Free Google Tools to Improve your Website (and everything you publish online))
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Google has a whole range of free tools to help you improve your website and all your online communications. In this 75 minute workshop we will take a brief look at three of the most useful offerings from Google for helping your organization improve your online results. Google Analytics Google Analytics is a free tool that tells you how visitors are using your website: what they find useful and what they ignore. We'll introduce this free tool and then move beyond measuring 'page views' and 'site visits' to get more meaningful data about how to improve your website. Keyword analysis Are you speaking the same language as your supporters? Google can let you know. People are searching for information on you and your area of specialization every day. Make sure you are speaking the same language so you can be found. Google Grants If you are a charity, Google wants to give you thousands of dollars a month in free advertising to send traffic to your website. Really. We will cover what you need to know to apply for a Google Grant.
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Free Google Tools to Improve your Website (and everything you publish online))
- 1. Free Google Tools to Improve Your Website July 20, 2011 Eric Squair | eric@squair.ca
- 2. Eric Squair Free Google Tools to Improve Your Website | eric@squair.ca
- 3. Q: How familiar are you with Google Analytics? I have I use it almost heard of it every day Free Google Tools to Improve Your Website | eric@squair.ca
- 4. Q: How familiar are you with Google Adwords? I have I use it almost heard of it every day Free Google Tools to Improve Your Website | eric@squair.ca
- 5. Google tells you what’s working (and what’s not) Free Google Tools to Improve Your Website | eric@squair.ca
- 6. Google Analytics A web-based tool that records (anonymously) visits to your website Free Google Tools to Improve Your Website | eric@squair.ca
- 7. Google Analytics How many people visited our site this month? What pages did they visit most often? What search terms did they use to find our site? How long did they spend on our site? How many visitors this week were new to our site? How many had visited the site before? Free Google Tools to Improve Your Website | eric@squair.ca
- 8. Google Analytics How many people visited our site this month? Free Google Tools to Improve Your Website | eric@squair.ca
- 9. Google Analytics How many people used the website in the way we wanted them to? Free Google Tools to Improve Your Website | eric@squair.ca
- 10. Google Analytics 1. Set up ‘goals’ Free Google Tools to Improve Your Website | eric@squair.ca
- 11. Google Analytics 1. Set up ‘goals’ Examples: Donations Email subscriptions Downloads of reports Facebook ‘Likes’ Comments Reading entire website Free Google Tools to Improve Your Website | eric@squair.ca
- 12. Google Analytics 1. Set up ‘goals’ 2. Define ‘segments’ of visitors Free Google Tools to Improve Your Website | eric@squair.ca
- 13. Google Analytics 1. Set up ‘goals’ 2. Define ‘segments’ of visitors Examples: New vs. returning visitors Searched for your org’s name Searched for a particular word Email subscribers From a certain city Visited at a certain time Free Google Tools to Improve Your Website | eric@squair.ca
- 14. Google Analytics 1. Set up ‘goals’ 2. Define ‘segments’ of visitors 3. Concentrate on those audience segments most likely to help you reach your goals Free Google Tools to Improve Your Website | eric@squair.ca
- 15. Example Goal: More donations Segments: Email subscribers, New visitors, people who searched for a particular term and found your site Free Google Tools to Improve Your Website | eric@squair.ca
- 16. Example Goal: More donations Segments: Email subscribers, New visitors, people who searched for a particular term and found your site Free Google Tools to Improve Your Website | eric@squair.ca
- 17. Google Analytics is useful because it encourages us to define and focus on the ‘goals’ of our site, and gives really good insights into how to achieve those goals. Free Google Tools to Improve Your Website | eric@squair.ca
- 18. For more information: http://analytics.google.com Free Google Tools to Improve Your Website | eric@squair.ca
- 19. Google Grants Google Adwords: display your ads when certain words are used on the web. Free Google Tools to Improve Your Website | eric@squair.ca
- 20. Google Adwords Example: with search results Free Google Tools to Improve Your Website | eric@squair.ca
- 21. Google Adwords Adwords are an “auction” Free Google Tools to Improve Your Website | eric@squair.ca
- 22. Google Adwords Google will only show people the ads they want to see Free Google Tools to Improve Your Website | eric@squair.ca
- 23. Google Adwords The format is rigid, with a title, two lines and a URL. That’s it. Free Google Tools to Improve Your Website | eric@squair.ca
- 24. Google Grants Google wants to give you hundreds of dollars a day to bid on keywords Free Google Tools to Improve Your Website | eric@squair.ca
- 25. How to Apply Successfully 1. Be clear on the goals of your site Free Google Tools to Improve Your Website | eric@squair.ca
- 26. How to Apply Successfully 1. Be clear on the goals of your site 2. Explain how a grant will help you meet your site goals, and help your organization Free Google Tools to Improve Your Website | eric@squair.ca
- 27. How to Apply Successfully 1. Be clear on the goals of your site 2. Explain how a grant will help you meet your site goals, and help your organization 3. Demonstrate that you know how to use Google Adwords (and Analytics) Free Google Tools to Improve Your Website | eric@squair.ca
