Adding a Custom Domain in Google Sites

Showing the process needed to add your custom domain to your Google Sites. I never find it the easiest process because you have to be patient and wait for it to go through.
The 3 things you need to do is:
1. Go to settings in your Google Sites and select Custom Domain
2. Go to Google Search Console and verify ownership of the domain.
3. Go to your URL provider (GoDaddy, Squarespace, etc) and edit the DNS settings and put in the information that Google Search Console provided using the CNAME method.

[@VjeraBA]

Dear Carol, Thank you for this video on how to add a custom domain to Google Sites. It was very clear and helpful. I appreciate your work. It will help me to add my own custom domain. Best regards, Vjera

[@CarolsTechnology]

You are very welcome!

[@successredefinedwithdrtoni]

CAROL I could just give you the biggest hug right now. I spent way too many hours trying to figure this out and even spoe to numerous tech folks for help and kept hitting a dead end. This worked! I can sigh with relief right now. I will say that after I put in the first CNAME, I did get verified but I still could not move forward with the next step in Google sites. I did not know why so I read the comments to see if anyone else had this issue. You recommended clearing the cache, so I did that and I was able to move forward! Gosh, I can't than you enough! I would give you 20 thumbs up if I could.

[@CarolsTechnology]

Thank you!! I made this video specifically because I also struggled with it and was determined to find the exact steps to make it work!!! It used to be so easy when Google sold domains and you could just hook your Google Site right up without any extra steps!! I really do appreciate your works!!

[@romieabel2629]

I'm frustrated that I don't even have a custom domain on my websites yet. I want to buy my own custom domain on my Google sites someday. 😠😡😢 ​@@CarolsTechnology

[@russelturner8691]

Thank you Carol I spent all day yesterday trying to do this I wish I had seen your video yesterday nicely presented

[@CarolsTechnology]

Thank you! It’s all the steps you have to do back-and-forth that makes it a bit confusing. I’m glad you found it helpful!

[@konichiwatanabi]

Anyone still getting the Google Site URL to show instead of your custom domain URL, make sure your published Google Site share settings are set to 'Public' and not 'Restricted'. Once your published site is public, your custom URL should display in the address bar. Share settings are next to the Publish button (little person with with a +)

[@ktoday3219]

I was looking for a step by step video, and bingo, your video came up. Thanks to you, I've saved time, so I'm very grateful. Super clear, super summary, easy to follow and very visual. Thank you so much. We should all visit your photography website ! Google should consider getting in touch for their Help sections. 👏👏👏👏

[@CarolsTechnology]

Thank you!! It's comments like this that really make my day and please do visit my photography website!! I would love Google to get in touch with me!!

[@ktoday3219]

@@CarolsTechnology FYI. I bought a name with Hostinger and it's a real pain in the a. Customer service is below zero and they just copy-paste threads from the Google Community that date back to 2019.... the prehistory. 😕😕

[@canuseeme72]

I have watch 5 different videos before I came to your page, and I must say you are awesome! Thank you, thank you, thank you. Very detailed, straight to the point even with the changes they have made to date, was able to get it done!

[@CarolsTechnology]

Thank you!! I really appreciate your words!!

[@Itsmikeynotmickey]

Thank you so much Carol! I watched several long-winded videos before this that were more harmful than helpful, and yours was perfectly to the point and explained everything perfectly!

[@CarolsTechnology]

Thank you! I appreciate that! I know I want a video to just show how to do something!!

[@IntuitiveInk]

That was awesome thank you. You made something I have no clue about be so easy to do.

[@CarolsTechnology]

Thank you! Glad you found it helpful!

[@clin-tk5lo]

CAROL!! I need your help:( for some reason its not showing me the custom domain option when I go into publish settings even thoughh im logged in under my admin account

[@jenniferpena7490]

Thank you so much Carol! this made this process much clearer and efficient than the pages of 'helpful tips"

[@CarolsTechnology]

Thank you!

[@kwhorley0202]

I am FOREVER saving this!!! Thank you so much for the best instructional video out there on this topic! I’ve had tech people employed by the domain that couldn’t help me! Thank you so so so much!!! 🤩🤩🤩

[@CarolsTechnology]

Thank you so much! This really made me smile!

