Notion Sites are a Game-Changer

Notion now lets you create full websites, complete with custom domains. Here's everything you need to know!
🌐 Check out my example site:
www.thomasthefrankengine.com/
📚 Notion Fundamentals (Free & Complete Notion Beginner's Course)
thomasjfrank.com/fundamentals/
🧠 Ultimate Brain (Full Second-Brain Template - use LETSGO2024 to get $50 off!):
thomasjfrank.com/brain/
✈️ Flylighter (Our ultra-powerful web clipper - sign up for early access!):
flylighter.com/
🎥 Creator's Companion (The Best Template for Content Creators - use LETSGO2024 at checkout):
thomasjfrank.com/creators-com...
➡️ Watch These Next:
---
Build a 1-Page Portfolio Site in Notion: • How to Build a FREE We...
Build a Second Brain (PARA Dashboard): • Notion Masterclass: Bu...
How I Take Perfect Notes with My Voice in Notion: • How I Use ChatGPT to T...
💪Get Started with Notion:
--------
thomasjfrank.com/usenotion/ - (this is my referral link)
🐦Connect With Me:
--------
Twitter ➔ / tomfrankly
Instagram ➔ / tomfrankly
Music ➔ ‪@ThomasFrankMusic‬
Main Channel ➔ ‪@Thomasfrank‬
⏱️ Timestamps:
--------
00:00 - Intro
02:49 - New Features
08:16 - Custom Domains
09:38 - Pricing
12:19 - Price Comparisons
17:46 - CMS Implementation
23:34 - Areas to Improve

Пікірлер: 118

  • @mbd1111
    @mbd11118 күн бұрын

    WE JUST NEED NOTION TO LOCK DOWN THE DATABASES FOR THE LOVE OF GOD! As well as the ability to lock hidden properties so clients can't open and see all properties if we don't want them to. Am I alone in wanting this?

  • @ThomasFrankExplains

    @ThomasFrankExplains

    8 күн бұрын

    You're certainly not alone! I've talked with folks, even within Notion, about this for several years. It's a very highly-requested feature, but also apparently quite difficult to get right. Hopefully we'll get it in the future.

  • @mbd1111

    @mbd1111

    8 күн бұрын

    @@ThomasFrankExplains ok I’m glad it’s not just me! Hopefully one day we’ll get there. But this is all very exciting in the meantime!

  • @karenlepage-mindfulmaker

    @karenlepage-mindfulmaker

    8 күн бұрын

    Agreed. This is useless if we can’t lock down the databases. I’ve made a workaround by duplicating every page I make public, locking the page, and deleting all the templates I use. I’ve been hoping for years notion could be a back end to a website. Sigh.

  • @MelArmstrong

    @MelArmstrong

    7 күн бұрын

    Yes absolutely! This is the one thing stopping me from creating web pages in Notion.

  • @urbancolab

    @urbancolab

    7 күн бұрын

    This is alarming. Does this mean that public visitors can navigate through to other pages on my notion that are not published? Or does it allow visitors to change the way the databases are viewed?

  • @ebbono8562
    @ebbono85627 күн бұрын

    Notion was actually a website builder when it was first released. Market fit wasn’t there and they had to fire everyone and Ivan Zhao went to isolate in Japan thinking of what could he do. He then switched to a niche-ish doc builder and here we are back again like the start

  • @enochleffingwell6624
    @enochleffingwell66247 күн бұрын

    You are on point as always! It was hours after going live and you already have the video recorded and uploaded ready to drop. I'm 7 hours late and you already have your full website breakdown video ready for me to binge watch afterwards. Thomas Franks I LOVE going to your KZread channel every time I see a new feature on Notion. You really make things simple for us. Thank you for your dedication to this community!

  • @gustavoachong1522
    @gustavoachong15228 күн бұрын

    Amazing!!!! Thanks for the quick update!!!

