Although there are many places to market your business online, one of the most effective is Google. Google offers so many free tools to help you market online and build a complete business for free. If you already have a website, many of these tools can be used to help you promote your business in Google and get the search engine traffic you want. Google is far more than a search engine now though. In fact, Google now offers social marketing opportunities to help you market and build a following of customers who want what you sell.
1. Webmaster Central
Webmaster Central allows you to both optimize your website for the search engines and test and track your content to find out where your traffic comes from. It also allows you to get your sitemap indexed in Google so your content appears here. Since this is the most popular search engine and gets 80 percent of the traffic, you want to get your website indexed here so you get the search engine traffic you're looking for.
2. Apps for Business
Apps is a productivity suite that is free for small businesses and offers a paid version for larger businesses. It includes email, calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets and Slides. This allows you to create your content online, collaborate and then submit your content to the appropriate site.
3. Places
Places allows you to market your offline business online by creating a special listing for your business. Although having a website helps, it is not necessary. Since 97 percent of searches for local business is done in Google, not having a listing here causes you to lose a lot of traffic because potential visitors don't know you exist. (This is now outpacing the Yellow Pages for local listings.)
4. Sites/Mobile
If you want to build a website, or you need a mobile website, then you want to start here. Since fives times as many internet users own a cell phone compared to computer users, again, you are leaving money on the table by not making your business friendly to those who use mobile.
5. Books
Depending on the nature of your business, you may want to write a book to draw leads to your business or even sell it. Books allows you to list all your books in the database so those who are looking for books on your topic can find them.
6. Plus
This the latest social networking site available here. Although not as large as Facebook, it is much more friendly to business and can help you easily connect with potential customers. You may build pages here and then have your content from Youtube and Blogger automatically posted here.
7. Hangouts
Want to create a place to connect with customers? Hangouts is a versatile way to not only connect with customers but employees too. What makes this site so great is that it offers you the opportunity to embed your hangout on your website to draw traffic to your website.
8. Moderator
Do you have a specific area of expertise where you want to offer free information and answer questions to draw leads? Then consider starting with Moderator. It allows you to answer questions posted by readers.
9. Youtube
Although Youtube is a separate site on its own, it is also owned by Google. It allows you to post your videos absolutely free and then use them to sell your stuff. It offers plenty of free tools to help create videos, as well as promote your videos through the use of your channel and posting to your Plus page.
10. Blogger
Blogger is also another site owned by Google that allows you to create a blog. You may use this site to build as many blogs as you want on as many topics as you want and promote your content.
There are many more tools available from Google to help you build your business. Many of them are free, and it will help you stay organized and get as much work done as possible in the least amount of time.