In this episode of The Learning Pro Live, I had the pleasure of hosting the talented Ashanti Henderson, an eLearning developer from Atlanta who has built one of the most impressive portfolios I have seen in a while.

And the best part? She built it entirely using Google Sites.

If you think Google Sites is just for clunky, internal wikis, think again. Ashanti showed us how she transformed this free tool into a sleek, professional portfolio that rivals paid platforms like Squarespace or Wix. And she did it for the grand total cost of a $12-a-year domain name.

Here are the key takeaways from our chat on how you can build a budget-friendly, high-impact portfolio.

It’s All About the Imagery

The secret to making a Google Site look premium is high-quality visuals. The platform itself is quite simple—it uses a grid system and has limited font choices—but you can override these limitations with great design.

Ashanti uses Canva as her “secret weapon.” She designs her headers, buttons, and section dividers in Canva, exports them as high-quality images (PNGs), and then uploads them to Google Sites. This allows her to use custom fonts and branding that Google Sites doesn’t support natively.

Pro Tip: When creating background images or headers, use a square format (e.g., 12×12 inches) in Canva. This helps the image scale better across different devices without getting weirdly cropped.

Hosting Your Work

One of the biggest challenges with free portfolio builders is hosting actual eLearning projects (like Articulate Storyline or Lectora files). You can’t upload these files directly to Google Sites.

Ashanti’s workaround is simple and effective: she hosts her course files on Google Cloud Platform (similar to Amazon S3). Once the files are in a “bucket” and made public, she takes the URL and uses the “Embed” feature in Google Sites to display the course directly on her portfolio page. This means visitors can interact with her work without leaving her site.

Overcoming the Contact Form Hurdle

Google Sites doesn’t have a native “Contact Me” form that looks particularly stylish. Most people just embed a Google Form, which can look a bit… well, like a survey.

While you can try complex coding workarounds, sometimes simple is best. Ashanti decided to embed a clean Google Form because it was reliable and free. My own approach for a similar project was just to include a “mailto” link. Don’t overengineer it; the goal is just to let people get in touch.

The $12 Investment

We can’t stress this enough: Buy your own domain name.

Even if you are using a free builder like Google Sites, having yourname.com looks infinitely more professional than sites.google.com/view/yourname.

If you buy your domain through Google Domains, connecting it to a Google Site is almost instant (one click!). If you use a third-party registrar (like GoDaddy or Crazy Domains), it takes a bit more DNS tweaking, but it is still very doable.

Just Start

The beauty of this approach is the low barrier to entry. You don’t need to learn WordPress or pay monthly fees for Webflow. You can drag, drop, and publish a professional-looking site in a single afternoon.

As Tim Slade mentioned in the chat, it’s not about the tool you use; it’s about how you use it. With a good eye for design and some creative assets from Canva, Google Sites is a powerhouse for freelancers and job seekers on a budget.

Watch the full interview above to see Ashanti walk through her backend setup, show how she uses Canva for assets, and demonstrate exactly how to connect a custom domain.