  • @scottch4444
    @scottch44448 күн бұрын

    I really love the fact that the search menu (ctrl + k) is integrated into the site for anyone to use. It's great if you have a wiki-style notion page, and you need to find things based on a keyword.

  • @thiagovalentin688
    @thiagovalentin6886 күн бұрын

    Amazing video!! Starting my Notion website right now! Thank you, Notion & Thank you, Thomas!!

  • @Notion688
    @Notion6888 күн бұрын

    Thank you Thomas

  • @AndrewMilich
    @AndrewMilich8 күн бұрын

    Incredible update and video!

  • @joeraschke
    @joeraschke7 күн бұрын

    Awesome! That's a great quick intro.

  • @Schwingi
    @Schwingi6 күн бұрын

    Thanks man! Not only praise, but also thoughtful critique. You've just gained a brand new subscriber! Cheers

  • @shadedwizard8566
    @shadedwizard85668 күн бұрын

    This seems perfect for really simple and minimalistic portfolios. Maybe some simple landing pages as well. Definitely looking forward to your in-depth video on this tool

  • @MannyBernabe
    @MannyBernabe8 күн бұрын

    Thank you!

  • @alon_vita
    @alon_vita7 күн бұрын

    Thomas, your tutorials are excellent Thank you so much 🙏🏽 mostly on the fact that you're on-point and on-schedule EVERY TIME - its like I don't even have to think what's happening with Notion - I just go here 💖

  • @cmacmenow
    @cmacmenow6 күн бұрын

    I'm a NOTION user from day one and this new feature really is Next Level Notion. Thanks Mr T for the demo. Super cool of you.

  • @Amado_Aguilar
    @Amado_Aguilar8 күн бұрын

    great video. Got me excited to create another blog site

  • @Cclaudia228
    @Cclaudia2287 күн бұрын

    This is amazing and thank you for getting all these videos out! Could you do a video on how you use Notion day to day? From your task manager to notes system, flipping between workspaces etc? So curious how all these things come together for you

  • @Talik13
    @Talik137 күн бұрын

    "Thomas the Frank Engine" HAHAHAHA I love that!

  • @shadowstormz88
    @shadowstormz887 күн бұрын

    26:14 A workaround for not being able to resize the width of single-column elements is to just drop it into the middle section of a "3 columns" block, and leave the left and right columns empty. You can resize the middle column in multiple ways from then (resize the middle section, or the entire 3-column block).

  • @ThomasFrankExplains

    @ThomasFrankExplains

    7 күн бұрын

    Yep, I’ve done this before - but then the columns stack on mobile, so they’ll create space you might not want. It does work in a pinch though!

  • @willymerdiansyah
    @willymerdiansyah8 күн бұрын

    Why don't you compare with superso, bullet, etc that still use notion as the main engine

  • @ryan18462

    @ryan18462

    5 күн бұрын

    Bro comparing it to Webflow lmfao

  • @amiraliakbari
    @amiraliakbari7 күн бұрын

    Definitely a step in the right direction. Looking forward to when they make access control and privacy improvements for elements on the page like the database.

  • @andrestorres649
    @andrestorres6495 күн бұрын

    great for an ever-changing portfolio of an artist / architect !!

  • @PatrickStirling
    @PatrickStirling8 күн бұрын

    ahh! exactly what I've been wanting to explore for a while

  • @Augusto_Caten
    @Augusto_Caten7 күн бұрын

    Is super the notion website builder still needed now that we have this?

  • @ThomasFrankExplains

    @ThomasFrankExplains

    7 күн бұрын

    For the time being, tools like Super will have an edge for folks who want even more flexibility in their designs - e.g. Super will let you write CSS. Right now, they're different products with a bit more overlap. Notion Sites basically gets your Notion page, as it looks normally, online (but now with a basic menu). Super will let you make that page look any way you want, as will other tools like Notaku. (I like Notaku in particular because it can do dev-docs-style layouts)

  • @craftdocs
    @craftdocs6 күн бұрын

    Finally, they are catching up. It is also flattering to be the inspiration for the new feature... ;)

  • @torspedia
    @torspedia4 күн бұрын

    I might use this for my online glossary, so I don't have to repeat myself each time I write about something. This will also give me a good reason to revive my secondary workspace, which is still under the Education Plus plan, that I haven't touched in well over a year... I'd rather not have any pages in my main workspace be published publicly.

