Starting a business is no easy task. It takes careful planning, research, time, effort, and money. Fortunately, many different support networks can help you with just about every aspect of a startup business.
The following article discusses eight specific online resources for small business startup to help you in your journey.
Google Maps Engine
Ever wanted to create and share interactive maps easily? Well, now you can with the help of Google Maps Engine. Here is how it works:
The user uploads a spreadsheet with address information, department phone numbers, and other specific data. Google Maps Engine searches the address information for latitude and longitude coordinates.
It then plots the different geographical points on Google maps, allowing users to see how far apart they are in miles or kilometers. The process makes it easy for businesses to organize their physical locations on a map.
Users can then filter data by date or time or search for specific addresses using the built-in query tool.
Google Ad Grants
Google Ad Grants is a free advertising program that allows approved charities to place Google ads on relevant keywords on Google’s search engine.
Users sign up online for Google Ad Grants, which gives them access to major search engines like Google, YouTube, and Gmail. In turn, they have to agree to use the ad space exclusively for nonprofit purposes. Google determines eligibility based on annual revenue and the IRS Determination Letter of the company’s tax-exempt status.
Once a business is approved for a Google Ad Grant, it can choose from a range of different ads that feature text and an image.
Google Ad Grants users can also utilize the analytics tool to track conversions and watch as their ads go viral.
Google Analytics
Google Analytics is an online dashboard that offers businesses a holistic view of their traffic. It allows users to monitor important metrics like daily page views, unique visits, and average time spent on the site. According to reports, around 81 percent of consumers go online and research before heading out to the store.
Startup employees can visit Google Analytics, which is free to use, and sign up for an account.
You can see how users find your website by looking at referral sources or examining traffic over time, so you know what days and hours tend to be slow.
Google Wallet Instant Buy
It is one of the best resources for a small business startup. Google Wallet Instant Buy is an easy way for startup employees to make purchases directly on businesses’ websites without creating an account or filling out lengthy forms.
Users sign up online for a Google Wallet account; the same kind used to purchase apps or pay bills with Gmail. They can link their debit card or bank account to their wallet account name, making the entire process seamless and straightforward. Google Wallet Instant Buy users do not have to download another app or sign up for a second service.
Google Cloud Platform
Google Cloud Platform is a suite of online products and infrastructure designed to help startups build websites and apps.
The platform gives users access to computer processing power, storage features, and other offline resources that can be accessed anywhere.
The Google Cloud Platform has four components: Compute Engine, App Engine, Storage, and Networking. These services offer users different options to choose from, depending on their startup’s technical needs.
For example, startups can host a website on Google Compute Engine and run a back-end database on the Google Cloud SQL product.
Google My Business
Google My Business is a free service that allows businesses to promote their physical locations online.
Users can create a page on Google+ with all the necessary information about their company, like hours of operation, phone numbers, and contact names.
Users who choose to sign up for Google My Business are given access to other useful tools; they get a free custom URL for their page, the ability to select which categories best describe them, and Google Analytics integration.
With this service, users can also post photos of their business location or write posts that appear directly on the map.
Google AdWords Express
Google AdWords Express is an advertising platform that allows users to target consumers in their area. It is free to use and ideal for businesses that drive traffic fast.
AdWords Express integrates with Google Maps, so startup employees can pinpoint exactly who they’d like to target.
Google Blogger
Google Blogger is a blog-publishing platform that allows users to create free blogs on the Internet. Startup employees can use this service to write articles, talk about their product or industry and add images and videos for more visual appeal.
They can also add comments from other social media platforms directly on their site.
Bogger has several tools and templates for users to choose from when designing their site.
