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10 Most Valuable Free Google Marketing Tools
By Titus Hoskins (c) 2006

Google has become the dominant search engine on the
Internet. It would be hard to imagine a web without Google.
For that matter, it would now be hard to imagine a world
without Google. As frightening as that may seem to many
people, it is none the less true.

For better or worse, Google has permeated into almost every
aspect of our everyday life. Being Googled is now a common
expression and an act carried out by millions of users
around the world each day. New Google products and services
are coming on stream at a frightening pace, further
increasing Google's impact on our lives.

Despite this dominating presence, many people still don't
realize Google offers some excellent free marketing tools
for marketers and webmasters. Marketing tools which can
prove extremely valuable to any webmaster or marketer
trying to promote their sites or products online. Useful
tools that will make your promotions easier and much more
profitable.

Don't be fooled by the 'free' label, these marketing tools
might be free, but they are also valuable. One even wonders
why Google would be giving away these tools and services
for free? It probably makes good business sense in the long
run, by providing these free tools Google is fostering a
lot of company good-will and building up the Google brand
name in the process. Good PR is good business.

Every marketer and webmaster should be taking advantage of
Google's good-will and snapping up these professionally run
services and marketing tools. Here's a quick run-down of
the 10 most valuable free Google Internet marketing tools:

1. Google Analytics

Perhaps the premier marketing tool offered by Google. It
will prove helpful to both the marketer and the webmaster.
Google Analytics gives you a daily snapshot of your web
site. Google Analytics analyzes your traffic, where it
comes from and what it does once it enters your site. You
can monitor up to three sites for free.

Google Analytics is extremely valuable in analyzing your
marketing funnel. It tracks all the steps leading up to
your sales or checkout page. Vital information for raising
your conversion rate and ROI.

You may be placed on a waiting list for this highly in
demand service from Google.

LINK:   http://www.google.com/analytics/

2. Google Sitemaps

Webmasters can use Google Sitemaps to almost instantly
place newly created pages on their site into the Google
Search Index. This is an XML file that is uploaded to
Google as new pages are added on your site. Needless to say
this can be a valuable service for any webmaster or
marketer who wants to get their information on the web
quickly.

LINK:
https://www.google.com/webmasters/sitemaps/docs/en/about.htm
l

3. Google Alerts

Be notified when someone, or another site, lists your site or
mentions your name. Great way to keep track of all your
online activities. Great way to monitor all your online
business interests and products.

LINK:   http://www.google.com/alerts

4. Google Froogle

Froogle is Google's price directory! It simply lists all
the cheapest prices for different products on the web. For
marketers and webmasters who are promoting products, it
should be studied and analyzed. Optimizing your site's
content for Froogle may prove to be very beneficial.

Follow Froogle or Google directions exactly on how to list
or display products on your site. Froogle will spider your
site and display your prices and products to thousands of
targeted customers. That, as they say, is priceless.

LINK:   http://froogle.google.com/

5. Google Checkout

Not exactly free but for those marketers who use AdWords -
for every $1 spent on AdWords you can process $10 for free.
You can also place the shopping cart logo on your AdWords
ad and take advantage of the prestige and trust the Google
brand name has built up.

Over time marketers may find this tool to be very effective
and valuable.

LINK:   https://checkout.google.com/

6. Google eBlogger

Blogging has become vitally important to the health and
functioning of your web site. No site should be without at
least one blog and RSS feed. Creating a blog (online
journal) on the topic of your web site or product will
bring in extra traffic and targeted customers. eBlogger is
a simple free blogging service that even lets you publish
or post your blog files to your own web site server. Keep
in mind, each blog has that all important Google Blog
Search bar.

LINK:   http://www.blogger.com/

7. Google Toolbar - Enterprise Version

Try the new enterprise version of the Google Toolbar for
your company or business. Integrates countless features
with all your employees or corporate network. These could
include a common customer database, company calendar,
financial news...

Keep in mind, Google also ranks every page it indexes on a
scale of 0-10. While it is important to know the Page Rank
of your own pages, it is even more important to know the PR
of your competitor's pages. You can use the toolbar to get
the PR of each page you're visiting. Extremely helpful
information for webmasters and marketers to know when
forming online linking or business arrangements.

LINK:   http://toolbar.google.com/T4/enterprise/

8. Google Groups

Every marketer knows the importance of having a large
contact list of people with a similar interest. Social
networking will play an ever increasing role in your
success on the web. Just look at the growing popularity of
sites like MySpace and LiveJournal.

Google groups is another form of social and business
networking that every marketer should be aware of and
pursuing.

LINK:   http://groups.google.com/

9. Google Adsense

One simple way to monetize your web content is to use
Google Adsense. Just place the Adsense code on your site
and receive a check from Google each month. For webmasters
who are not really into online marketing (do such
creatures exist?), Adsense can be a painless way to earn
extra income from your site.

For professional marketers using the Adsense system can
supply a tremendous amount of marketing information on the
keywords in their particular niche. It keeps the marketer
informed on what keywords are being bid on and how much
advertisers are willing to pay.

Adsense also has an excellent real-time tracking system you
can use to keep track of all your important web pages.

LINK:   https://www.google.com/adsense/

10. Google Writely

A recent addition to Google's stable of free products.
Writely is a full featured online writing editor with
spellcheck and great collaborating features. It also lets
you publish your content directly to your blogs. One
feature that may be of interest to marketers - it lets you
save files in the popular download format of PDF.

Lets face it, until video takes over the web in four or
five years time - the written word is still king on the
net. It is the medium that markets, promotes and sells your
content or products. Writely will help you write better.

LINK:   http://www.writely.com

Honorable Mention - Google Trends

This Google program will let you search popular trends,
important for marketers searching for the latest hot
product to promote. You can also break down these trends by
different regions.

LINK:   http://www.google.com/trends

Final Note

Please take note that signing up for a Google account will
usually help you in obtaining most of these free services
or programs. Some of these programs may have to be applied
for individually. But be assured, all these free Google
marketing tools are well worth your time and effort. They
will make your marketing easier and they will help any
webmaster or marketer run their online business more
efficiently.
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The author is a full-time online marketer who runs numerous
web sites, including two sites on Internet marketing. For
the latest web marketing tools try:
http://www.bizwaremagic.com . Everyone is profiting from
Google, why not you? Go here:
http://www.bizwaremagic.com/Google_Cash_File.htm
2006 Titus Hoskins. This article may be freely distributed
if this resource box stays attached.
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