  • @PriscilaKlopper
    @PriscilaKlopper8 күн бұрын

    Let's hope the Notion team listens to you and release these things you touched on haha. So good.

  • @tonymatthews6928
    @tonymatthews69287 күн бұрын

    Thanks for a another great release explainer video. I just want to say that your strength is empathy and understanding of your market. It is clear in your comment responses. We need more of this in tech. Please Microsoft hire him as a consultant! 😂 Maybe there's a course in that. Thank you so much.

  • @Muhluri
    @Muhluri8 күн бұрын

    This is nice.

  • @vPeteWalker
    @vPeteWalker7 күн бұрын

    FYI I wasn't able to create any new notion sites on the free plan. I was, however, able to rename the existing domain without upgrading. Hope that helps!

  • @nicolas-duchemin
    @nicolas-duchemin8 күн бұрын

    Too bad there's no password-protected page.

  • @yk_david
    @yk_david7 күн бұрын

    Thanks for this new video! Now that notion page can be published online as site and even GA can be added, do you think whether if we can set Adsense on notion published website?

  • @jennielakenanofficial
    @jennielakenanofficial7 күн бұрын

    I can help with the Elementor featured templates 😂🙋 lol JK. As a WordPress designer who also uses Notion, I love how this new feature makes DIYing a website so accessible to new businesses!

  • @MbonisiM
    @MbonisiM8 күн бұрын

    Wordpress will be always My best

  • @Joshetanner
    @Joshetanner7 күн бұрын

    Honestly, never a feature I desired from Notion, and kinda bummed any resources at all are being put into something like this. It looks substandard, and the free website building options seem more logical anyway. Lots of other places I’d love to see Notion investing development time. Hopefully it’s part of a clearer goal to make Notion better, but it feels like a bad distraction.

  • @rahilchataiwalla5241
    @rahilchataiwalla52418 күн бұрын

    Amazing

  • @auvaplay
    @auvaplay7 күн бұрын

    With the new price increse you could be paying up to $24 a mounth, in my opinion, that i too expensive!!

  • @FelipeMassara
    @FelipeMassara6 күн бұрын

    What I didnt like was that the light mode option doesn’t works. I tested on my browser and it kept dark.

  • @louisasaelens2183
    @louisasaelens21836 күн бұрын

    Hi Thomas, Thank you for this video :) I have a couple questions you may know the answer to: - Can we still publish pages where the client / someone external can comment or edit? I don't see it as an option anymore (we often publish & share instead of adding the client as guest) - What do you do when you want to make changes to your site and it's already live -> everyone will see the changes in real time? for example they'll see me typing and re-arranging while they are on my website? You made the Blog 2 in a separate page, they don't see it until you update? Same for your templates page adjustment

  • @ThomasFrankExplains

    @ThomasFrankExplains

    6 күн бұрын

    1. Yep! They just moved those options from the Publish tab to the Share tab. Once your page is public, you'll see a new "Anyone with published link" option in the Share tab, and you can choose from Can Edit, Can Comment, and Can View. 2. I've asked Notion about this, as it's a valid concern. In the mean time, I'd recommend creating a backup/staging copy of your site where you can make changes. When you're ready, you can copy and paste them over to the public version quickly, so the maintenance time is minimal.

  • @DennisCarmody
    @DennisCarmody7 күн бұрын

    When you go to it on mobile it attempts to redirect you into the notion app. Definitely not a desirably feature…

  • @bulcub
    @bulcub4 күн бұрын

    can you build banners?