[@kwhorley0202]

@@CarolsTechnologyNooooo, thank you!! I have been fighting with this step for a year!!! And finally 💥 you gave the best instructions ever! Thank you!!!

[@lawrencechi7791]

Thank you for the clear and easy to follow instructions Carol -

[@CarolsTechnology]

You are very welcome, glad they helped!

[@e.d.4014]

Thanks so much for explaining! Is it free to connect custom domain like this option in the video? I mean you created google site and you own a custom domain. Connecting this domain is free, right?

[@CarolsTechnology]

You have to purchase the domain but once purchased, it is free to set up.

[@jessicaFFLrescue]

This was so helpful Carol thank you!! If anyone is having trouble with the last step (it's saying invalid) try going to the left hand side on squarespace where it says websites, and create a forwarding rule. In one box put @ and in the other box put the normal/old website link. Then save that. Then go back and try Carol's last step. For me, it finally worked and stopped saying invalid! Then I went and deleted the forwarding rule.

[@rgl168]

There is no "Custom Domain" under the gear icon for my Google Sites

[@CarolsTechnology]

Then you’re not the owner of it or it’s an enterprise edition where it’s not turned on in the Google console

[@LAWZ_TECH1]

I did everything and my domain url loads parked domain but after Addie the GHS.google CNAME in my hosting the domain site can’t be reached. I don’t know if I’ve to wait or

[@e.d.4014]

Is it working now?

[@angelaa376]

This was super helpful and clear! Thank you!

[@CarolsTechnology]

I’m glad you found it helpful Angela!

[@romieabel2629]

I'm frustrated that I don't even have a custom domain on my websites yet. I want to buy my own custom domain on my Google sites someday. 😠😡😢

[@rond6782]

I've done all those steps. But, when I navigate to my site, it's telling me that it's http. Not https. How can I fix this? Thanks for the video

[@CarolsTechnology]

Try manually entering in front of the site URL and see if it redirects correctly to the HTTPS version. Google Sites should automatically redirect you from http to https. You can clear your cache and cookies and also try from a different browser.

[@DanielKnudsen1925]

Thank you, perfect explanation!

[@CarolsTechnology]

Thank you!

[@sunnyRLE]

What do I do if mine doesn’t have custom domains tab

[@CarolsTechnology]

You have to be the owner - only the owner can put in a custom domain.

[@sunnyRLE]

@@CarolsTechnology oh ok thank you

[@pierfrancescoventuri1924]

Thank you! This was crucially useful!

[@CarolsTechnology]

Glad it helped!

[@wahabipro]

Hey carol My domain does not let me add more than 2 periods in a row. Could you help me fix this?

[@CarolsTechnology]

It’s only supposed to be one period though

[@wahabipro]

@@CarolsTechnology Nevermind.

[@Angellosa]

Wonderful!! thank you very much!

[@CarolsTechnology]

Thank you!! I appreciate that!

[@gleide-coelho]

Amazing explanation!!! Thanks a lot!!!

[@CarolsTechnology]

Thanks!!!

[@hellokane]

It's weird. It's seems for me that as of June 2024, the 'Custom Domains' option in Google Sites is no longer there. I had the ability to do this pre-Squarespace, but not anymore? I'm the Super admin for the Google Sites, owner of the Google Site page in question, and also an admin on Squarespace... Hm.

[@CarolsTechnology]

Did you check the admin in the Google Console permissions? support.google.com/a/answer/6399230?hl=en

[@hellokane]

@@CarolsTechnology Yes. As I said, I'm admin for both Google Sites and the Domain Registrar, so permissions isn't an issue. I did figure it out though, but I'm not sure if I'm on an old iteration (I'm based in Canada) or if my steps will be rolled out eventually for everyone. My subdomain settings are now all in the Admin Console, under Apps > Google Workspace > Sites > Custom URL. It's actually kinda handy to have everything in one space, accessible from the admin console. All the subdomains are there, along with their respective target URLs. With this setup, the other thing I have to do is set up CNAME records the same way you've mentioned in your tutorial video.

