In our last blog series, we discussed the value of Google Analytics for your small business. However, Google offers various other tools beyond Analytics that can also be extremely valuable for small business owners. In this post, we’ll discuss four of the most popular tools that Google offers to small businesses. Luckily, these are all low-cost, and in some cases free, options.
1. Track mentions of your brand with Google Alerts
Public relations is a valuable tactic for small businesses. However, to evaluate the effectiveness of PR campaigns, it’s important to track mentions of your brand. Google Alerts allows you to set up alerts for mentions of specific keywords. Whenever a news article or blog post mentions this specific keyword, Google will send you an email with a link to the article.
If you see that these websites have mentioned your company name but haven’t actually linked to your website, you can reach out to them and request that they include this link. This is valuable for improving your search engine optimization.
2. Run measurable advertising campaigns with Google AdWords
PPC advertising has proven to be one of the most effective types of online advertising for small businesses. When a user searches specific keywords, they will trigger text‑based ads to display based on them. For instance, if a hair salon wants to create an ad for their business, while creating the ad, they can specify keywords, such as “Hair Salon,” “Hair Cut,” or “Hair Stylist.” They will then specify the location of their salon. When a user searches for these keywords and is within the specified location, they will see the ad for that specific hair salon.
PPC advertising continues to grow in popularity because it is relatively easy and cost-effective. It allows small businesses to get their ads in front of a huge pool of potential customers within their specific location. These ads are highly targeted, and users only receive the ads that are most relevant to their specific search.
Thanks to Google’s giant reach, Google AdWords is the most popular PPC tool for small businesses. AdWords helps businesses create PPC ads and then displays them on their target audience’s Google Search Feed.
3. Improve communication and productivity with Gsuite
Gsuite provides premium tools for small business owners that improve overall communication and productivity. Setting up a Gsuite account is only $5 per user per month. Once you sign up, you can create company email addresses connected to your domain name. All of these emails run through Gmail web client, which is very user friendly and familiar. Having a business email address shows that you are professional, and it will help build your brand and make your brand name memorable.
Gsuite offers many more features beyond email. Some of their most popular features are their productivity tools, which include Sheets, Docs, Calendar, and Hangouts. This makes it much easier for you and you employees to create, organize, and share content; schedule meetings or calls; and stay up-to-date on projects.
4. Improve your search engine optimization with Google Search Console
If you hope to improve your website’s search engine optimization, an important first step is setting up Google Search Console. This provides powerful insights into your website and its search metrics, giving you valuable tips on how you can improve your website’s presence on Google’s search engine.
Google Search Console allows you to find and fix errors, understand the most popular search terms, and submit your website sitemap so Google can understand your website setup and index new pages. This tool also provides more technical details around SEO.
Every business is different, and not all of these tools are relevant to all businesses. Take some time to consider the goals of your online business and whether any of these tools could help you reach them.