  • @kasratabrizi2839
    @kasratabrizi28396 күн бұрын

    Would be very cool if notion can also add CSS (maybe even perhaps javascript) functionality to be able to style your site as you please. Because at the end of the day, the data is just a bunch of databases but how we present them should be up to us. Maybe have a simple mode like how notion works now and also have a developers mode where you can really customise the whole layout and styling.

  • @ThomasFrankExplains

    @ThomasFrankExplains

    6 күн бұрын

    Agreed - though if you want that, you can already get it using Super.so or other Notion site builders. They do exactly what you're saying here; they use Notion as the CMS and create display wrappers around it that let you write your own CSS and such.

  • @kasratabrizi2839

    @kasratabrizi2839

    5 күн бұрын

    @@ThomasFrankExplains Wow I didn't know that. Thanks! Would be cool if you also made a follow up video about that as well!

  • @MrKasoa
    @MrKasoa8 күн бұрын

    Comparing this with webflow etc is a bit exaggerated don't you think ? 😅

  • @ThomasFrankExplains

    @ThomasFrankExplains

    8 күн бұрын

    Not at all. Yes, WebFlow is a much more traditional tool that will let you achieve any design. But for a lot of people who don’t have that level of tech expertise and time to invest, Notion will give them enough flexibility to build what they want. And the CMS tools are the really win on Notion’s end IMO. I’ve worked deeply in a lot of website builder tools - all of them make working with a CMS way harder.

  • @silvansoeters

    @silvansoeters

    7 күн бұрын

    it is.

  • @MrKasoa

    @MrKasoa

    7 күн бұрын

    ​@@ThomasFrankExplains I mean.. it's like you're comparing Paint and Photoshop here mate. Yes, both can draw, but they're worlds apart in terms of functionality and capabilities, you can't just compare them directly.

  • @tomasrampas318
    @tomasrampas3186 күн бұрын

    Did you do any experiments with using databases on notion websites? Like for example I have a roadmap that I would love to share about the project, but without the need to manually copy and paste stuff. But just allow the community to see where the project stands as of today. Thx!

  • @ThomasFrankExplains

    @ThomasFrankExplains

    6 күн бұрын

    Hmm, do you mean showing only the pages in the database that represent public (or at least non-secret) roadmap items? Technically, if you want to share a database to the internet, the entire database will be live on the internet. However, if you add a filter to the source database, people won't be able to browse their way to other pages within it (though the new search option in the Header customization might change this, so you might want to experiment).

  • @gtessier
    @gtessier8 сағат бұрын

    Awesome video thanks! Are they going to offer the ability to add HTML code and CSS on top of it?

  • @ThomasFrankExplains

    @ThomasFrankExplains

    6 сағат бұрын

    They haven't mentioned anything about that, but if you need that ability now, you can use Super to create your website on top of Notion instead of using Notion Sites :)

  • @NEIKIRK
    @NEIKIRK7 күн бұрын

    They just need to buy out Super Builder.

  • @jewelcrystal
    @jewelcrystal2 күн бұрын

    I don't have a custom domain but as a Notion plus account owner I can toggle off Notion watermark.

  • @ThomasFrankExplains

    @ThomasFrankExplains

    23 сағат бұрын

    Ah, perhaps that got changed after launch!

  • @Rebellionrider
    @Rebellionrider7 күн бұрын

    Which mic is he using?

  • @Entertainment-

    @Entertainment-

    7 күн бұрын

    SKMEI 1451

  • @Entertainment-

    @Entertainment-

    7 күн бұрын

    SKMEI 1451

  • @ThomasFrankExplains

    @ThomasFrankExplains

    7 күн бұрын

    It’s an Earthworks Icon Pro - my favorite mic

  • @CauterizeKing
    @CauterizeKing6 күн бұрын

    Thanks a lot Thomas! I'm looking to get back to enjoying the experience of creating websites. Wordpress, even with graphical page builders like Elementor is just so clunky. I love being able to add little bits of custom CSS and JS but it gets messy REAL FAST. Perhaps NOT havijng that possibility in Notion is a saving grace for me. I could have my main domain on Notion, and a subdomain on Wordpress, though, right?

