Tradewebsite.uk vs Google Sites for tradespeople: which one should you use?

What is Google Sites, and what does it cost?

Google Sites is Google's own website builder. You open it at sites.google.com, pick a template or start blank, add text, photos and buttons, then press Publish. Google's Sites product page says sites "look great on all devices, including desktops, tablets and mobile phones", and that people can view your site without a Google Workspace account.

On price, I read Google's Sites help pages and the product page in October 2026. None of them list a charge for creating or publishing a site. The product page links to Workspace pricing plans, and the one place money is mentioned in the help pages is the domain: Google says you can buy a new domain for a Google Site through a Google Workspace plan. So for most sole traders the honest answer is that Google Sites costs nothing to use, and the only bill is a domain name if you want your own address.

Can you use your own domain on Google Sites?

Yes, but there is some setting up. Google's help page Use a custom domain for your site (checked October 2026) says:

1. Only the owner of the site can connect it to a domain.
2. You may be asked to verify that you own the domain in Google Search Console, by adding a TXT record to your domain's DNS.
3. You then add a CNAME record at your domain registrar.
4. The address must include a subdomain, like www. So www.yourname.co.uk works, and if you want plain yourname.co.uk to work too you set up forwarding at your registrar.
5. Changes can take up to 48 hours to show on the internet.

None of that is hard if you have done DNS before. If "TXT record" means nothing to you, budget an evening, or skip the domain and use the free Google address, which is long and does not look like a business.

What Google Sites does well for a trade business

• It costs nothing to try. If money is tight in your first months of trading, that matters more than anything else on this page.
• Google tools slot straight in. Google's help page on adding content shows how to insert a Google Map of your area, a Google Form, YouTube videos and Docs, Sheets or Slides. A Google Form makes a workable quote request form.
• As many pages as you like. You can add separate pages for each service, which my one page sites do not do.
• You can embed code. Insert, then Embed, lets you paste HTML or JavaScript into the page body, for example a booking widget from another service.

Where Google Sites falls short for a trade business

• You design it yourself. The templates are general purpose. Nothing tells you to put your phone number at the top, the towns you cover, your Gas Safe or NICEIC number, or a tap to call button. You have to know what a trade page needs. I wrote that list in what to put on a one page trade website, and it works for a Google Site too.
• No business markup in the page head. Search engines read structured data (the code that tells Google your business name, phone number and area) from the page. Zendesk's help centre says Google Sites "doesn't allow access to the document head or custom script execution". So you are relying on Google reading your visible text, plus your Google Business Profile.
• Check the search engine setting. When you publish, Google Sites has an option called "Request public search engines to not display my site". Google says it is a request, not a guarantee. Make sure it is not ticked, or nobody will find you.
• The free address is not yours. Without a domain your site lives on a sites.google.com address. On a van or a quote, that looks like a stopgap.

Side by side

Google Sites facts from Google Sites Help and the Google Sites product page, checked 16 October 2026.

The 3 year cost, with the working

• Google Sites with your own domain: £0 for the site, plus a domain at about £8 to £15 a year from a registrar. Over three years that is about £24 to £45.
• Google Sites on the free Google address: £0.
• Tradewebsite.uk: £299 once, plus the same domain at about £8 to £15 a year. Over three years that is £323 to £344.

So Google Sites is cheaper, and I am not going to pretend otherwise. The £299 pays for a layout built around how homeowners pick a tradesperson, the build done in about 2 minutes instead of an evening, and a person to ring when something needs changing. If you would rather spend the evening than the money, Google Sites is a sensible choice. The other free options, and what they leave out, are in is a free website really free?

Who should use Google Sites

• Your budget for a website is genuinely zero right now.
• You are comfortable laying out a page and editing DNS records.
• You already run your business on Google Workspace.
• You want several pages, or want to embed Google Forms, Sheets or Docs.

Who should use Tradewebsite.uk

• You want a page that already knows what a trade site needs: what you do, where you cover, photos, and a big tap to call button.
• You have about 2 minutes, not a spare evening.
• You want to see the finished site before deciding to pay anything.
• You want one payment and never another website bill.

If you are weighing up other builders as well, they are all in one table in the cheapest website builder for tradespeople, and Tradewebsite.uk vs Wix covers the best known free plan.

Is Tradewebsite.uk free?

For the first month, yes. Tradewebsite.uk lets you build your one page trade website yourself, free, in about 2 minutes at edit.tradewebsite.uk/start. It is free for 1 month and no card is needed. If you keep it, Tradewebsite.uk costs £299 once, with hosting included and no monthly fee. If you do not pay, the site is switched off and nothing is charged. The domain name is not included (about £8 to £15 a year) and connecting it is free.

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Frequently asked questions

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