how to create a website with google (1$/month)
Do you need that online presence ? You may want to start this new revolutionary service that will change the world, at least, change your world. You can start to promote your service on social media. You can even pay for some FB ads (we’ll talk about it soon in another blog post) but at some point a real website seems to be obvious. About starting a new business, a good friend of mine said : think big, start small and learn fast. Let’s start with a small website and we’ll learn fast.
spoiler : it won't be so difficult !
google sites + google domains
There are plenty of hosting providers, website builders, VPS and so on, it’s not simple to choose. As you want to invest in your new product, you’re not sure if you have to invest in a hosting provider for now. To start small (cheap), I suggest using your Google account. You already have one (is it possible to live without one ?). With Google, for personal use or small business, everything is free… That’s not totally true, you pay by giving up your data to the G in GAFA.
You just have to visit sites.google.com, choose a template and create your website as you’re creating powerpoint slides : select, click, drag and drop.
The content of the website is stored in your google drive, with your free google account, you have 15 Gb as a gift and that’s enough to host the best website in the world.
yourname.me
I recommend paying for only one thing : the domain name. Using the power of your single google account, you can access to : google domains ! (Not available in every country 🙈).
It’s important to buy a domain name, it’s your address in this lucrative virtual world called “The Internet” (and soon the metaverse). So you need that space to be visible.
You can buy yourname.com or yourname.me or yourname and the extension of your country, just to be sure no one else will buy it. From 12 to 20€ per year, you can afford it. Don’t overthink about the domain name : is it simple to type, does it seem professional ? Just pick the name of your product or your own name if you go into freelance mode. If you want to run a business, you’ll have to make decisions, start with this one, choose wisely.
There are also plenty of domain names providers (or registars). Google Domains is not the best but the interface is clear enough in my point of view. You won’t have to change your domain names settings very often so let's use one provider which is easy. You don’t have to create another account that you could forget. It’s also super easy to use with google sites.
@root$> No need for any line of code
Just go to sites.google.com and start creating a wonderful website. This is where the magic happens. You just have to select a template (or blank page) to build your website. It’s an easy to use GUI. You can use any content (photo, docs, google slides) from your google drive. You can embed video from any youtube channel, add links to your social media accounts. It’s not that fancy but all the basics are there. You can preview your website from a mobile, tablet or laptop userview. You can add a banner with a CTA (click to action). You can also find some creative templates on the web if you need something more specific.
just publish it
When your site is ready, just click on publish. The config of the custom domain is really easy using google Domains. In fact, it's fully automated, no need to configure any DNS records : 🤯
The extension .com is 12$ per year so 1$ per month, this is the cost to exist on the net, that’s cheap but not free.
Follow the step by step guide below and if you have any trouble, please let me know by email or on linkedin, I'll be happy to help. Don't miss the article below to configure other features to your google site such as google anylitics.
➡️ configure cool features for your google site
Vladimir