5 Great Google Tools and how they can help you

Google offers a lot of free tools which can be conveniently accessed via one log in.

It may seem a bit daunting and hard to make the time to use the tools, but it will be well worth the effort. Make a point of allocating a part of your day to take advantage of these tools and help enhance your search engine and social media marketing.

Here are 5 great tools you might like to start with.

Search Console

Google Search Console helps you monitor and maintain your site’s presence in Google Search results. You don’t have to sign up for Search Console for your site to be included in Google’s search results, but doing so can help you see how Google views your site and optimize its performance in search results. So if you have a website and want it to be found, you should at least get to know the basics.

Google Search Console features the following:

• How many pages on your site have been indexed
• Any errors encountered while crawling your site
• Identifies any short, long or duplicated page titles or meta data
• Ability to submit an xml sitemap
• Analyse your website’s performance in Google organic search via ‘Search Analytics’ – observing search terms, how many times your site was presented in search result pages (SERP’s)
• Reviews the domains that link to your site and if required, the ability to ‘dissavow’ poor quality domains linking to your site, (i.e. tells Google you don’t want to be associated with certain links.)
• You can also link Search Console with your Google Analytics interface, making analysis even more comprehensive when assessing your website’s performance

Google Gadgets

Google Gadgets is a collection of dynamic web content that can be embedded on a web page. There are lots of cool gadgets or little applications to choose from, which can add some powerful features to your website, giving your users more functionality and information.

As there are so many gadgets to choose from in the Google gadget library, it’s hard to know which to choose. But look for the ones which you think will add value to your readers, give extra information so that they don’t need to leave your page to check up on something. There are also some gadgets which are purely for entertainment, just to add a bit of fun and something different.

One useful example is Google Translate which our other arm, Wish Agency, use to good effect. This tool helps translate the web page into other languages so people from all around the world can view the content in their native language.

Another useful gadget is the Currency Converter which supports up to 180 currencies and commodities. If you deal with international markets, this is a handy tool for users to convert currencies using the latest exchange rates without having to leave your page.

The gadgets are easy to add, just start by editing the page you want to insert the gadget on, select the Insert Menu and find the gadget you want from the list. Simples!

Google My Business

Previously known as Google Places, this recently renamed tool helps customers find you anywhere, anytime. You can add photos of your business location, your staff or your products. Update your opening hours and contact details and include reviews to attract more customers.

Google My Business puts your business info on Search, Maps and Google+ so that customers can find you, no matter what device they’re using. This way they will have directions to reach you, the latest telephone contact, basically all the right information at a time when they need it.

Your Google My Business Page information shows up on Google searches. You can see our listing below which has all of our information on there along with reviews, recent publications in the news and our contact information.

And when your customers write a review and give you a rating, you can share your Google+ posts across the web so everyone knows how great you are!

Google Sheets

This is a fab, free tool which allows you to create and edit spreadsheets wherever you are, from your phone, tablet or computer and you don’t even need a connection if you download the app. As with excel, there are pre-made templates and built-in formulas to help make life easier and you and your colleagues can work on the same spreadsheet at the same time, increasing efficiency for everyone.

This can be used for many things, from personal to do lists, to wedding lists shared between couples, to business use and even project management.

About Me

Just launched is the new ‘About Me’ tool. Google have now introduced a page that makes it easier for you to control what information others can see about you on its services.

There are so many Google services such as Gmail and YouTube and all these services hold information about users. Privacy and the information Google has on everyone is pretty unsettling so this tool should be popular as it allows us to take back some control.

The About Me page is tailored for each user and contains contact information, educational background and places the user has lived, along with gender, birthday and work details. You can amend the details as you see fit, adding or deleting information, up to a certain point. For example you can’t remove your first name but you can delete your surname.

This information was previously found within Google+ users profiles but as Google+ is not so widely used, many people did not have access to this profile information.

This is a great move forward as you now have at least some control over what information is out there and provide more consistency across multiple viewing points.

These are just some of the fantastic Google tools on offer, some are for everyday use, some for for use with website optimisation. If you’d like to discuss how Wish can help with any of these tools then do get in touch.