Honest Comparison

Local Boost HQ
vs
Google Sites

Google Sites is free, but does "free" make it a real option for a local business trying to win customers? Here's the honest answer.

Google Sites

The free Google option

Starting price

Free (+ £4.14/mo for Workspace)

DIY — you build and maintain

Recommended

Local Boost HQ

Done-for-you

Starting price

£14.99/mo

We build, host, and maintain

Please note: Our pricing covers website build, hosting, and maintenance. Domain registration, business email, and any third-party apps are billed separately — we'll happily help you set them up during onboarding.

Google Sites is free, straightforward, and made by Google — which sounds ideal on the surface. The trouble is, Google Sites was designed for internal team wikis, project pages, and simple information sites, not for businesses competing in local search. Using it as your main business website is a bit like using Excel as a word processor: possible, but not remotely the right tool. Here's why it falls short for UK local businesses, and what a purpose-built alternative delivers instead.

Feature-by-Feature Comparison

Everything that matters for a UK local business, side by side.

Who builds your site

Google Sites

You do (DIY)

Local Boost HQ

We do (done-for-you)

Starting price

Google Sites

Free

Local Boost HQ

£14.99/mo

Custom domain support

Google Sites

Requires Google Workspace

Local Boost HQ

Fully supported (BYO domain)

Template quality

Google Sites

Extremely basic

Local Boost HQ

Custom per industry

Design flexibility

Google Sites

Very limited

Local Boost HQ

Fully bespoke

Site speed

Google Sites

Good (Google-hosted)

Local Boost HQ

Near-perfect scores

Local SEO tools

Google Sites

Essentially none

Local Boost HQ

Full local SEO stack

Google Business Profile setup

Google Sites

Not included

Local Boost HQ

Included on all plans

Built for commercial use

Google Sites

No — designed for internal pages

Local Boost HQ

Yes — designed for conversion

Mobile responsive

Google Sites

Local Boost HQ

SSL certificate

Google Sites

Local Boost HQ

Custom industry copy

Google Sites

You write it

Local Boost HQ

We write it for you

Support

Google Sites

None (community forums)

Local Boost HQ

UK email & phone

The Honest Take on Google Sites

No sales spin — here's where Google Sites genuinely shines and where it falls short.

What Google Sites Does Well

  • • Completely free if you just need basic information pages
  • • Integrates cleanly with Google Docs, Drive, and Calendar
  • • Fast hosting on Google infrastructure
  • • Good for internal team pages, wikis, or documentation

Where Google Sites Falls Short

  • • Templates are extremely basic and look unprofessional for a commercial business
  • • Design flexibility is severely limited — you can't build a serious business site
  • • Custom domains require Google Workspace (~£4.14/mo minimum)
  • • Local SEO capability is essentially zero — no schema, no GBP workflow, no structured data control
  • • Ironic truth: despite being made by Google, it's not built to help you rank in Google Search
  • • Not designed for commercial businesses — no conversion features, no proper CTAs, no psychology

Why Local Boost HQ Wins For Local Businesses

We're not for everyone — but for UK local businesses, here's what makes the difference.

Actually designed for business

Google Sites is built for internal wikis and project pages. We build sites designed to turn local searchers into paying customers.

Google will rank our site better — not Google's

Google's own ranking algorithms reward proper local schema, fast static HTML, Google Business Profile integration, and real content. Google Sites provides almost none of that. We provide all of it.

Real design, real professionalism

A Google Sites page screams "personal project". We deliver custom designs that match and beat the sites of your best local competitors.

Full service, not a blank page

Google Sites gives you a blank canvas and assumes you're a team wiki editor. We give you a finished, locally-optimised business site in 48 hours with copy written for your industry.

The Verdict

So Which Should You Choose?

Google Sites is free, but it's free for a reason — it was never designed for commercial businesses or local search competition. For a UK local business serious about ranking, converting, and looking professional, it's essentially not an option. Local Boost HQ delivers everything Google Sites cannot: local SEO, custom design, real copy, and genuine commercial performance for £14.99/mo.

Google Sites vs Local Boost HQ — FAQs

Common questions about choosing between these two options.

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Ready to Skip the DIY Route?

Get a professional, locally-optimised website in 48 hours — built by experts while you run your business. Plans from £14.99/mo.

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