Use a custom domain for your site

Tip: To use a custom domain from your work or school account, contact your administrator.

You can use a custom domain for a site published on new Google Sites. Using a custom domain can make it easier for people to find and remember your site with a web address like www.yourdomain.com.

To use a custom domain for your site, you can:

• Select a domain from your Google Domains account (if you have one).
• Use a domain you own that is registered elsewhere.
• Buy a new domain with Google Domains.

Important: Only the owner of a site can connect it to a domain. Learn more about how to change the site owner.

Set up custom domain

1. Go to Settings.
2. Click Custom domains.
3. Click Start setup.
4. Select an option below and follow the additional steps.

Note: You can connect up to five custom domains to one site. It may take up to 48 hours for changes to your domain to become visible on the Internet.

Select a domain from your Google Domains account

1. Click Select a domain from Google Domains.
   • If this option is not available, you are not the manager of a domain registered with Google Domains. Learn more about domain management sharing.
   • If this option is available, click Next.
2. Select your domain from the dropdown menu.
3. Choose whether to redirect the root domain to your site. If you redirect the root domain to your site, traffic to your domain that does not include 'www.' or another prefix will go directly to your site.
4. Click Done.

Use a domain you own that is registered elsewhere

1. Click Use a domain from a third party.
2. Click Next.
3. Enter your domain.

If you are prompted to verify ownership, skip the remaining steps in this section and follow the instructions later in this page. Then try again.

4. Click Next.
5. Follow the on-screen instructions to connect to a third-party domain registrar.
   • These steps may be different depending on your registrar. For more help, go to your domain registrar’s help resources.
6. Click Done.

Buy a new domain with Google Domains

1. Click Buy a domain.
2. Click Next.
3. Search for a domain you want to register.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to purchase an available domain.
5. Click Back to Google Sites. You should see your new domain connected to the site.

Caveats

Web-safe fonts

Google Fonts are served as web fonts as part of every Google Sites page. 

Google Sites also allows site editors to select additional fonts, also available in Google Docs and Slides, even if not listed in Google Fonts. These fonts are licensed to Google for use on Google's domains, but do not work with custom URLs. 

However, a small selection of 'web-safe' fonts will work for site viewers using Microsoft and Apple operating systems. Site viewers using ChromeOS, Android and other operating systems that do not have these 'web-safe' fonts installed will see alternative fallback fonts on sites with custom URLs.

Google Groups embeds

Google Groups embedded in Google Sites that have been published to a custom domain will not render properly.

Google Account authentication

Other features that depend on Google Account authentication may not work since a custom domain mapped site is no longer hosted on sites.google.com and cookies for *.google.com are not sent.

Sharing settings

Your site must be shared with the world for published viewers, or it will redirect to the sites.google.com URL for your site.

Verify ownership of your domain

1. Go to Google Search Console.
2. In the navigation pane, choose Add property or Search property.
3. Click Add property.
4. In the Domain (not URL prefix) option, enter the domain you want to verify. For example, mydomain.com.
5. Click Continue.
6. Follow the instructions for 'Any DNS Provider'.
7. Copy the TXT record that Google Search Console provides and add it to your DNS records.
8. After you’ve added the TXT record to your DNS records, click Verify.

Remove a custom domain

1. Go to Settings.
2. Click Custom domains.
3. Click the trash icon next to the domain you want to remove.
4. When prompted, click Delete to confirm.

Respond to an error message

If you see one of the following error messages, here are suggestions for troubleshooting:

• Invalid DNS: You need to add a CNAME entry. Learn how to point your domain to Google Sites. If you have already updated your DNS, wait 24-48 hours and try again.
• The URL check failed. Please change the URL and try again: Type your custom URL again, and click Assign.
• This isn’t a valid URL: Make sure you typed the full web address with no typos. Your URL must include a subdomain, like 'www'.
• This URL is already in use by another Google service: This site is already being used by another service like Blogger, classic Sites, or AppEngine. Delete the existing mapping before assigning your URL to a site on Google Sites.
• This URL is already in use by this site: Your custom URL is already linked to this Google Site.
• This URL is missing its certificate: Delete your custom URL and try to assign it again. Learn how to remove the URL.
• This URL is not verified. Please verify your ownership: Learn how to verify your site.
• You’ve reached the maximum number of URLs for this domain: There is a limit of 20 mappings made per week for your URL.

If your custom domain stops working

Your custom domain may stop working if you:

• Delete your Google Site
• Transfer ownership of your site to someone else
• Move your site into a Team Drive

Related articles

• Who is my administrator?
• Invite others to edit your site
• Publish & share your site
• Domain management sharing