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Small budgets and small businesses tend to go hand in hand. Unfortunately, the tools you need to manage your digital marketing campaigns successfully tend to eat away at that budget. These seven must-have tools from Google each fill a critical need at a low cost, and some are free.
Every business with a physical location should be using Google My Business to connect with customers, get reviews, and be found on Google Maps. When searchers Google your business name or the product or service you offer, the information you enter into Google My Business will be eligible to show up in local search results.
It’s free and very easy to set up, but Google will need to verify your physical addresses, which can take three to four weeks.
Nothing screams small-time like having a generic email address from Gmail or another service provider. You can get professional-looking email addresses that match your web site’s domain with GSuite. In addition, you’ll get business productivity, conferencing, digital security, and other benefits.
GSuite starts at $6 per user per month and you don’t need to be a tech wizard to set it up. Just set up a GSuite account and follow the directions to give your login credentials to your domain provider.
3. Fast and Mobile Friendly
If your site isn’t mobile-friendly and fast, you will lose customers. Consumers are increasingly less patient, and more frequently on mobile devices. If your page-load speeds are poor, potential customers won’t stick around to convert. These free Google tools help measure your performance, both in terms of page speed and mobile usability.
4. Google Alerts
This is a great way to track mentions of your name, company, competitors, or industry. Create alerts for any phrase and Google will email updates when it finds new items that match that phrase in the search results. It’s simple and free.
5. Google Ads
When you search Google for services or products you offer, do you see your business or your competitors’ sites in the search results? If you don’t see yourself, neither will your potential customers.
Google Ads can boost your visibility to the top of the search results page, for a fee. But you can burn through a lot of money if you do not have an effective online strategy. Make sure you are clear on your goals and have an effective approach to get you there.
6. Google Digital Garage
Want to learn more about digital marketing but don’t know where to start? Increase your digital IQ with Google Digital Garage’s online tutorials. It’s free, and covers a wide range of topics from using social media and selling online, to building your online presence and improving search engine rankings.
7. Google Analytics
You may already have Google Analytics set up on your site. If not, investigate it today. It’s free and provides invaluable insight into the performance of your website and all of the digital channels that drive your traffic and revenue.
You’ll get information on which pages are most visited, how many users visit your site, your visitors’ demographics, how long visitors spend on your site, and much more. Start with the basics and leverage more as your marketing programs grow. To learn more, Google Analytics Academy is a great place to start.
In addition to providing the world’s largest search engine, Google offers these free — or low-cost — tools to help businesses succeed online. Take advantage of them today to streamline your business, improve your site, and boost your visibility online today.