[@CarolsTechnology]

@@hellokane I’m glad that you were able to figure it out and I will say Google is constantly changing the Admin - every time you think that you have something one way it’s changed and then you have to go in and figure it out again.

[@antoinelever1585]

@@hellokane Thank you for this. I was having the same issue. I don't know how you figured this out but you're a life saver!

[@pkldr87]

​@@hellokane Same for me. Thanks for your steps - they, and this video together, worked perfectly! 👍🏼👍🏼

[@DakotaProsch]

What if the "Custom domain" doesnn't comeup in Settings. I have tried a million times and it isn't there.

[@CarolsTechnology]

Are you the owner of the site? or if you are an Enterprise customer, make sure it is enabled in the console.

[@DakotaProsch]

@@CarolsTechnology Thank you. Yes I am. I have a business account. Enabled in the console? Can you explain?

[@CarolsTechnology]

@@DakotaProsch So I just did some research and the weird thing is that it will not show in a business site, you have to transfer it to a personal Google account. Here is a video I found on it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rmnNiYuqfbV6mZIsi=yprwT2Hyga3Rg_-l

[@lauramicciche4252]

Such a great video--thank you! My site verified--I see that I'm the owner. But when I enter my custom domain (at 3:44 in your video), the site name still says it's unverified. Am I missing something obvious? Thanks again!

[@lauramicciche4252]

nevermind, got it! In case this is relevant to anyone else, I first cleared the cache in Firefox and went through the process again--didn't work. Next, I tried a different browser (Safari), and it worked!

[@CarolsTechnology]

@@lauramicciche4252 Yea, browsers can make a difference, I always use Chrome since it is a Google Site.Thanks for letting me know!

[@JoshuaSmiley-b8d]

Can you do this for multiple websites? I have one site published currently. I have purchased a new domain and need to set up a new site.

[@CarolsTechnology]

I don’t see why not. I am sure you have to perform these exact steps every time, though you can’t skip any steps. You always have to verify that it is your domain no matter how many multiple domains you have and you’ll still have to set the DNS up separately for each site.

[@srikika]

thanks a lot... very helpful

[@CarolsTechnology]

You are very welcome!

[@kevinpinedah]

Thank you so much, Carol! You saved me a lot of time. :)

[@CarolsTechnology]

@@kevinpinedah glad to have helped!

[@OneCreator87]

So it will appear as your custom domain when you search for it in Google?

[@CarolsTechnology]

@@OneCreator87 you will have to go to Google analytics and get the code because that’s how your website becomes searchable and you can put that in your settings

[@camilaillustration]

Hi Carol, Thanks for your video! Still I'm having this problem: I cannot access my website if I don't previously add "www". If I don't add it, it says that the page doesn't exist. Is it possible to do something about this? Thanks!

[@CarolsTechnology]

@@camilaillustration I would double check your setup to make sure you did it correctly.

[@penguinplayz4real]

Can someone please help me very fast? My website is all finished and it works fine. But It only works when I put www before it. When I try to do it without www it just says parked domain with hostinger. Is there ANY way I can remove that so it just goes to my normal website?

[@CarolsTechnology]

Yes! The issue is that your domain’s naked (non-www) version is not properly redirected to the www version in your DNS settings. Since you’re using Hostinger, here’s how to fix it: Solution: Update Your DNS Records 1. Log into your Hostinger account. 2. Go to the “Domains” section and find your domain. 3. Click on “DNS Zone Editor” or “Manage DNS.” 4. Look for an A record with “@” as the host. • If it points to Hostinger’s parked domain IP, change it to the same IP address as your www version. • If missing, add a new A record: • Host: @ • Points to: (your website’s IP address) • TTL: Default (or 14400) 5. Check for a CNAME record for www. • It should point to your domain (e.g., www.yourdomain.com → yourdomain.com). • If missing, add: • Host: www • Points to: yourdomain.com • TTL: Default Solution 2: Set Up a Redirect in Hostinger 1. Go to Hostinger’s hPanel. 2. Find the Redirects section. 3. Set up a 301 redirect from yourdomain.com → www.yourdomain.com. Final Step: Wait for DNS Propagation After making these changes, it may take a few hours (up to 24 hours) for the DNS settings to update. Try clearing your browser cache or using a different device to check if it’s working. Let me know if you need help!

