How to Embed a Google Form

Google Forms is one of the best online form builders you'll find. The interface is responsive, the forms are reliable, and, music to any small business owner's ears, it doesn't cost a cent.

But things get tricky when you try to embed your form on your website, share it in an email or add it to WordPress, especially if terms like "iframe" or "HTML" send a shiver down your spine.

To help you out, we've put together this guide on how to embed Google Forms. Along the way, we'll outline some of the tool's limitations and show you how a dedicated platform like Paperform can help you create forms that are versatile, beautiful and easy to embed.

TL;DR

• There are 3 ways you can embed a Google Form: on your website, within an email, or via a direct link.
• How to embed a Google Form on your website: Click the 'Send' button and select the icon with two pointed brackets. Copy the HTML and paste it on your website or blog.
• How to embed a Google Form in an email: Again, click the Send button and select the envelope icon. Enter the email addresses and subject line, and compose your message. Check 'include form in email' and hit Send.
• How to embed a Google Form with a link: In the Send form menu, click on the link icon. Highlight the URL and copy it. You can now share that link to your form anywhere.
• There are several drawbacks to embedding Google Forms: the design doesn't fit into your website branding, the user experience with fixed-size iframes is poor, and the display is inconsistent across different browsers.
• With Paperform you can create online forms and embed them anywhere, from your website or your blog to your Notion page. Don't take our word for it—get started today with our 14-day free trial.

A brief overview of Google Forms

(Image Source: Google Forms)

Google Forms is a free tool for creating basic forms and surveys you can embed on your website. It's not the most powerful solution out there, but that's like saying KFC isn't fancy enough—it's not trying to be.

The form building process is intuitive and includes all the question types you would expect, from checkboxes and short answers to multiple choice. You can insert images and videos, add paragraphs and make limited design changes to colours and fonts.

As with other G Suite apps like Google Docs, you can store Forms in Google Drive and collaborate with team members thanks to the baked-in sharing features. With a bit of Google Sheets magic, you can export data to a spreadsheet and get insights into your form responses too.

If you want to create simple forms that you can embed on your website for free, Google Forms is the choice for you. Just keep in mind because it's a free service there are a few limitations, especially when trying to embed forms.

How to embed Google Forms in 3 ways

There are three ways you can embed a Google Form for respondents to fill out: on your website, within an email, or via a direct link. Let's get straight into it.

1. How to embed a Google Form on your website or blog

Source: Google Forms

Whether you're making a simple contact form or a survey for visitors, the chances are you'll want to embed your shiny new form on your website.

To do this in Google Forms:

1. Click the 'Send' button and select the icon with two pointed brackets (<>). This gives you access to the embed HTML.
2. Beneath the embed code, you'll see an option to change the dimensions of your form. You can adjust the width and height to make sure it displays perfectly on your site.
3. When you're happy with the dimensions of the form, simply copy the HTML code (Ctrl + C on Windows, ⌘ + C on Mac) that appears.
4. Paste the iframe code wherever you want it to display on your website.

You could make a dedicated page for your contact form, or post an event registration at the bottom of your latest blog post.

2. How to embed a Google Form in an email

Source: Google Forms

Google Forms makes it easy to embed your form directly into your email so recipients can fill it in right from their email client. To do so:

1. Navigate to the 'To' field and enter the email addresses of the people you want to send the form to, separated by commas.
2. Write the subject of your email in the 'Subject' field.
3. Compose a message for recipients within the 'Message' field.  
4. Optional: check 'Include form in email'.

3. How to embed a Google Form with a link

Source: Google Forms

The final way to embed a Google Form is by sending it as a link. This can be handy when you want to anchor it to some text, say, in a blog post, or if you want to share it on social media.

To share a Google Form with a link:

1. In the 'Send form' menu, click on the 'Link' icon.
2. Highlight the Link URL that's generated.
3. Click 'Copy' or press Ctrl + C on Windows, ⌘ + C on Mac.

The drawbacks of Google Forms embeds

Google Forms is awesome for a free tool, but there are certain drawbacks, particularly when it comes to embedding, that takes away from the overall utility.

1. Clunky design

You might find that your form looks different on your website, and doesn't quite fit in with the rest of your content. That's because they're built to 'look like Google'—not to be branded to your own unique specifications.

2. Poor user experience

Google Forms use iframes, so the content is fixed in size. If the content inside the frame is too big (if your form is more than a few questions long) users have to awkwardly scroll to complete it.

3. Inconsistent behaviour

Google Forms behave differently depending on the browser—a form that looks perfect in Google Chrome, might not display correctly in Safari, or Firefox.

This is also true across mobile devices, meaning Google Forms can be less than ideal if respondents are going to be using their mobile devices.

Paperform: The better way to embed forms and surveys

Whether you want to send forms to your marketing list, add contact forms to your company website or share surveys on social media, Google Forms can do the job.

However, problems start to arise when it comes to embedding. Thanks to iframes, Google Forms are inconsistent, difficult to complete on mobile devices and at times look plain ugly. That's where Paperform comes in.

Few things hurt your brand more than an ugly or unprofessional website. The last thing you want is for your form to look like one of your competitors inserted it on your page to sabotage you.

With Paperform you can create online forms and embed them anywhere, from your website or your blog to your Notion page, or even directly in an email. And with our customisation features, you can make sure it looks exactly how you want it to—no coding or complex workarounds necessary.

With our builder, you can customize your form to your heart's content and embed it into your site in a way that preserves your unique aesthetic. Don't take our word for it—get started today with our 14-day free trial.

🙋‍♀️ How To Embed a Google Form FAQs

Can you embed Google Forms?
You can embed Google Forms from the desktop website. Go to Google Forms, open the form you want to embed and click the "send" button on the top right of screen. Adjust the height and width of the embed and click "copy" to copy the HTML code. You can then paste the code on your website or blog.

Where can I embed Google Forms?
You can embed Google Forms on websites or blog pages. You can also attach it to an email with a link or share the URL elsewhere.

Are Google Forms free?
Yes, Google Forms are free. You can create custom forms, surveys and questionnaires as part of Google Workspace. The features are rather limited, but for simple use cases it does the job.

Related reading

• How to create an automatic download link with Google Drive
• The ultimate guide to Google Forms
• How to make a header image in Google Forms
• How to add a signature to Google Forms
• Google Sheets vs. Excel: which spreadsheet app is right for you?