A Roundup of Great Google Resources
Google provides an abundance of products and services that simplify owning or managing a website. In addition, they have also made available several resources for learning how to use their products to the maximum potential. I’m going to break down my favorites and why.
“Google’s mission: Organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.”
Google Analytics
There are two great resources for learning to become a Google Analytics power user, Google’s IQ Lessons and Google Analytics YouTube Channel.
Google’s IQ Lessons provide short, easy to follow videos using screen shots of the Google Analytics dashboard. It’s a comprehensive look at Analytics beginning with an introduction and moving on to more detailed features like creating admins, interpreting reports, and concluding with in-depth videos for more advanced features like advanced segments and event tracking. If you watch this complete series of training videos, you will be well on your way to being an advanced Google Analytics user.
Google Analytics YouTube Channel hosts a variety of videos ranging from 30 seconds to an hour long, including Q & A’s hosted by famed analytics guru Avinash Kaushik and Nick Mihailovski, a series of videos called ‘Analytics for Agencies’, new features and more. This is a great resource for both beginners to Google Analytics and experts.
Google Webmaster Tools
If video tutorials are how you like to learn, then you can learn all about Google Webmaster Tools here. The entire video is about 20 minutes long and it covers the basics like submitting your site, title tags and meta descriptions and also provides other resources for webmasters, this is a great place to find additional helpful Google forums, articles and more.
Google Webmaster Tools are useful for finding any errors in your website, seeing which search queries are showing your web page as results and more. Google’s Quick Start Guide breaks down what you will see when you log in to your Webmaster Tools account and offer a brief explanation and then a “Learn More” link taking you to an in-depth explanation of the chosen topic. I like how they have set this up because it is a nice refresher for those who have used Google Webmaster Tools before and it is also great for the complete beginner because you can run through the Quick Start Guide, and then go back to the beginning and go through each of the Learn More sections and gain a solid foundation in how to use Google Webmaster Tools more effectively.
Other Google Resources
Matt Cutts walks through some of the “hidden gems” of Google resources in this two minute video. He talks about where to find “Tech Talk” videos, all of Google’s Tech Talks from Google IO that have been digitized and uploaded, and “Reporter Center” which features short videos by reporters with tips on interviewing and tips on reporting of any kind.
For some insider info, subscribe to Google’s own anti-spam software engineer Matt Cutts’ blog. He maintains a blog rich with information and has also made countless helpful videos on YouTube.
Rebecca Derdoski is a search engine marketer for Internet Exposure, a Minneapolis SEO agency specializing in web development, web design and digital marketing.
