Google Page Creator beta

CNET editors' take

• Reviewed by:
  Daniel Drew Turner
• Edited by:
  Elsa Wenzel
• Reviewed on: 04/07/2006

The Google Page Creator beta allows you to design and post a quick Web page in a few easy steps. First, because it is still in development, you must sign up to try this service via your Gmail account. Once Google gives you the green light to try its Page Creator beta editing tool, you'll receive access to 100MB of hosting space and a domain name derived from your Gmail handle (such as gmail.google.com/ewenzel), plus space for your page on googlepages.com.

Google Page Creator uses JavaScript and AJAX technologies to present a largely drag-and-drop Web-page creation environment within your browser window. It's simple to use and great for producing basic Web pages based on the provided templates, though you cannot include blogs, message boards, or even simple forms. Google does allow HTML edits, but not enough to influence the layout of the entire page. Thankfully, the Google Page Creator beta produces clean CSS and HTML code (no messy Google-specific tags à la Microsoft FrontPage).

However, there are still some areas for improvement. For example, one template provided a horizontal divider that was impossible to move using the visual interface or by HTML editing, and so whenever we changed the style of the page, the divider remained, albeit obscured by text. While Google Page Creator may be a good option for whipping up a quick placeholder Web page, the Microsoft Office Live beta provides more full-featured tools and also offers you a domain name. For professional Web editing, we recommend Macromedia Dreamweaver 8 instead.

Compare prices for Google Page Creator beta

Check the manufacturer's Web site for more information about signing up as a beta tester.

Recent user reviews

• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 6 reviews
• My rating: 0 stars Write review

• Showing 3 of 6 user reviews

• 3.0 stars

  "Pretty basic is an understatement"

  by muzicmadd on August 23, 2006

• 5.0 stars

  "All many people need"

  by tcardone05 on April 24, 2006

• 3.0 stars

  "good, but could be better"

  by brazilboy87 on April 24, 2006

• See all 6 user reviews Write review