17 Helpful Google Marketing Tools for Business 1. All you have to do is claim your Google My Business listing (formerly known as Google Places), and your business can get featured in the search results (as well as in Google Maps) for local searches like the one pictured below. Keep in mind that as Google walks you through the setup of your listing, you'll automatically create a Google+ Page for your business as well, which leads us to our second Google marketing tool ... 2. Learn more about how to optimize your Google+ Page in this free ebook, and you can check out HubSpot's own Google+ Page here. Google AdWords If you want to give your organic efforts to rank in search a bit of a jumpstart, it might make sense to dabble in Google AdWords, Google's pay-per-click (PPC) product. If you have yet to try it, here's how it works: You create ads that target specific keywords related to your business, and your ads appear above or to the right of organic search results on Google when people search for these keywords (see screenshot below). Keyword research helps you identify keywords to target as you're creating blog and website content, focusing your SEO and content creation efforts so you can get found by the right searchers. The Google AdWords Keyword Planner, though a tool meant to help you plan your AdWords campaigns, can also help you search for new keyword ideas and suggestions to help you with your organic keyword research as well. So if you haven't already, create a YouTube channel for your business here. Then check out HubSpot's own YouTube channel here.
How to Market on Google
- Use Google My Business (GMB) and claim free ad space for your business.
- Improve your website’s SEO using Google Search Console.
- Buy ads on Google through Google Adwords.
- Host your website’s videos on YouTube, the largest video community in the world.
You may have heard of this little thing called Google. You know, where 3.5 billion searches for information are made per day?
But Google is more than just a search engine. So much more.
In fact, there are numerous Google business tools in addition to its search engine that can be hugely valuable if you’re a marketer.
So, we decided to round up a list of the most essential Google marketing tools at your disposal so you can be sure your business is taking full advantage of all Google has to offer.
17 Helpful Google Marketing Tools for Business
1. Google My Business
Want to get yourself some free advertising on Google? I kid you not — it’s a real thing.
All you have to do is claim your Google My Business listing (formerly known as Google Places), and your business can get featured in the search results (as well as in Google Maps) for local searches like the one pictured below. Check it out — all the businesses within the red call-out in the screenshot below are local Google My Business results for the search “mexican restaurant, boston.”
Best of all, unlike Google AdWords (which we’ll touch on later), none of those businesses paid for their positions in these local results.
If you haven’t already claimed your Google My Business listing, follow the simple steps in this blog post to get your listing up and running. Keep in mind that as Google walks you through the setup of your listing, you’ll automatically create a Google+ Page for your business as well, which leads us to our second Google marketing tool …
2. Google+ Business Pages
With the death of Google Authorship and the elimination of Google +1s from search results, the jury is out about the importance of maintaining an active Google+ Business Page these days if you’re not a local business. That said, given Google’s massive empire, we think it behooves all businesses to play it safe and create a Google+ Page, even if you only update it every so often. To create a page, get started here.
But if you’re a local business, setting up and maintaining a Google+ Page goes hand in hand with your Google My Business listing (see above), making Google+ even more critical for you. And considering your Google My Business listing will include a link to your business’ Google+ Page, it’s important to take some extra time to make your page the best it can be.
Learn more about how to optimize your Google+ Page in this free ebook, and you can check out HubSpot’s own Google+ Page here.
Last, if your audience is active on Google+, it may be smart to add the Google +1 share button to your website — particularly to articles on your blog. Google uses social signals as a ranking factor, so making it easy for your website visitors to share your content on Google+ can help your content rank better in search. To learn how to create Google +1 buttons, check out this post.
HubSpot customers can easily add the Google +1 button to their blog within the HubSpot Marketing Platform.
3. Google Webmaster Tools
Want better insight into how healthy your website is in the eyes of Google? Just set up a Google Webmaster Tools account. Google Webmaster Tools will alert you to any red flags that could prevent your site from getting found in search results, and help you analyze your existing search traffic so you can understand how visitors are currently finding you.
Here’s an overview of how Google Webmaster Tools can help you optimize your website, straight from the horse’s mouth …
4. Google Suite: Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Forms
Collaborating on a project with other marketers on your team? Google Suite is a collection of some great collaboration tools you can use in place of typical software on your desktop. Here they are:
Consider using them to share and collaborate on marketing data analyses, ebook or blog post drafts, marketing or SlideShare presentations, or surveys and polls. Projects save automatically and can also be accessed across devices with a quick download of a mobile app.
Grab this free guide to learn how Google Suite can benefit your marketing campaigns.
5. Google AdWords
If you want to give your organic efforts to rank in search a bit of a jumpstart, it might make sense to dabble in Google AdWords, Google’s pay-per-click (PPC) product. If you have yet to try it, here’s how it works:
You create ads that target specific keywords related to your business, and your ads appear above or to the right of organic search results on Google when people search for these keywords (see screenshot below). The cost your ads depend on the competitiveness of the keyword you’re targeting, but you only pay if visitors actually click on your ad.
For more resources about how to do PPC effectively, check out our PPC Marketing Hub here.
Keep in mind that AdWords can quickly become an expensive marketing tool, and unlike organic search, it offers quick wins rather than longer-term, lasting (and free) results. That said, if used smartly, PPC can help you plan your organic search strategy.
By testing different keyword variations using PPC, you can quickly figure out which keyword will send you quality traffic. You can…
COMMENTS