Two Free Website Building Platforms Compared – WordPress VS. Google Sites
If you’re thinking of setting up your own personal Website or blog, or considering using one as a collaboration tool for you team, using WordPress or Google sites must have crossed your mind. These two platforms has some overlapping abilities but they actually suit for totally different uses. Here is a review of WordPress and Google sites that will help you choose the right platform for your needs.
WordPress
WordPress is an open source blog tool and publishing platform. It is the largest self-hosted blogging tool in the world.
Google sites
Google Sites is an online application for easy creation and sharing of webpages. It allows you to gather information (such as videos, calendars, presentations, attachments, and text) in one place and share it for viewing or editing with others.
Comparison
First time setup – you do not have to know code to use WordPress, but first time installation might be difficult if you do not know how (or have someone to help you) to create a database and use FTP. Google Pages First time setup is as easy as the day to day use, and include about ten mouse clicks. No code or behind the scenes files to move or change.
Content management – In WordPress, authoring and file sharing are done form the control panel. So if, for example, you want to share a file, you will have to go to the control panel, upload the file and then add a link to it in the desired page. In Google Sites, on the other hand, you only need to go to a page and upload the file as an attachment or click “edit” to change the text. That feature makes Google Sites suitable for daily operations of documents and information management and WordPress for publishing of more carefully edited posts and pages.
Pages functionality – In Google Sites You can choose one of five types of pages – regular web page, dashboard, announcements, file cabinet, or list. Each of them has different functionalities, such as file uploading and sharing, overview of information, data listing, and information sharing (such as news, status updates, or notable events).WordPress offers only regular web page, besides the default page where blog post are published to (although you can build custom web pages using PHP).
Ease of use - both platforms are easy to use, but Google sites is easier for first timers since it is more intuitive. WordPress’ control panel might require some accommodation until it can be used to its full strength.
Design – with hundreds of themes available and the ability to change them (using code) makes WordPress based websites beautiful and flexible (examples: networksolutions, ridgewoodprep and biggovhealth). The exact opposite is true with Google Sites – only few pre-packaged themes are available, with limited changes possible to the layout and look of elements. That makes even Google’s own example sites (Team project, Employee profile, Student club, Classroom) look simple and unprofessional, design-wise.
Extensibility – WordPress has numerous and ever growing number of plugins to improve the site’s functionality, management, monitoring, design, and more. Adding them is easy, but might require you to use FTP, and for small number of plugins, to edit code. Google Sites doesn’t have any extensions of that kind, but it is possible to embed content (video, Google Docs documents, spreadsheets, presentations, Picasa photo slide shows, iGoogle gadgets).
Collaboration – The key feature of Google Sites is its collaboration abilities. You can decide who can watch the site (Viewers), change it (Collaborators) or manage it (Owners). Collaborators and owners do not need to have a Gmail account to make changes, but will have to go through a short registration, to get a Google account (with their current email).
WordPress collaboration abilities are much more limited. Although it allows similar levels of management privileges, its central content management and lack of pages functionality make it suitable for multiple authoring, but not more.
Conclusion
Although both platforms can grant collaboration permission, the ease of use in Google sites and collaboration abilities make it suitable for team work and collaboration; Its easy setup and limited design makes it suitable for small personal sites (but not if you’re in the Internet business) or group participation like in friends club and the like.
WordPress is great for “regular” websites thanks to its design, extensibility, and also high level websites that requires code and advanced design and functionality. And, of course, it is a wonderful blogging platform.
Look at the table below to see at a glance the differences between Google Sites and WordPress.
| Use | WordPress | Google sites |
| Extended functionality with plugins/gadgets or coding | Limitless | poor |
| Users can share files | X | V |
| Messages and lists | X | V |
| Ease of use | V | V |
| Single-click page creation | V | V |
| No Coding required | V | V |
| Free | V | V |
| non-blog content management | V | V |
| Users can be invited to collaborate | V | V |
| themes | V | V (few) |
| Users can comment | V | V (with permission) |
| Beautiful design | V | X |
| Blogging abilities | V | X |
| Users can register | V | X |
What is your experience with WordPress and Google Sites? How do you use them? share it with us us in the comments.
Related posts:
- The Online Collaboration Tools Guide
- Web Apps & Software for Distributed Teams
- Google Reader Tips and Practices for Power Users
- Video – Building Innovation Teams – What is Your Learning Type?
- Become a Google Ninja with Advanced Search Operators
This is an important post. Good job!
Thanks Boaz!
I’ve been using wordpress for my blog/personal site and pretty much happy with it
Wordpress gives me great control over what I want to do with my own site.
I Agree Ranjeet,
This blog is WordPress based as well.
very nice! like it!
Thanks Lital!
Thank you for this interesting article.
What would you recommend for a schools' web site? purpose – marketing, community, eleraning, collaborative.
It it possible to embed moodle into Google site?
How is Joomla compared to Google site?
Thanks Ariellah,
well, it really depends…
roughly, I would say that for Marketing I would use a WordPress site (since you can design it). For collaboration I would use Google sites (it was made especially for that). For the community and elearning – it depends on what kind of activities you are doing.
I do not know moodle and do not have experience with Joomla, so unfortunately I cannot answer these questions.
Eyal.
OK. Toda
I use Google Sites for my Maths website, (http://www.neotsmaths.co.uk) – it's great for sharing worksheets, podcasts, pictures and news. I think it's fab, but I think its lack of user registration is a little limiting. I am trying to get the students to comment more on the Maths blog in this respect.
Although there are a few themes, it is very customisable!
Interesting article though – thanks!
Your site looks very well built…
Thanks Sam.
Thanks – this really helped decide what to recommend for an author friend – Nick
That's the great article! I just pass 'n read it, two thumbs up!
Great idea for a comparison post! Thanks
All and all, WordPress wins! I've been trying my hand with a WordPress theme and I realized just how flexible their service really is. I wouldn't have had so much liberty with Google, that's for sure.
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Mathew Farney – Web Hosting
This post is great, and really saved me some comparing these products myself, since I want to start using one of them soon.
You didn't mention hosting fees or limitations ???
and one more thing…
I just wen to check out Google Sites, and it seems like they updated it with more layouts and plenty of more styles and themes to choose from. It seems like they have a them and template for any subject you could think of!
I believe, that in the long run, Google will have stronger abbilities than WordPress, but only time will tell…
Very helpful information. I bookmarked this article. Thanks for sharing.
Jessica S.
http://nocostwebsite.co.cc/
I'm not finished read this yet, but it's so fabulous 'n I'll back again when I was finished my job
Bravo, Bros! keep going like this, more good info again.
Great post, Very informative..