We can all probably agree that when it comes to anything done on the Internet, Google is king.
Google is, without a doubt, the most popular search engine in the world, with a global market share of 89%. Every single day, a whopping 3.5 billion searches are performed on Google — that’s more than 1.2 trillion searches annually. With so many people relying on Google to search for information on the web, it’s more important than ever for businesses — big and small — to understand the Google algorithm. That knowledge will help them immensely to use SEO tactics, which in turn, will drive eCommerce sales.
But the truth is that Google is much more than just a search engine. For instance, the Google Play Store is the official app for all Android devices. It’s developed, owned, and operated by — you guessed it — Google. Understanding the Google app store and how it works will help you improve the ranking of your business mobile app. And while you may know how crucial Google is for searches, you might not be aware of everything else it has to offer.
So without further ado, we’ve rounded up a list of the most essential Google marketing tools that every business should be using. This way, you can be sure your business is taking full advantage of all the wonderful things Google has to offer.
Let’s dive in, shall we?
Many of you might already be familiar with or even use Google Drive. It’s an excellent way to safely store all your marketing content in the cloud. You can easily stay organized and know you can access all your important docs and photos from anywhere. This is much more effective than storing your important files directly on your device or external hard drive.
You see, unlike hardware that can get destroyed or misplaced, Google Drive is immune to accidental damages, floods, fires, and even theft, making it a crucial tool for any business owner. And the best part? You can download the mobile app to manage your files on the go — talk about convenience!
Want to get your business some free advertising on Google? All you have to do is simply claim your Google My Business listing, and just like that, your business can get featured in the search results as well as in Google Maps for local searches. We know — *mind blown*.
Do keep in mind that as Google walks you through the setup of your business listing, you’ll automatically create a Google+ Page as well — which brings us to our next Google marketing tool…
With the end of Google Authorship and the elimination of Google +1s from search results, the jury is still out about the importance of maintaining an active Google+ Business Page these days — especially if you’re not a local business. With that being said, given Google’s rather massive empire, we think it behooves all businesses to just play it safe and create a Google+ Page, even if you only update it every so often.
However, if you happen to be a local business, setting up and maintaining a Google+ Page goes hand-in-hand with your Google My Business listing, making Google+ even more important for you. And considering your Google My Business listing will include a quick link to your Google+ Page, it’s of the utmost importance to take a little bit of extra time to make your page the best it can be.
Last, if your target audience is active on Google+, it may be wise to add the Google +1 share button to your webpage — particularly to articles on your blog. You see, Google uses social signals as a ranking factor, so making it easy for your webpage visitors to share your content on Google+ can help your content rank a million times better in search — trust us on this one.
Just as the name implies, Google Alerts will “alert” you about anything you create that’s in need of an alert. For instance, let’s say you want to know anytime someone mentions your brand online. Set up an alert, and you will be notified as soon as something gets published. Then, you can act quickly if you see negative information posted about your business on the web.
This is a super helpful way for you to not only monitor but also improve your online reputation. And the best part? You can literally set up alerts for anything you want — it could be your name or the names of your top competitors; the sky is the limit!
Without these important alerts, you’d have to take some time to manually search for this type of data on a daily basis, which, if you ask us, is an inefficient use of your valuable time! Google Alerts even offers suggestions based on what is currently trending, covering various topics such as:
With Google Alerts, you can easily monitor certain categories that pertain to your specific industry.
If you want to give your organic efforts to rank in search a little bit of an edge, it might make sense to dabble in Google AdWords — Google’s pay-per-click (PPC) product.
Here’s how it works:
You create awesome ads that target specific keywords related to your unique brand, and your ads appear to the right or above organic search results on Google when users look for those keywords. The cost of your advertisements depends on the competitiveness of the specific keyword you’re targeting, but the good news is that you only pay if visitors actually click on your ad.
It’s important to keep in mind, however, that AdWords can quickly become a costly marketing tool — and unlike organic search, it offers quick wins rather than longer-term and lasting results. With that being said, if used wisely, PPC can help you plan your organic search strategy.
By testing different keyword variations using Pay-Per-Click, you can quickly figure out which specific keywords will send you good quality traffic, so you can use this knowledge to target your organic search engine optimization, which will help your content creation efforts.
As we mentioned, AdWords can get a bit pricey, especially if you don’t know what you’re doing! Save money — and time — by recruiting the help of an experienced advertising company like MuteSix — a Google Premier Partner that takes a scientific approach to Google campaign management to help your business reach unimaginable heights.
While Google offers a sea of different tools for businesses to take advantage of, the dynamic platform still requires knowledgeable specialists to manage top-notch marketing campaigns, optimize performance effectively and efficiently, as well as provide valuable insights. So, where does one find such amazing specialists, you ask?
At MuteSix, of course!
MuteSix is a full-funnel ad agency that creates value for the digital age with breakthrough creatives, target media buying, and data-driven analysis leading to proven results.
Don’t spin your wheels by settling for an agency that doesn’t have experience — call MuteSix today!
Sources:
https://www.statista.com/topics/1001/google/
MuteSix is now part of the Lunar Solar Group! Learn more about the future of MuteSix here.