12 Useful Google products you should know about

Google, one of the biggest web based companies around offers a variety of products that most people have used at one point or another. Almost everyone has heard of Google search, maps, and mail, but how many other products do you know about? Google actually offers quite a number of different products ranging from building 3D models to making your phone your wallet. Just on their products page they have listed 45 different products that they offer — this isn’t even a complete list.

Here at Design Brooklyn we have comprised a list of useful Google products that we think you should know about.

For:

• Webmasters & Website Owners
• Everyday users

Webmasters & Website Owners

Google Analytics:

Is a enterprise-class web analytics that gives you insight on how visitors use your site, how they arrive on your site, and how you can keep them coming back. Google’s analysis tools allow you to customize, refine, and analyze data as you like to see it, allowing you to identify important information.

Key features:

• Content analytics: In-depth report on the content of your site. Find out which of your content is most viewed, how long viewers stay, and how often they come back.
• Conversion suite: Monitor content downloads, video plays, sales, and other actions that allow you understand how your visitors interact with your site.
• Social reports: Reports on how your social media has impacted your site, see who is engaging with your brand and from where.

For more details: http://google.com/analytics/

Google Webmaster Tools:

Provides detailed reports on how your site shows up on Google searches. Get data, tools, and diagnosis on how to create a Google friendly site.

Key features:

• Helping build a Google friendly site.
• Integrate social and search data for best Google optimization.
• Optimization options to improve website SEO
• Determine web traffic through web searches and links.
• Add new URL’s for Google to index. https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/submit-url

For more details: https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/

Google Trends:

A useful search tool that shows how often a particular search term is entered relative to search volume across the world.

For more details: https://www.google.com/trends/

Google Keyword Tool:

Look up keywords and how often they are searched across the world. Use this data to add similar keywords to your Adwords campaign. Can also be used in conjunction with other tools like Trends or Analytics to maximize SEO.

For more details: https://adwords.google.com/o/KeywordTool

Pagespeed Insights:

Analyzes the content of your site and provides suggestion for faster loading. The suggestions may not be the definitive answer but nonetheless they are good suggestions to keep in mind. One of the easier optimization that we suggest is to first optimize your images for the web.

For more details: https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights

Goo.gl:

Google’s very own url shortener, allows you to create shorter URL’s for easier sharing on your social media platforms, emails, or on the web.

Key feature:

• Shorter links for easier sharing.
• Click counts.

For more details: http://goo.gl

Everyday User

Alerts:

Get email updates on things of your interest. Google monitors the latest relevant results based on your queries and sends them right to your email.

For more details: http://www.google.com/alerts

Bookmarks:

Bookmark pages to your Google account.

Key features:

• Access to your bookmarks anywhere you go.
• You no longer need to be on your own computer to pull up your bookmarks.

For more details: http://www.google.com/bookmarks/

Blogger:

Create your own blog for free.

Key features:

• Customizable with beautiful templates and layouts.
• Up to the minute stats.
• Use with Adsense to monetize your blog.

For more details: https://blogger.com

Calendar:

Organize your everyday life with Google Calendar. Keep track of important events and task all in one place.

Key features:

• Share your schedule: Let other’s view your schedule, letting them know when you’re free or busy.
• Customizable reminders: Never forget another event. Get notified by email or text.
• Synchronization: Have access to your calendar at all times. Whether you’re on your mobile devices or on a public computer.

For more details: https://www.google.com/calendar/render

Drive:

Google’s free cloud storage service that keeps all your documents safe and accessible from anywhere you want. Allows you to create documents, spreadsheets, and presentations straight from your browser.

Key features:

• Creating documents, spreadsheets, and presentations with features like those in full-fledged document processing softwares.
• Sharing and editing documents with a group for collaborative works.
• Automatically saves as you work so you don’t have to worry about power failure or losing documents.
• Accessible from the web or on your mobile devices.

For more details: https://drive.google.com

Keep:

(#13 - added March 21st, 2013)

Your solution to quick note taking. Quickly capture ideas and recall them easier later - includes checklists and photos to keep track of what is important.

Key features:

• Accessible from the web or on your mobile devices.
• Checklists
• Photos
• Voice Notes

Sites:

Have you always wanted to create a website but don’t know how? With Google Sites this dream can become a reality with their free and simple solution.

Key features:

• Single click page creation.
• Customizable look and feel.
• Dozens of templates to choose from.

For more details: https://sites.google.com/

Back to Blog