  • @ThomasFrankExplains

    @ThomasFrankExplains

    6 күн бұрын

    Yep! The only snag on that right now is that Notion Sites can't handle apex domains - e.g. "thomasthefrankengine.com" can't be used, but "www.thomasthefrankengine.com" can. So you'd want to redirect your apex domain to the "www" version for your Notion site. Aside from that, you can easily set up any other subdomain to point anywhere you like. E.g. thomasjfrank.com points to our WordPress site, while community.thomasjfrank.com goes to Circle.

  • @CauterizeKing

    @CauterizeKing

    6 күн бұрын

    @@ThomasFrankExplains thanks for the reply!

  • @nam-nguyen-101
    @nam-nguyen-1013 күн бұрын

    Hey Thomas and everyone. Are there any ways to automate this process? I have a database, let's call it "Answers". It has five main properties atm: Words (Title), Answer (Text), Check answer (formula), Next Review (formula) and Correct answers count (number). Whenever I create a new item/drag an item to this database, I want the "Correct answes count" to tally up by 1 if the data within the "Words" property matches that of current items in the database. At the moment, I've managed to do this, using Relation and Rollup properties, but I have to manually update the Relation property "Related Answer Box". So, how can I automate this process? If you could help me out, I'd be really grateful! Thanks!!!

  • @jtorresmorag
    @jtorresmorag6 күн бұрын

    Thomas, thank you for the video👍🏼. Good option for building sites, but, too expensive, $10 per month, wow, there are definitely better options for building sites and at better prices, there are a lot of things that Notion Sites will have to improve 😉. Regards.

  • @ThomasFrankExplains

    @ThomasFrankExplains

    6 күн бұрын

    Yep, I've got a whole section in this video comparing it with other options! I think it's fantastic for folks who aren't super budget-conscious and who want more flexibility than a link-in-bio site without a big learning curve. I think there are a lot of potential customers at that intersection.

  • @the.kingant
    @the.kingant6 күн бұрын

    @ThomasFrankExplains Could this work as a way to allow customers to be updated on progress of their projects without linking to my direct Notion page? Like say I have a project that has multiple goalposts and instead of using email or social media to keep them up to date on progress just point them to this site and revoke access after the project is complete.

  • @ThomasFrankExplains

    @ThomasFrankExplains

    6 күн бұрын

    Yes, I think that would work. There's nothing in this release that really changes that use case - you've always been able to make a page live on the internet. But now you could put it on a custom domain, which might look more professional when working with clients. Keep in mind that there's no access control once you make a page public, though. If you don't turn on Search Engine Indexing, the URLs would be hard to find without having the link - but they're still technically public.

  • @Chris-kq7ir
    @Chris-kq7ir7 күн бұрын

    Do you have a stake in Notion?

  • @ThomasFrankExplains

    @ThomasFrankExplains

    7 күн бұрын

    I don’t! Would be pretty sweet if I did 😁

  • @PrincessKarmaCore
    @PrincessKarmaCore8 күн бұрын

    It’s a yes for some projects but a no for saas products

  • @ThomasFrankExplains

    @ThomasFrankExplains

    7 күн бұрын

    I predict a LOT of SaaS products will use this for Knowledge Base/Help sites on subdomains. I wouldn’t build my SaaS homepage on it, but for stuff like that it’d be a strong consideration because of how quick it is to edit and update the content

  • @enochleffingwell6624

    @enochleffingwell6624

    7 күн бұрын

    @@ThomasFrankExplains I think you're on point with your Knowledge base and support documentation prediction. I see the vision. The future looks bright. What an incredible time to be alive!

  • @nxvalism
    @nxvalism5 күн бұрын

    Is there any way we can add stripe to notion now ?

