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Google Services for Entrepreneurs

If you're launching a new business and you want to keep your software costs down, while maintaining a basic level of functionality, look no further than the ubiquitous Google for your enterprise needs.

Using Google's handy suite of office applications which includes a robust email program, an online office software suite, internal and external web development apps, website statistics tracking, interactive calendar, advertising and ad revenue sharing programs, and a nifty RSS reader, you can get your business up and running quickly without the headache of setting up your own internal IT department.

Google Mail / Gmail

If you're migrating from the likes of Microsoft Entourage or Yahoo Mail, the Google Mail interface takes a bit of getting used to.

Rather than folders, Gmail (www.gmail.com) uses labels and archiving to organize emails. Unique to Gmail is its method of denoting messages as "conversations,"; very handy when you're going back and forth in speaking to collegues or friends. Your account space allotment increases every day in relation to the space already used; so unless you are sending and receiving gigantic files every day, you will never hit your usage limit. Google actually brags about this, citing, "never delete files again." But probably the biggest advantage to Google Mail is that you never have to lose e-mails and contacts when you switch to a new computer; and because it is web-based, you can check your messages from anywhere in the world.

Google Documents

While it doesn't have all the advanced functionality of the leading office software suites, Google Documents (docs.google.com) allows users to create and save basic documents online. Write legal procedures or business documents using Google's word processor. Use the database, mathematical, and sorting functionality in Google's spreadsheet application. Create a presentation on projected sales of the company's flagship product. The collaborative aspect of Google Documents allows for multiple users to work on the same project at the same time, anywhere in the world.

Google Pages & Sites

Google offers two ways to quickly and easily establish a Web presence through its service called Google Apps (google.com/a). The first is Pages (pages.google.com), an application that allows you to create a basic website using established formatting, styles, and themes. You can add videos, RSS feeds, text, links, pictures, and widgets to your page; but expect to put in some time and effort in making the site look as professional as possible with limited resources. If you want your own custom domain rather than the lengthy default domain it automatically generates, you can do it all through Google Apps and your new domain registrar.

Google Sites (sites.google.com) is a newer Google Web design tool that allows you to create a group-specific website. Group websites are handy for keeping up with projects, family, and events within a specific group of people; however, you cannot map a custom domain to the application, and thus Google Sites cannot be used as an external company website.

Google Analytics

Use Google Analytics (analytics.google.com) to assess the traffic to your site and optimize your Web presence in order to attract more customers. See unique visits, pageviews, customer segmentation, time spent on pages, bounce rate, geolocation, referring sites, and more. When you sign up for Google Analytics, it will generate a javascript code you must copy and paste into your website for the tracking to initiate.

Google Calendar

Use Google Calendar (calendar.google.com) to keep up with your coworkers' comings and goings. Set up important events such as meetings and doctor's appointments. Share your calendar with your colleagues. Set up reminders with popups and/or e-mails. Embed your calendar in your blog or website. Encourage colleagues to subscribe to your calendar feed RSS.

Google Adwords and Adsense

So you've finally got your website off the ground and you're considering how to advertise your business to drive traffic to your site. Google Adwords (adwords.google.com) is a pay-per-click ad program that allows you to quickly and easily create an online ad campaign designed to meet your budget. Simply tell Adwords how much you are willing to spend per month on your campaign, and you will pay only up to that amount. Create a simple, eye-grabbing ad, choose keywords, and you're ready to go. You are charged only when someone clicks your ad.

Adsense (adsense.google.com) is a sort of reverse advertising. You place Google ads on your site and get a share of the revenue every time a user clicks an ad. You may not get rich, but at least it's something.

Google Reader

With all the popularity of the social Web 2.0 comes a handy Google application that allows an inordinate amount of information to be pushed directly to your desktop via real simple syndication (otherwise known as RSS). Google Reader (reader.google.com) is a news aggregator that allows you to pull in RSS feeds from your favorite blogs and websites for up-to-the-minute news and information. Never miss a beat!

So before you purchase computer software, hire an ad firm, and create your information technology department, Google's suite of office products and services are worth looking into.