Google is well known as a search engine, but did you know that there are other utilities Google provides to make doing business easier? Google provides a virtual online office suite. It offers a directory where you're business information can be searched (regardless of whether you have a site). Your business can be mapped, you can edit and share information about it and review it. Let's take a look at some the ways the Google Toolkit can help you. Google ads are probably the most famous of the tools in your Google toolbox. Google Ads allow you to purchase the use of keywords through Pay-Per-Click. As people search the keywords, the paid ads turn up in the search results. There are two types of links in a Google search. Sponsored links are paid for in order to rank for a specific keyword. They appear on the top of a Google search page with a yellow/orange background and along the right column. An organic search result begins underneath the paid ads.. This ranking results from taking the steps necessary to give your site the SEO authority for a high ranking. This is done by accumulating a lot of inbound links and continually adding fresh content to your site. Of all the people who search online, 75% of them click on organic searches, only 25% on paid ads. One clear advantage Google AdWords does have is its ability to offer contextual advertising. Google has partnered with hundreds of sites to place your ad where it is contextually relevant. So if you create an ad for a specific keyword, Google can match it with the appropriate site. For instance, if you own a golf shop, Google can place your ad on a page of golfchannel.com. How do you find the keyword you're looking for? You can do so by using Google Keyword Tool. Keywords are important because people use them to search for products and services on the web. If you want online searchers to find your site, you must determine what keywords are most useful for driving customers to your site. You can use Keyword Tool either by submitting a keyword and see what related words are most actively searched or submitting a website and Keyword Tool will suggest what keywords to use. A useful function of Keyword Tool is that it will tell you how competitive the words are. Don't use highly competitive terms if you want to get ranked quickly. Try to keep your keywords unique. You can try using the long tail strategy. A long tail strategy involves using a narrowly focused string of words. In the golf example, rather than simply "golf" you use "golf shop, Milford CT". One way to monitor keywords you're considering is to use Google Alerts. Using the golf shop example, if you owned a golf shop you can monitor how often the term "golf shop" is searched. When the term is used Google will send you an email. It saves you a lot of time and hassle trying to do the work yourself. So you don't get buried with emails, you can specify the kind of content you're looking for (blogs, news, videos, etc.). If you have a specific area of interest that you want to stay abreast of, Google Reader will save you plenty of time searching by sending you relevant articles on topics you subscribe to. Just click into Google Reader. It will be in the Google menu or in the "More" drop down menu. Once there, choose your topic. A list of relevant websites, blogs and article sites will appear. Choose the site you're interested in, hit the subscribe button in the upper left corner, and you're good to go. Google+ Local is a great place to get found and let others know about your business. Whether you have a website or not, Google+ Local will give you added visibility, more traffic, and more customers. Add to that it's free. Most times you can set up your listing within 30 minutes. Chances are you already have a listing that Google has set up. Go to Google+ Local and find your listing. Once you're there claim your listing. Add content, pictures and keywords. When you're done, Google will send you a code to verify your listing. Follow the instructions that came with the code and you're finished. Two Google tools I didn't mention are Google+, which is a social networking site and Google Docs. Docs is a nifty office suite that allows you to share and edit text, spreadsheets, calendars and more among users you choose. So Google is more than just a search engine. It has the capability to be a great virtual assistant at home, at work, or in the classroom. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7241083