Since its inception in 1998 as a search engine, Google faces stiff competition from social platforms for search, but it's still most famous for its original purpose. In this blog post I’m introducing four essential and free Google tools which are useful for marketing your business online. Once set up, some of them run in the background for you to review and use as and when you need to.
Google Tools: Google My Business
My top recommendation if you haven't already done so, is to set up a Business Profile on Google - it's free!
It appears on the first page of Google search results page and maps, so it's an effective way of creating a first impression for your business because more detailed information can be viewed in addition to the web search results.
You can set up a profile without having a website, but my recommendation is to have a functioning website before you set up a profile.
Google Tools: Google Analytics:
If you have a website for your business, connecting Google Analytics is a must do. Think of Google Analytics as your website's detective! Google Analytics has been replaced in 2023 by GA4, so now is a good time to set it up on the new system!
- It tracks who visits your website, what they do there, and how long they stay.
- It tells you if your website is doing well or needs improvements.
- It helps you understand your audience and make your website better for them.
Google Keyword Planner Tool
Using essential keywords for your business across your website helps Google understand your businesses purpose and bringing you onto the top of search results when people are searching for your service or product. This is just one part of SEO - Search Engine Optimisation.
To use the free Keyword Planner tool, you have to set up a Google Ads account.
To learn more about keyword research, I can recommend Beth’s Built By Content’s Masterclass (not an ad, I paid for this to help me with my own keyword research!)
Google Tools: Forms
Google Forms is like a digital Swiss army knife for gathering information. You can use it for surveys, quizzes, event registration, feedback, contact forms and data collection, and you can export the data into worksheets for analysis or other purposes like mail merges. I do love a Google Form!
If you've found this blog post interesting, why not read some of my other blogs for businesses and sign up to receive 'The Monthly Mix' - a newsletter filled with marketing news, ideas and tips to market your business - direct into your inbox! A Highland Blend can be outsourced as a Virtual Assistant - read about available services here.
