Google Forms gives you three ways to embed a form: on a website via iframe, in an email, or as a shareable link. Each method works, but the iframe approach comes with design and usability problems that are hard to fix without custom code.
If your form needs to look like part of your website (not a Google widget dropped onto it), you'll hit the limits of iframe embedding fast. Below, we cover how each method works, what the drawbacks are, what some great Google Forms alternatives are, and how to embed forms that match your branding for free.
A quick overview of Google Forms
Google Forms is a free tool for creating basic forms and surveys. It covers the expected question types (multiple choice, checkboxes, short answers, dropdowns) and stores responses in Google Drive, where you can export them to a spreadsheet or share with collaborators.
For simple data collection, it does the job. The trade-off is in what happens after you build the form: embedding it on your site means working with iframes, and that's where the experience starts to break down.
How to embed Google Forms in 3 ways
There are three ways to share a Google Form with respondents: embedding it on your website, sending it inside an email, or sharing a direct link.
1. Embed a Google Form on your website
This is the most common method. To embed a Google Form on your website or blog:
- Open your form and click the Send button in the top right.
- Select the embed icon (the two pointed brackets,
< >). - Adjust the width and height to fit your page layout.
- Copy the iframe HTML code and paste it into your website's HTML editor.
The form appears inside an iframe on your page. You could add a contact form to a dedicated page, or drop an event registration at the bottom of a blog post.
The catch: the iframe container is fixed in size. If your form is longer than a few questions, respondents end up scrolling inside a scrolling page.
2. Embed a Google Form in an email
Google Forms lets you send a form directly inside an email. To set this up:
- Click Send and select the envelope icon.
- Enter the recipient email addresses, separated by commas.
- Add a subject line and compose your message.
- Tick Include form in email so the form renders inline.
The checkbox is easy to miss. Without it, recipients get a link to the form rather than seeing it in the email body.
3. Share a Google Form with a link
The simplest option. In the Send menu, click the link icon, copy the URL, and share it wherever you need to: in a blog post, on social media, or in a message.
You can also select Shorten URL to trim the link down, which helps when character count matters (social media posts, SMS).
3 drawbacks of Google Forms embeds
Google Forms works well as a free form builder, but embedding brings problems that affect how your site looks and how respondents experience the form.
1. Iframes create a clunky user experience
Google Forms embeds use iframes, which means the form sits inside a fixed-size container on your page. If the form has more than a handful of questions, respondents scroll inside the iframe while the rest of the page stays still.
This double-scrolling effect confuses users, especially on longer forms. There's no way to make the iframe resize dynamically to fit the form content without writing custom JavaScript.
2. The design doesn't match your site
Google Forms are built to look like Google, not like your brand. You can change the header colour and font, but the form itself will still look like a Google product sitting on your page.
There's no option to match your site's typography, button styles, spacing, or layout. For personal projects this is fine. For a business website where brand consistency matters, it's a visible gap.
3. Display is inconsistent across browsers and devices
A Google Form that renders correctly in Chrome might break its layout in Safari or Firefox. Mobile behaviour adds another layer of inconsistency: forms that look fine on desktop can become difficult to complete on smaller screens, with elements overlapping or fields cut off by the iframe boundary.
You can't control this from the Google Forms side. The rendering depends on how each browser handles the iframe, and there's no configuration to fix it.
How to embed forms for free with Paperform
Paperform is an online form builder where you create forms the same way you'd edit a document. Instead of dragging widgets into a grid, you type, add questions, drop in images, and style everything in a single freeform editor.
The difference this makes for embedding: because the editor gives you control over layout, fonts, colours, and spacing from the start, your form already matches your site before you embed it. There's no iframe mismatch to work around.
What the free plan includes for embedding
Every embed method below is available on Paperform's free plan, with no credit card required:
- oEmbed support. Paste your form URL into any platform that supports oEmbed (Notion, WordPress, Squarespace, and others) and the form renders inline, not as a link or a generic iframe.
- WordPress plugin. Install the Paperform WordPress plugin and embed forms with a shortcode. No HTML editing needed.
- Direct link sharing. Every form gets a shareable URL. Send it in an email, post it on social media, or link to it from a blog post. Respondents open the form on its own page, styled the way you built it.
How Paperform embeds compare to Google Forms
| Google Forms | Paperform (free plan) | |
|---|---|---|
| Embed method | iframe (fixed-size HTML) | oEmbed, WordPress plugin, direct link |
| Design control | Header colour and font only | Full layout, fonts, colours, images, spacing |
| Responsive behaviour | Inconsistent across browsers | Consistent rendering across browsers and devices |
| WordPress integration | Paste iframe code manually | Dedicated plugin with shortcode |
| Notion embedding | Not supported natively | oEmbed renders inline in Notion pages |
| Mobile experience | Scroll-within-scroll on longer forms | Guided Mode (one question at a time) available on free |
| Branding | Google branding, no removal | Paperform branding on free, removable on Pro |
What else comes with the free plan
The free plan isn't limited to embedding. You also get unlimited forms, conditional logic, Guided Mode (one-question-at-a-time layout), and forms that collect payments, schedule bookings, collect signatures, and access to 2,000+ integrations.
Frequently asked questions
Can you embed a Google Form on any website?
Yes. Google Forms generates an iframe HTML snippet you can paste into any website that accepts custom HTML. The form will display inside a fixed container on your page. The limitation is that the iframe doesn't adapt to the form's length, so longer forms create a scroll-within-scroll experience for respondents.
Why does my embedded Google Form look different on my website?
Google Forms are styled to match Google's design system, not your site's. The iframe renders the form with Google's fonts, button styles, and spacing. You can change the header colour and font inside Google Forms, but the rest of the form's appearance is fixed. To embed a form that matches your site's branding, you need a form builder with full design controls.
Can you embed a Google Form in Notion?
Not natively. You can paste a Google Form link into Notion, but it renders as a link or a basic embed preview, not a functional inline form. Paperform supports oEmbed, which means pasting a Paperform URL into Notion creates a fully functional, styled form directly on the page.
Is there a free way to embed forms that match my website design?
Yes. Paperform's free plan includes oEmbed support and a WordPress plugin, both of which render forms that match the styling you set in the editor. You control layout, fonts, colours, and spacing before embedding, so the form looks native to your site from the start.
What is the best alternative to embedding Google Forms?
For small businesses and solopreneurs who need forms that look professional on their website, Paperform is the closest free alternative. It offers oEmbed, a WordPress plugin, and direct link sharing on its free plan. Unlike Google Forms, the document-style editor lets you design forms that match your brand without writing custom CSS or working around iframe limitations.
Can I share a form without embedding it on a website?
Yes. Both Google Forms and Paperform let you share a direct link to your form. Respondents open the form on its own page. With Paperform, the linked form keeps all your custom styling (colours, fonts, layout, images), while a Google Form link opens the standard Google Forms interface.
Tired of wrestling with iframes that break your site's design? See how Paperform compares to Google Forms and build your first form free.