[@vidhyadhar64]

Very nice, to-the-point video. Thanks for your time and efforts. Best wishes...

[@CarolsTechnology]

Thank you! I appreciate your words and best wishes to you as well!

[@stellarfax]

I did all that and my domain does lead to my website, but it's not added in my url

[@CarolsTechnology]

When you go to your settings, to Custom Domains, it shows up there? How long ago did you connect it? If it shows there, highlight the url and right click and go to site or check it in incognito mode and clear cache and cookies.

[@stellarfax]

@@CarolsTechnology I just added it today

[@stellarfax]

@@CarolsTechnology It says invalid DNS

[@CarolsTechnology]

@@stellarfax It can take 24 hours to populate. Check tomorrow. I actually had to redo mine to get it going. That's why I created the video. They don't make it easy!!

[@stellarfax]

@CarolsTechnology Thank you, I will get back to you Thursday

Thank you for this clear video! It's been great for us.

[@CarolsTechnology]

Glad it was helpful!

[@doctor_fever]

Great and clear explication! Question: What drove your use of CNAME verification rather than TXT?

[@CarolsTechnology]

I tried countless times with the TXT record unsuccessfully, and the CNAME just verified instantly. That is one of the reasons I created the video, I knew others also struggled.

[@bestgrape]

hi Carol, i just wonder if Iwant to add 2 domains at the same time on one google site. thank you

[@CarolsTechnology]

With the second domain, I would think it would be redirecting it from where you purchase the domain name not from the Google site. I can do more research into this and get back to you

[@smwatt56]

Helpful video. Very clear instructions. I also have a google site linked to my domain. The issue is that if someone types in the domain without www. it shows a 404 error. At the end of your video, you did a search for yours without the www. with success. I've been trying to fix this so both options will bring you to the site, with no luck. Any suggestions?

[@CarolsTechnology]

I double checked and when I put in the www, it does go to the google URL. Did you choose the www option when you set up your CNAME? Also, how long ago did you set it up? Did you give enough time?

[@MrMeljord]

Not Sure: Hoping you could advise. I just want to stop public access to the Google Sites URL rather than my Custom url

[@CarolsTechnology]

No one would have access to your Google site URL unless you provided it to them. You can’t delete it or not make it public because you want to visible with your new URL - people wouldn’t be able to find the Google site url

[@entertainmentroyale2456]

Dear Carol, I have a weird related problem. I verified with CNAME but didn't save the CNAME label or CNAME destination target and now I can't figure out how to find those again to connect the domain. Any help? Since I'm already verified, I can't find those by verifying again.

[@CarolsTechnology]

@@entertainmentroyale2456 can you go back to where you entered the info - where you purchased your domain - the DNS area?

[@entertainmentroyale2456]

@@CarolsTechnology I can go to the dns area but the cname stuff needs to come from Google sites as you showed. It's just not available after as far as I've seen. I've removed the domain and reapplied it but it's already verified so I can't see that page again.

[@CarolsTechnology]

When you go to the settings of the Google site do you see the domain set up? When you start the set up is when it should show . Are you the owner of the site?

[@hvh7959]

Carol...!!! I never get the blue check and the next.. Why?? I am stuck.

[@CarolsTechnology]

Are you the owner of the site?

[@MrMeljord]

Hi Carol- great video! QUESTION- Once you have added your custom domain, do you need to delete access to the google site URL?

[@CarolsTechnology]

Where would you delete it from?

[@queend2515]

Perfect and clear. THANKSSSSS

[@CarolsTechnology]

You're welcome!!

[@brian5778]

What if you don’t have custom domains as an option when you go to settings

[@CarolsTechnology]

You have to be the owner of the site or if it’s a Workspace account you have to make sure that it is turned on by your administrator

[@sharkdudefin]

Hi Carol, I have a question. I cant seem to un-verify my ownership so I can get the first CNAME record to enter (the one with the gv- at the start) to put in my DNS. Is that part neccesary or it it just to verify as it auto verified me as I was using the same google account?

