FIVE75 AI Website with Google Sites

The Hidden Gem in Your Google Workspace: Creating an Internal Business Website with Google Sites

Ever wasted 10 minutes searching for an important document buried in emails? Or spent hours creating folders just to keep your business organized? That was me—until I discovered a hidden gem inside Google Workspace: Google Sites. Let me show you how I created a powerful dashboard that streamlined my daily operations, centralized my business resources, and saved me time every single day.

If you’re a small business owner paying for Google Workspace, you might be overlooking one of its most valuable features. Many business owners don’t realize that this powerful tool is already included in their subscription—at no additional cost.

As a small business owner myself, I discovered that Google Sites is perfect for creating an internal resource hub for employees to access HR documents, submit mileage reports, and find commonly used links or files—all in one centralized location. Even better, I’ve found it incredibly useful as a personal dashboard for my daily operations.

In this guide, I’ll share my journey with Google Sites and walk you through how to create your own internal business website, regardless of your technical skills. The best part? It’s already included in your Google Workspace subscription!

🔥 Why Use Google Sites? (And Common Challenges Solved)

Before diving into the step-by-step process, let’s break down why Google Sites is a game-changer for small business owners and solopreneurs, along with common challenges and how to overcome them.

1️⃣ “Do I need design skills to create a professional-looking site?”

One of my biggest concerns was my limited design experience. What I discovered is that Google Sites is specifically built for non-designers:

  • The templates and drag-and-drop interface make it incredibly straightforward.
  • For an internal website, basic is actually better—employees need functionality, not fancy animations.
  • You can create a clean, organized site in under an hour with zero coding knowledge.

2️⃣ “How can I make this truly useful for daily operations?”

I wondered if a simple website would actually improve my workflow. The game-changer for me was discovering that I could:

  • Embed essential tools like ChatGPT to help with CRM tasks.
  • Integrate my Google Calendar directly into the page.
  • Create a personalized dashboard that serves as my daily “command center.”

3️⃣ “Is it worth the time investment for a small team?”

As a one-person operation, I questioned whether building a site made sense. Here’s why it absolutely did:

  • Centralized resources save me countless minutes every day (which adds up!).
  • Having a single “go-to” location eliminates the frustration of searching through emails or folders.
  • The one-time setup has provided ongoing benefits with minimal maintenance.

🛠 Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Your Internal Google Sites Website

Now that you understand the value, let’s build your internal business website with Google Sites.

1️⃣ Access Google Sites Through Your Workspace Account

If you’re already paying for Google Workspace, you already have access:

  • Visit Google Sites while logged into your Workspace account.
  • No additional setup required—it’s ready to use immediately!

Pro Tip: Add Google Sites to your bookmarks bar for quick access.

2️⃣ Start with a Simple Template or Blank Canvas

When beginning your internal site:

  • Click “+ Blank” for a fresh start or browse the templates for inspiration.
  • For internal business use, the “Team” or “Project” templates often work well.
  • Remember: functionality trumps aesthetics for internal tools—focus on organization first.

3️⃣ Create a Practical Structure for Daily Use

Based on my experience, here’s what works best for an internal site:

  • Create a homepage dashboard with your most-used tools and links.
  • Add dedicated pages for:
    • HR Resources (policies, forms, contact information).
    • Common Documents (templates, guidelines, procedures).
    • Team Resources (meeting notes, project trackers).
    • Quick Links (to other tools and platforms you use).

💡 From My Experience: I created a personal dashboard page with embedded ChatGPT and my calendar as the homepage. This has become my daily starting point for work.

4️⃣ Enhance Your Site with Embedded Tools

The real power of Google Sites comes from integration:

  • Embed Google Drive files so they’re viewable and editable right on the page.
  • Add Google Forms for expense submissions, IT requests, or feedback.
  • Integrate Google Calendar for team schedules or availability.
  • Embed other tools like ChatGPT (as I did) to create a true command center.

🔹 My Setup Tip: For my CRM assistance, I embedded ChatGPT with specific prompts already configured, saving me time on repetitive tasks.

5️⃣ Publish Internally and Share with Your Team

Keep your site secure while making it accessible:

  1. Click “Publish” in the top-right corner.
  2. Instead of making it public, select “Share with specific people.”
  3. Add your team members’ email addresses or Google Groups.
  4. Set appropriate permissions (view only or edit).

💡 Privacy Note:

  • For sensitive business information, ensure your sharing settings are restricted to only your organization.
  • Consider creating separate sections with different permission levels for sensitive HR information.

✅ Make It Your Daily Starting Point

Here’s how I maximize the value of my Google Sites dashboard:

  1. Set it as your browser homepage or first pinned tab.
  2. Organize bookmarks directly on your site rather than in your browser.
  3. Update regularly with new resources as your business evolves.

🎯 Final Thoughts from My Experience

As a small business owner who initially overlooked Google Sites, I can’t emphasize enough how valuable this tool has been—especially considering it’s already included in my Google Workspace subscription!

Key Takeaways:

✅ Google Sites requires no additional cost if you’re already using Google Workspace. ✅ You don’t need design skills to create a functional internal site. ✅ The biggest benefit is having all your resources in one place. ✅ For internal use, basic design is actually better—focus on organization.

Whether you’re a one-person operation like me or have a small team, an internal Google Sites website can streamline your operations and create a central hub for all your business resources.

FIVE75 PROTIP: I put together the March 2025 Edition of FIVE75’s AI Tools Comparison Guide, this free downloadable PDF provides an up-to-date analysis of the latest AI solutions across language models, coding assistants, content creation, data analysis, and automation platforms.

Coming Soon From FIVE75

Introducing My Newest Creation: The Time-Saving Assessment AI Bot!

If you’re feeling overwhelmed but aren’t sure exactly where your efficiency problems lie, this interactive tool is for you.

I’ll be sharing the full details next week, but in the meantime, check out a fun little AI assessment quiz I built a few weeks back. It only takes three minutes and will give you a quick snapshot of how efficient your current workflow really is.

👉 Take the AI Assessment Quiz Here!

-Joe Luna Founder FIVE75

All this exciting AI news, but you don’t have to take my word for it, go ahead and start using Chat GPT for yourself! See you NEXT TIME!

Your Turn!

Are you a Google Workspace user who hasn’t explored Google Sites yet? What internal resources would you centralize on your business website? I’d love to hear your thoughts!