Google Sites migration
Move from Google Sites to a static site
Google Takeout saves your Sites content. It does not produce a site you can upload. Give an assistant the live URL, rebuild the pages as static HTML, and publish to Novence. A custom address on new Google Sites is a Google Workspace admin setting. On Novence Free, one domain and SSL are $0.
Updated · Novence
How do I get it online?
Step 1 · Save the content
Run Google Takeout for Sites, and open the live site beside it. Takeout keeps text, images, and embedded HTML. It is an archive, not a theme.
Step 2 · Rebuild the pages
Ask Claude, Cursor, or ChatGPT to recreate each page from the published site, using the export for wording and images. Use folder URLs like
about/index.html.Step 3 · Replace embeds that only work in Sites
A Google Form can stay embedded. A contact form that should hit your inbox becomes Novence Forms.
Step 4 · Move the address
Deploy and compare the preview. If a Workspace admin mapped a URL with a CNAME to
ghs.googlehosted.com, replace that record with Novence's records. Leave the Site published until DNS has moved.
What does it cost?
| Option | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Novence Free | $0/mo | 1 site, 1 custom domain, free SSL, 10 GB bandwidth, 50 form submissions/mo, business use allowed |
| Google Sites custom URL | Workspace | An admin maps the address and points a CNAME at ghs.googlehosted.com. A personal site stays on sites.google.com. |
Prices checked 19 October 2026. Sources: Novence pricing · Export Google Sites data · Map a URL in Google Sites
Takeout is a copy of the content
Google's export list for Sites includes drafts, published sites, text, images, buttons, navigation, and embedded HTML. That is the material. Opening the archive does not give you a folder a host can serve as the same website.
New Sites can use a custom URL only when a Workspace admin maps it, and only for a site shared with anyone on the web. The mapping uses a CNAME to ghs.googlehosted.com. After the rebuild, that CNAME is the record you change.
What works on Novence?
- Brochure pages rebuilt from a public Google Site
- Embedded Google Forms left as they are
- Contact and quote forms with Novence Forms — submissions land in your inbox
- A domain you already own, pointed with two DNS records
FAQ
Can I download my Google Site as HTML?
Takeout downloads the content, including text, images, and embedded HTML. It is not a working website you can put on another host. Rebuild the pages from the live site.
Can a free Gmail account use a custom domain?
A personal site is published at sites.google.com. Mapping your own address is a Google Workspace admin task.
What happens to the sites.google.com link?
It keeps working until you unpublish the Site. After DNS moves, add a line of text on the old Site that points people at the new domain, then unpublish.
Will my Google Form still work?
Yes. Paste the same embed into the new page. The form still stores responses in Google.
Publish your site free
One prompt or one command. Your domain and SSL included on Free. No credit card.