  • @ThomasFrankExplains

    @ThomasFrankExplains

    5 күн бұрын

    There's no direct integration, but there are a couple options. You can use Stripe links, but you can also embed a Tally form that's connected to Stripe: tally.so/help/payment-forms

  • @nxvalism

    @nxvalism

    4 күн бұрын

    @@ThomasFrankExplains Thx champ

  • @Xianleft
    @Xianleft5 күн бұрын

    Yeah, this is a GAME Changer, have you integrated any "membership" or ChatGPT Chatbots?

  • @scottsherin5456
    @scottsherin54567 сағат бұрын

    Is there a way to use a generic URL without needing to buy a custom domain each time? I want to build custom guest guidebooks for my Airbnb management clients (most of which do not have their own custom domain) but I don't want the link I provide them to have my name on it. I am wondering if I can create a new notion account just called 'guidebooks' instead of my personal name, so every link says that instead? Any weigh in here from the crowd?

  • @ThomasFrankExplains

    @ThomasFrankExplains

    6 сағат бұрын

    Yep, that would be pretty easy! You can even do it in your main Notion account - just create a new Workspace for this purpose. In Settings & Members -> Sites, you can click the ••• menu next to your default sub-domain and change it to whatever you like, as long as it's not already taken. Hope that helps!

  • @scottsherin5456

    @scottsherin5456

    6 сағат бұрын

    @@ThomasFrankExplains Super helpful. You still reply to comments despite having such a massive following, wow! Thanks so much (long time fan of the channel)

  • @craig_drummond
    @craig_drummond7 күн бұрын

    Can you embed JavaScript or Iframes?

  • @ThomasFrankExplains

    @ThomasFrankExplains

    7 күн бұрын

    I don’t believe so, but you can embed actual websites - e.g. you can embed a link and create a view of that site, as I did with the ComvertKit form

  • @enochleffingwell6624

    @enochleffingwell6624

    7 күн бұрын

    @@ThomasFrankExplains I look forward to watching your full build to figure out how to embed actual website view. Because that sounds like an epic super block functionality if I've ever seen one.

  • @urbancolab
    @urbancolab7 күн бұрын

    But what about SEO compared to other site builders?

  • @ThomasFrankExplains

    @ThomasFrankExplains

    7 күн бұрын

    I'm no SEO expert, but if you turn indexing on, you'll see that the static site generates some basic, clean HTML that represents the content well. My read on it is that it shouldn't present any huge issues, SEO-wise.

  • @urbancolab

    @urbancolab

    7 күн бұрын

    @@ThomasFrankExplains Thanks. I appreciate it.

  • @divyv20
    @divyv205 күн бұрын

    Hey Thimas , really nice video ! I was wondering if I could help you with more Quality Editing in your videos , make a highly engaging Thumbnail and also help you with the overall youtube strategy and growth ! Pls let me know what do you think ?

  • @XeiDaMoKaFE
    @XeiDaMoKaFE6 күн бұрын

    Me using fruitnotion for years: 👁️👄👁️

  • @AbdelrahmanAnany
    @AbdelrahmanAnany6 күн бұрын

    Just get us repeated tasks somehow not templates, Notion

  • @Raydianze
    @Raydianze7 күн бұрын

    Looks HORRID 😅

  • @thewebstylist
    @thewebstylist2 күн бұрын

    Dude shocked you actually in 2024 you said “w w w” before your domain. And you’re kind of a tech guy even, ha no one has needed to type that before a domain/site for over a decade

  • @ThomasFrankExplains

    @ThomasFrankExplains

    23 сағат бұрын

    I said it very purposefully, as Notion Sites currently doesn't support apex domains. You have to include a subdomain, so you'd use "www." for the main domain instead of the apex domain on its own. I'm working on a full website tutorial that will show how to redirect the apex version to the "www" version in order to deal with this issue.

  • @picklejuice0
    @picklejuice08 күн бұрын

    LEt''s GIIIIADSFlaskf als;df