- 28. How to Apply Successfully 4. Be patient. Very patient. Free Google Tools to Improve Your Website | eric@squair.ca
- 29. How to Apply Successfully 4. Be patient. Very patient. Free Google Tools to Improve Your Website | eric@squair.ca
- 30. How to Apply Successfully To begin the application process: http://www.google.ca/intl/en/grants/ Free Google Tools to Improve Your Website | eric@squair.ca
- 31. Google Keyword Tool This free tool from Google was designed to help advertisers improve their ads Free Google Tools to Improve Your Website | eric@squair.ca
- 32. Google Keyword Tool Shows you two things: What words or phrases Google associates with your site The words and phrases people use when searching for your site or issue Free Google Tools to Improve Your Website | eric@squair.ca
- 33. Google Keyword Tool http://bit.ly/keywordz Free Google Tools to Improve Your Website | eric@squair.ca
- 34. Example: NAIFA Free Google Tools to Improve Your Website | eric@squair.ca
- 35. Example: Earth Day Free Google Tools to Improve Your Website | eric@squair.ca
- 36. STEPS Initiative Free Google Tools to Improve Your Website | eric@squair.ca
- 37. STEPS Initiative Free Google Tools to Improve Your Website | eric@squair.ca
- 38. STEPS Initiative Free Google Tools to Improve Your Website | eric@squair.ca
- 39. Google Keyword Tool People are searching for the issues you work on: make sure they find you! Free Google Tools to Improve Your Website | eric@squair.ca
- 40. Google Keyword Tool http://bit.ly/keywordz Free Google Tools to Improve Your Website | eric@squair.ca
- 41. Google Keyword Tool Questions? eric@squair.ca Free Google Tools to Improve Your Website | eric@squair.ca
Notas del editor
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- I have worked with a number of organizations over the years, including staff positions running the online campaigns at Greenpeace Canada (and International) as well as Make Poverty History. Now I work on online campaigns with organizations like Environmental Defence and the David Suzuki Foundation.\n
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- Normally, I don’t hands-down recommend any particular technology for people. I think it’s really important to assess what your goals and objectives are before you move to adopt particular technonologies.\n\nBut with Google it’s different. Google focuses you on what is working with your online communications, and what’s not. It takes the guesswork out of your online communications, and, as you will see with Google Grants, you need to focus on defining realistic, measurable online goals.\n\n
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- Google Analytics can give you all kinds of information, so much you can pretty much drown in it. In addition to these basic questions, you can see how many visitors visited you from each country around the world, what browsers, operating systems and screen resolutions they were using.\n\nMost people use the idea of site visits as short hand for how well they are doing. But do those people stay on the site? Do they come back? Do they ‘bounce’, meaning their site visit consists of coming to one page and leaving right away? \n\nFocusing on site visits (or pageviews) often makes people feel better about how they are doing. But I think Google Analytics should make you not just feel better about your website, but DO better with your online communications.\n
- Most people use the idea of site visits as short hand for how well they are doing. And that’s understandable, because it’s way more easy to understand than all the obscure data. \n\nFocusing on site visits (or pageviews) often makes people feel better about how they are doing. But I think Google Analytics should make you not just feel better about your website, but DO better with your online communications.\n\nYou need to switch your thinking about your site.\n
- This is the question Google Analytics is really good at answering, and is far more valuable than simply how ‘popular’ your site is. I am going to give you a few quick ideas to start answering this question.\n\nThe first step is goal setting.\n
- The first thing you need to do is think about what you want your site to accomplish. And make sure it can be measured. \n\nCan anyone think of examples of ‘goals’ their site may have?\n
- Donations. Email subscriptions. Facebook ‘Likes’. Comments on your blog. These are all examples of levels of engagement with your site, what you are publishing online. \n\nIf you set it up properly, Google Analytics tracks these high-value site visits closely. The next step is to find out what kind of visitors are most likely to help you meet these goals.\n
- Think about your visitors. Google Analytics allows you to segment your visitors based on where they came from, if they are new or returning visitors, the search terms they used to find your site, etc.\n\nWhat are some visitor segments you think might be useful?\n
- These are some possibilities - there are many, many more ways to segment your visitors.\n\nThe aim is to compare and contrast how people use your site, and most importantly, find out who is most likely to complete a goal: make a donation, sign up for email, download a report.\n
- The aim is to compare and contrast how people use your site, and most importantly, find out who is most likely to complete a goal: make a donation, sign up for email, download a report.\n
- For example, you might want to increase your donations from your site. You set the goals on your site, so Google Analytics clearly records every time someone makes a donation. Then you find out, from those who made donations, where they fit in each of these segments. Remember, there are many more segments you could measure.\n