[@CarolsTechnology]

I think as long as Google verified your ownership of the URL - you should be fine. Are you able to proceed?

[@GregWallis]

My menu does not have a Custom Domains option. Any ideas?

[@CarolsTechnology]

Are you the owner? Only the owner of the site can see the custom menu.

[@GregWallis]

@@CarolsTechnology Yes, I'm the owner and the domain is verified. Thanks so much for replying.

[@CarolsTechnology]

@@GregWallis​​⁠ is it through a Google workspace? And if it is then Google site has to be turned on in the workspace and you have to have the ability to add a custom domain.

[@GregWallis]

@@CarolsTechnology Yes, it's a Google Workspace, paid for, and Sites are definitely turned on. Again, thank you for your kind reply.

[@CarolsTechnology]

@@GregWallisare you the admin?

[@ahelisinghakumar5606]

Hi, do the data files, emails from your host server will transfer to the google custom site?

[@CarolsTechnology]

If you purchase an enterprise account where you get a url email. But that would be separate from what email does to what a Google site does.

[@kd-flare]

What if I clicked "Verify Later" by accident?

[@CarolsTechnology]

I would restart the process. I wouldn’t verify later because the domain won’t show if you don’t verify it right away.

[@kd-flare]

@@CarolsTechnology It’s not my site’s current domain.

[@CarolsTechnology]

@@kd-flare You might have to remove the other domain.

[@samionfarm]

i still fail to setup this. my domain still not live

[@SpotemCaughtem]

My first CNAME deleted. However it verified and allowed me to do my second CNAME. Will this be a problem?

[@CarolsTechnology]

Are you able to see your custom URL? If so, it shouldn’t be a problem.

[@tamilmuslimassociationbangkok]

its not there any more now

[@juancarlosportasv3603]

Thx! this guide did the job!

[@CarolsTechnology]

Glad it helped!

[@dreamedDreams]

How do you purchase a domain? it doesn't show it...

[@CarolsTechnology]

You go to a site like Squarespace or GoDaddy and search for what you want the name of your website to be then you purchase it. Here is a link for some providors: www.forbes.com/advisor/l/best-web-hosting-services/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw65-zBhBkEiwAjrqRMLSlwdblOxsnvV_O8D8Sawy4470VAYC84kXHVCrCDAGHArgAqPHfphoC0CkQAvD_BwE

[@dreamedDreams]

@@CarolsTechnology ... I don't have money for that.

[@CarolsTechnology]

@@dreamedDreams Unfortunately that is the only way

[@MikeGuerrero93]

@@CarolsTechnology did you buy only the domain with squarespace?? or you are also paying for the hosting??

[@nico.rndm1]

5:00 I don't have the "custom domain" button.

[@CarolsTechnology]

Then you aren’t the owner of the domain - do you share it with someone else?

[@nico.rndm1]

@@CarolsTechnology I am the owner and have not shared it with anyone

[@CarolsTechnology]

@@nico.rndm1 is it a workspace account or personal account? If it’s a workspace account, then it has to be turned on in the admin

[@nico.rndm1]

@@CarolsTechnology It is a workspace account

[@CarolsTechnology]

The Administrator of the workspace account has to allow you to have a custom domain. Is it through Work or School?

[@aphroditesk6125]

Soo helpful!! Thank you😊

[@CarolsTechnology]

You’re welcome!

[@simone6762]

Great video! Thanks a lot!

[@CarolsTechnology]

Thank you!

[@milhistorical2238]

GOD BLESS YOU FOR YOUR HELP

[@CarolsTechnology]

So glad that I could be of help!

[@rfart419]

Personally, I want to buy a custom domain for my future websites someday.

[@Dhakapets]

just i would like to say thanks ❤

[@CarolsTechnology]

You’re welcome!

[@ForSureRandom]

thank you so much my mistake was not deleting the default!

[@CarolsTechnology]

Glad this helped!

[@motienterprise]

thanks

[@CarolsTechnology]

You’re welcome!