Google Sites is a free website builder from Google, often used for internal project hubs, education, or small public-facing sites. It’s appealing because it integrates with Google Workspace, has an easy drag-and-drop editor, and doesn’t require hosting fees or advanced technical skills. For schools, clubs, and small teams, it’s a quick way to get online.
However, Google Sites is not designed for businesses that need a scalable, professional-grade website. Its design tools are basic, customization is limited, and SEO functionality is almost nonexistent. Sites built on the platform often feel like simple portals rather than polished, high-performing brand experiences.
Webflow, on the other hand, offers design freedom, advanced CMS features, and robust SEO and performance tools. For organizations ready to evolve from a simple Google Sites project to a full-fledged website, Webflow provides the flexibility and scalability needed to grow.
As a Webflow Enterprise Partner, Composite has helped dozens of clients migrate their sites into Webflow with improved design, content structure, and long-term SEO strategy. If you’re ready to leave Google Sites behind, this guide will help you understand why, and how, to migrate.
Here’s what we’ll cover:
- Reasons to Migrate
- Step-by-step Migration Guide
- Best Practices
- Common Challenges
Google Sites vs Webflow: Reasons to Migrate
Most people choose Google Sites because it’s free and quick to set up. But as your needs grow, the platform quickly shows its limits. Here are the most common reasons to move from Google Sites to Webflow:
- You’ve outgrown basic templates.
Google Sites offers only a handful of templates with minimal customization. If you want to create a branded, modern website, you’ll run into a wall fast. Webflow gives you full control over layout, typography, color, and interactivity. - You want a real CMS.
Google Sites has no true content management system. Everything is static. For blogs, case studies, or team profiles, you’ll need to rebuild content manually. Webflow’s CMS lets you create custom content types, scale easily, and edit without breaking layouts. - SEO matters to your business.
Google Sites offers virtually no SEO controls. No schema markup, limited meta tags, and no custom redirects. Webflow comes with advanced SEO features built in, helping you compete in search and protect your rankings during migration. - You need a professional-grade experience.
Google Sites is best for intranets or simple school projects. For businesses, it looks amateurish compared to competitors. Webflow produces clean code, supports animations, and provides collaboration tools for design and marketing teams. - You want to future-proof your website.
As your team grows, you’ll need localization, membership systems, gated content, or integrations. Webflow supports these use cases natively or with low-code solutions, while Google Sites doesn’t. - You’re ready to own your design system.
In Google Sites, you’re bound to a rigid structure. In Webflow, you can set up global styles, components, and a modular design system that evolves with your brand.
Migrating from Google Sites to Webflow: Step-by-Step Guide
Migrating from Google Sites isn’t a one-click process. Because Google Sites doesn’t allow you to export structured data or design assets easily, migration involves a full rebuild. This should be treated as both a migration and a redesign.
We recommend breaking the process into three stages:
- Migrating the Design
- Migrating the Content
- Migrating SEO and Automations
Migrating the Design
Google Sites offers very limited design flexibility. Migration to Webflow means rebuilding your site’s structure and design from scratch.
- Layout: Recreate your sitemap and user flows, but take this chance to modernize your UX.
- Visual elements: Rebuild headers, nav bars, and content blocks using Webflow’s reusable components.
- Interactivity: Webflow supports animations and advanced interactions—enhancements are not possible in Google Sites.
- Responsive design: Replace fixed layouts with fluid, responsive designs for mobile, tablet, and desktop.
Best practices:
- Treat this as a redesign, not a copy-paste.
- Create a global style guide in Webflow and adopt a utility class system like Client-First or Lumos. This ensures consistency across your site and makes handoffs easier for future designers or developers.
- Use Webflow’s advanced design tools for typography, grid layouts, and motion.
- Test performance early using Lighthouse or Core Web Vitals.
Migrating the Content
Google Sites doesn’t offer robust export tools. Content will likely need to be manually copied or exported into spreadsheets for re-import.
Steps:
- Audit your content – pages, files, posts, images, etc.
- Extract data – manually copy content or use scripts to pull text/images.
- Set up Webflow CMS – create collections for blogs, case studies, team members, etc.
- Rebuild and import – paste content into Webflow or use CSV import for structured data.
- Verify everything – check formatting, responsiveness, and SEO fields.
Best practices:
- Back up everything in Google Drive before migrating.
- Use spreadsheets to map out content fields before import.
- Take the opportunity to update outdated or low-quality content.
- Add accessibility improvements like alt text, semantic HTML, and proper heading structure.
- Set up 301 redirects for any old URLs.
SEO Best Practices
SEO migration is especially important when leaving Google Sites since the platform offers so little control when compared to legacy platforms like Webflow.
- On-page SEO: Transfer and improve meta titles, descriptions, and headings.
- Off-page SEO: Use 301 redirects to preserve backlinks and authority.
- Technical SEO: Leverage Webflow’s sitemap generation, clean HTML output, schema markup, and mobile optimization.
- Post-launch tracking: Monitor traffic, indexing, and keyword rankings in Google Search Console, Semrush, and other platforms.
Take this moment to utilize some of Webflow’s more robust SEO features. Read our post, The Complete Guide to Technical SEO in Webflow for more information.
Common Challenges with Migration
Migrating from Google Sites comes with unique hurdles:
- No structured export: Everything is manual, making it easy to miss content.
- Design mismatch: Google Sites layouts can’t be replicated directly, so you’ll need to rebuild.
- Limited SEO carryover: If you didn’t manually add SEO basics in Google Sites, you’ll need to rebuild from scratch.
- Integration gaps: Google Sites integrates easily with Google Workspace tools, which must be reconnected in Webflow.
- Learning curve: Webflow is more powerful, but takes time to master.
Done right, the migration results in a polished, professional-grade website that’s easier to manage and scales with your team.
Digital Solutions: Google Sites to Webflow
Migrating from Google Sites to Webflow unlocks a more professional, scalable, and SEO-friendly platform. You’ll gain complete design freedom, a real CMS, and better long-term performance.
Composite is a certified Webflow Enterprise agency based in New York. We specialize in helping businesses migrate from platforms like Google Sites to Webflow—strategically, safely, and with SEO as a priority. We’ve helped startups, enterprises, and nonprofits move their sites from basic builders to Webflow with better UX, speed, and search visibility.
Thinking about making the switch from Google Sites to Webflow? Let’s talk.