- A likely finding is that people on your email list are FAR more likely to donate to your cause. This is useful information, and points to the value of a good email outreach program.\n
- Using Google Analytics properly means you won’t waste time: you will clearly define measurable goals, and check in on your progress. \n\nIn addition, over time you will build a really good profile of who, among your site visitors, is most likely to help you meet your goals. \n\nYour site will cease to be a brochure where you store all kinds of information, and become a tool that helps you meet your goals.\n
- Using Google Analytics properly means you won’t waste time: you will clearly define measurable goals, and check in on your progress. \n\nIn addition, over time you will build a really good profile of who, among your site visitors, is most likely to help you meet your goals. \n\nYour site will cease to be a brochure where you store all kinds of information, and become a tool that helps you meet your goals.\n
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- Ads are also shown with people’s Gmail accounts and on a number of blogs and other online publications. For the purposes of Google Grants, we are going to focus on Search adwords.\n\n\n
- This means you indicate how much you are willing to pay to have your ad displayed beside certain key words. You only pay when someone clicks on your ad. Ad bids range from a few cents per click for words that don’t have a lot of competition, to hundreds for very popular words or phrases.\n\nThe more you are willing to pay, the more likely it is to show up, BUT there are other considerations....\n\n\n
- Google doesn’t want to show people junk: that’s how they revolutionized search. So they try to make their ads as helpful as possible. If very few people click on your ad, Google will stop showing it, and let you know you need to edit it until it meets a certain amount of enthusiasm from your audience.\n\n\n
- More specifically, the format is 25 characters for a title, 2 lines of 35 characters for description and 35 characters for the URL. There are image ads and even video ads, but since those aren’t covered by Google Grants and this is a very short workshop, we won’t get into those formats.\n
- That’s right, a Google Grant is worth about $300 a day. As long as you use it, and revise your ads on a regular basis, there’s no limit, currently, to how long the grant lasts. You are restricted to search ads (you can’t do gmail or display ads) and you can only bid up to $1. But as we’ll see, Google gives you a number of tools to optimize the reach of your ad campaign.\n
- You need to be very clear, when applying, that you have clear, measurable goals for your site. It could be volunteer signups, downloading of publications, email subscriptions or donations. But the application asks you to be very clear about what your site goals are.\n
- LIke any funder, Google wants to make sure their funding is effective. If you can clearly draw the link between your site goals and your proposed ad campaigns, you will be much more likely to be successful with your application.\n\nThis has the added benefit of forcing you to sit down and be clear about the goals of your site!\n
- Again, they want to know their donation is going to get results. If you can mention, in your application, how visitors use your site, this is very helpful. You also need to set up an example campaign with your application: this should be well-thought-out and specific to your site. \n
- Unfortunately, Google can be very slow in responding. There is no one to call or email about your application. If you are lucky, you should receive an email 3-5 months after you apply. Then you need to do another round of configuration, and wait until it is approved. \n
- Unfortunately, Google can be very slow in responding. There is no one to call or email about your application. If you are lucky, you should receive an email 3-5 months after you apply. Then you need to do another round of configuration, and wait until it is approved. \n
- Here’s where to begin when applying in Canada. \nBe VERY careful that you are on the Canadian site at each stage of the process!\n\n
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- The Google Adword Keyword Tool reveals two very important pieces of information.\n\nThe first helps you understand how searchers are likely to find you. If it’s a surprise, you need to change your site a bit.\n\nThe second is a reality check on how to speak about your issue - you need to communicate clearly with people, and this will help you do that.\n
- Here’s where to begin when applying in Canada. Be VERY careful that you are on the Canadian site at each stage of the process!\n
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- For the STEPS Initiative, Google found only 6 phrases closely associated with the site. There’s some room for improvement here - this is where the tool to find out how people talk about your issue comes in.\n
- I took what I thought was a key phrase from the mission statement of the site, in this case “art in public spaces”\nAnd then I searched for related keywords. The results give me a sense of what words people use when they search for this concept.\n
- Here are the results. I would take these and utilize the ones that make sense in more places on my site.\n
- It’s a very simple idea: people are searching for the issue your organization deals with - this tool helps make sure they find you!\n
- Here’s the URL of the tool, I encourage you to explore.\n
- So we covered a lot today, I know. I am interested in putting together longer workshops in the fall, dealing with each of these topics in more detail. If you are interested, please let me know.\n