive. If you host lots of images, PDFs, or videos, you’ll hit the ceiling fast. The platform also caps individual file uploads at 5 GB, which isn’t a problem for text‑heavy sites but can frustrate media‑rich projects.

Because the storage is tied to your Google account, you can’t buy extra space just for Sites. The only way around it is moving large files to Drive, linking them, or using an external host for media.

Design and Customization Restrictions

Google Sites offers a drag‑and‑drop editor that works well for beginners, but it limits precision. You can’t edit CSS directly, so custom fonts, hover effects, or complex layouts are out of reach. The template library is small and many elements are locked into fixed positions.

If you need a unique brand feel, you’ll spend a lot of time working around these constraints or settle for a generic look. The lack of a code view also means you can’t add third‑party scripts that rely on custom JavaScript.

SEO and Analytics Gaps

When it comes to search engines, Google Sites lags behind dedicated platforms. You can set meta titles and descriptions, but you can’t control robots.txt, canonical tags, or schema markup. That makes it harder to tell Google exactly how to index your pages.

Analytics integration is simple—just paste a tracking ID—but you miss out on advanced features like event tracking without custom code, which you can’t add anyway.

Domain and URL Limitations

You can map a custom domain to a Google Site, but the process can be confusing for non‑technical users. The URL always includes “sites.google.com” as a sub‑domain unless you fully configure DNS records. For a clean brand URL, you’ll need to follow a multi‑step verification that many skip.

Also, you can’t create subfolders that act like separate pages; everything lives under the same top‑level domain, which can affect site hierarchy and user navigation.

Collaboration and Permissions

Sharing works like other Google apps—anyone with edit access can change the whole site. There’s no granular role system that lets you give someone permission to edit only one page. This can be risky for larger teams where you want tighter control.

On the upside, real‑time collaboration is smooth, and version history lets you roll back changes. Just be aware that you can’t lock down sections to prevent accidental edits.

When Google Sites Might Still Be a Good Fit

If you need a quick internal wiki, a simple landing page, or a prototype that won’t get heavy traffic, the limitations often don’t matter. The fact that it’s free and integrates tightly with other Google services can save time and money for small projects.

But for e‑commerce, heavy media, or SEO‑driven sites, you’ll quickly outgrow the platform. In those cases, moving to a builder like Wix, WordPress, or a custom solution will give you the flexibility you need.

Bottom line: Google Sites works well for low‑stakes, internal, or experimental sites, but its storage caps, design restraints, and SEO gaps can hold back serious projects. Knowing these limits up front helps you avoid surprises and choose the right tool for your next website.