Mapping Your Domain Name to Work with Google Sites
If you are hosting a website with Google Sites™, you can forward a domain name registered with us to that website. Instead of entering the standard Google Sites URL to access your website, visitors can enter your domain name. That way, visitors can focus on your domain name and not on where it's hosted.
To connect your Google Site to your domain name, you can set up domain name mapping, which requires updates in both your Google Sites account and our DNS Manager.
Parking Your Domain Name
First, you must park your domain name on our parking nameservers.
To Park Your Domain Name
- Log in to your Account Manager.
- Next to Domains, click Launch.
- Select the domain name you want to use with your Google Sites account, and then from the Nameservers menu, select Set Nameservers.
- Select Standard, and then click Save. Your domain will be parked with our parked nameservers.
Editing the CNAME Record
By editing your CNAME record, you tell the Web browser to open your Google Sites site when a visitor enters your domain name in the address bar.
To Edit the CNAME Record
- Log in to your Account Manager.
- Next to Domains, click Launch.
- From the DNS menu, select DNS Manager. The DNS Dashboard displays.
- For the domain name you want to map to your Google Site, click Edit Zone. The Zone File Editor displays.
- In the CNAME (Alias) section, click the www record.
- In the Points to field, type ghs.google.com.
- Click Save Zone File, and then click OK.
Forwarding Your Domain Name
Next, you must forward your unqualified domain name — that's the domain name without the "www" prefix — to the same location as the qualified domain name, the one with the "www." This way, visitors can reach your website with or without the "www" prefix. For example, your website displays for visitors who enter www.coolexample.com or coolexample.com.
To Forward Your Domain Name
- Log in to your Account Manager.
- Next to Domains, click Launch.
- Select the domain name you want to forward to your Google Site.
- Click Forward, and then select Forwarding Domains.
- Click Add Forwarding.
- Select http:// or https:// as your Forward to option. For more information, see HTTP vs. HTTPS.
- Enter the URL you want to forward your domain name to.
- Select your Redirect type
- 301 (Permanent) — Redirects to the site you specified in the Forward To field using a "301 Moved Permanently" HTTP response. The HTTP 301 response code tells user-agents (including search engines) that the location has permanently moved.
- 302 (Temporary) — Redirects to the site you specified in the Forward To field using a "302 Found" HTTP response. The HTTP 302 response code tells user-agents (including search engines) that the location has temporarily moved.
- Select your Forward settings
- Forward only — Forwards the domain without masking
- Forward with Masking — Prevents the forwarded domain name URL from displaying in the browser's address bar, and lets you enter Meta Tags for search engine crawlers in the following fields:
- Title — Displays at the top of the browser window and in search results
- Description — A short description of your website to display in search engine results
- Keyword — A list of comma-separated keywords that describes the content and purpose of your website
- To automatically update your nameservers to accommodate your forwarding changes, check Update my DNS setting to support this change.
- Click Add, and then click Save.
NOTE: Forwarded domain names can take up to 48 hours to activate.
Configuring Your Google Sites Account
This step configures your Google Sites account to use your domain name.
- Log in to your Google Site account.
- From the More Actions menu, select Manage Site.
- Click Web address, and then enter your qualified domain name. For example, enter www.coolexample.com.
- Select Add.
Allow up to 48 hours for your DNS changes to propagate.
NOTE: As a courtesy, we provide information about how to use certain third-party products, but we do not endorse or directly support third-party products and we are not responsible for the functions or reliability of such products. Google® is a registered trademark of Google Inc. All rights reserved.