The Google Girl Gang: Your No-BS Guide to Google’s Must-Know Business Tools

Starting learning about Search Engine Optimisation and Marketing was like riding a bike. If the bike was going downhill. On fire. Smothered in Google.

It felt like there were two-hundred thousand things I needed to know… like yesterday. And all the seperate Google websites. Oh so many websites to remember.

And, now that I’ve graduated from utterly confused and hopeless to kinda confused, It’s time to share what I’ve learned about the Google sites with you all (and by “all”, I mean my mum, and the random bots that stumble on this blog)

Google Search Console

This is Dr. Google – where you can do a lil health check on your website.

Imagine Dr. Google, sitting behind her desk. You give her a folder, it has all your web pages inside it. She opens it, moves her glasses to the bridge of her nose, stares down and scans all the information provided.

That’s what Google Search Console does – it’ll “read’ your site and let you know what’s showing up on Google.

It’ll also flag any pesky errors, missing pages, and what search terms are leading people to your page.

Dr Google is a great starting point.

Google My Business (GMB)

We know her. We love her. Google My Business is often the first thing people see when they look you up.

You see her impact across Google Maps and the right hand column when you search for a business and see all their details pop up.

She lets people know your opening hours, your contact info, reviews, all if it lives here.

She can be a bit of work to set up, but then becomes a ‘set and forget’ vibe, unless you need to update your info or reply to a review (pro-tip, always reply to reviews. Even the not-so-positive ones).

Google Tag Manager

Now this. This is incredible.

Google Tag Manager is the unsung hero here. Do not underestimate her, she may seem all data and no results. But that data. That’s her strength.

You let her know what actions (known as “key events”) you want to track, and she’ll give you near live updates of how many times they were triggered.

She is regularly whispering into Google Analytics 4 (GA4)’s ear to let her know when actions occur.

Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

Google Analytics 4 is your friend who is always up to date with the latest goss. You can’t surprise her. She is a crystal ball in Google form.

“Mirror mirror on the wall”, more like “GA4, GA4 show me all…”

She can tell you how long people are staying on your website, how they found you, their general demographics, and what key events were taken, and where (#ShoutOut to her BFFL Google Tag Manager). Use her to better understand your website users; what they are liking, what they aren’t interested in… She is a data mine.

Google Ads

Google Ads is your VIP pass to the top of Google’s search results.

The goal: spend less on the overall Ad than you’re earning from the total successful conversions (which isn’t always easy), but, if you play your cards right, you could end up with some great

Google’s tools can feel like a maze at first, but once you get the hang of them, they can be game-changing for your business.

From tracking who’s vising your site, running ads, or making sure people can find you easily when they search, each tool plays a part.

The key? Start small. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and your online presence (which arguably is bigger than Rome) won’t be either.

So, take your time, set up your basics, and you’ll be soaring in no time <3