Im not sure if you have your mind set on the Google site but what about a Weebly site. There are no HTMLs that you have to transfer to your site. But there is a HTML opt if yu need it. All the tools are across the top of the page. I've designed several sites. I've used Myspace and Piczo but Weebly is by far the easiest that I've worked with. It is totally FREE.
I would be happy to give you some pointers and help you get started if you like. My site is in my signature and the site is
www.weebly.com