Content is a brand’s most powerful weapon that it can use to fulfil marketing and branding objectives. Whether you are just beginning your content/digital marketing strategy or you are already a pro, there is always scope for improvement. The tools and the strategy you use will have a significant impact on the results.
Here are some free Google tools all content marketers should use.
Keyword Planner
As a content marketer, one of the first things you should be doing is searching for keywords relating to your strategy that can boost your website or blog post . If you are looking for a tool that can help you find the best keywords, then look no further than the Google AdWords Keyword Planner. This free tool is extremely easy to use.
All you need to do is log in with your Gmail account to go to Google AdWords, and click on ‘tools.’ Once you are in, type the topic you want to write on, and voila! The tool displays all keywords along with the average monthly searches.
For example, when you give ‘content marketing’ as the search term, it not only shows you the search volume for the term but also for a related term. This is especially useful because long tail keywords can drive more traffic to your content and blogs.
Google Analytics
A content strategy is not complete without a goal attached to it. To set goals and constantly check them, the only tool you need is Google Analytics. When you log in, it gives you basic information about the traffic, page views and average time spent on your site or blog post.
This will give you a basic idea of whether or not you’re on track to achieving your goals. You can also dig deeper and get information about every page. This will help you further understand what content works for you and which drives business results for you in terms of online orders or enquiries.
Google Trends
Generating fresh ideas continuously is not easy. And that’s exactly when a tool like Google Trends comes into play. It helps in brainstorming content ideas and explores topics that are current and trending. It is also incredibly simple to use. Simply type in your broad topic idea and check out what terms Google throws up, and from there on, you can get creative.
Google Search Console
Google Search Console is, in some ways, an extension of Google Analytics, but more focussed on traffic from Google . It reviews the overall health of your website and helps analyse your performance on Google Search.
It also help you check how your keywords are performing and view the average position for all of the keywords that appear in Google Search. Moreover, this tool also helps you identify errors on your website that could be negatively impacting your performance on search engines. For example, it shows you if there are any pages that Google is unable to view or crawl. It also allows you to submit a sitemap of your website, so that Google knows which pages are more important than the others.
Google Sheets
Google sheet is one of the most useful tools when it comes to planning your content calendar. It helps track data and share it with other team members or clients. It is also ideal to check the keywords that you have targeted and the ones that you are looking to target. If you are new to SEO, create a Google sheet and track all the SEO-related and content-related activities on one sheet.
It is perhaps the best tool for collaboration and brings all the key information together in one place. This tool can also be used to create a to-do list and to track activities.
Google My Business
Google My Business lets you create a free business listing on Google. It also gives you information including, but not limited to, phone number, address and business category.
Here are the other benefits of using this tool.
~ Uses images to show how your company is different
~ Shows customer reviews
~ People get to know about your business based on the information you provide
~ The chance to put your business in front of clients who are interested in your products
Google My Business listings are one of the first things that any customer or potential customer see when they Google you, so the content you put out there needs to be robust and impressive.
Google Calendar
Being organised is one of the most important practices for any marketer, and there is no better tool than the Google Calendar, since it helps keep track of all your activities in one place.
Here are some of the other ways you can use it.
~ Create events for all your marketing tasks
~ Share your availability with team members
~ Understand your everyday tasks and check your schedule.
All these tools are extremely useful for a marketer and exploring these will certainly make a difference to your content and digital marketing efforts.
So go ahead and try them out today!