Gmail

With Gmail for Google Apps you can send and receive e-mail from a corporate e-mail address – yourname@company.com. Instead of investing in an exchange server, try setting up your staff email with with Google Apps. You can be up and running within a few minutes.

Google Calendar

Google Calendar gives you the same functionality as Outlook when it comes to sharing calendars with co-workers, sending invites/tracking responses and setting reminders. You can also synchronize Outlook, Apple Ical and Mozilla Sunbird with Google Calendar.

Google Apps and Mobile Devices

Google Apps now connects to most mobile devices such as the iPhone, BlackBerry, Android powered devices and Windows Mobile powered devices. Google Apps for mobile allows you to access Google Apps programs right from your phone. You can connect to your e-mail, calendar, contacts, documents and more. Additionally, you can synchronize your data so that your phone is never out of sync with your Google Apps account.

• For more information, visit the Apps on mobile devices section of Google.

Google Documents

Google Documents allows you to create or upload Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint slides, PDF documents and a number of other file formats. Once you have created a document using Google, you can also share your work, collaborate with others in your organization and post documents to your blog.

For more information on sharing documents and posting content using Google, visit these help sections within Google Documents:

• Overview: Adding viewers and collaborators
• Publishing: Posting to your blog

I’ve found Google Apps to be a perfect solution for StGermaine.ca. If you’re looking for professional grade communication and collaboration tools, start by implementing Google Apps.

Google Adwords

Google Adsense works in conjunction with another Google program called Adwords. Google Adwords is a network of advertisers that buy ad placement on Google search and also on Google’s site partner network (Adsense).

Adwords advertisers buy ad space on the content network by bidding on keywords. If their bid is high enough, they get placement on sites with that particular keyword.

Because the advertisements only show up when the keywords are present on your site, you’ll get highly targeted ads that are relevant to your site and add value to your readers. Having ads that are related to your content also means your readers are more likely to click on the ad and earn you money.

Making money

How much you get paid by Adsense per click is dependent on how much the advertisers are bidding on that keyword. Usually, companies with high dollar value or high margin products and services will pay more per click. Common products in this area include web hosting, travel, car loans and bank loans.

If your goal is to earn money online, take into account which keywords have high competition and design your site around them. To learn which keywords have high competition, visit Google’s free keyword tool.

Different types of Adsense Programs

In addition to providing ads for content, Adsense has some other programs available for publishers including:

• Adsense for domains – with this program, you can take a website address that you own and have it set up to just run ads without other content. This program will work best if you have a website URL that people are likely to type into their address bar without a search (this is called direct type). If it is a simple name it’s more likely to get a high number of direct types. Domainers (people who buy domains strictly to place ads on) also sometimes buy commonly misspelled company names in the hopes that someone will go there by mistake.
• Adsense For RSS – this program allows you to add Adsense ads to your RSS feed so that when readers look at your content in their RSS reader, they’ll also get ads by Google. Adsense for RSS works well in conjunction with placing ads on your blog.
• Adsense for Mobile – just like it says, with this program, you can add Adsense to a mobile website. You can actually create your own mobile site with a WordPress plug-in, but we’ll talk more about that in future posts.
• Adsense for Search – with this program, you can embed Google’s search engine on your site. When someone uses search on your site and clicks through to a paid ad, you get paid.

Before you start using Adsense, make sure you review their terms of service closely, as you don’t want to get banned from the program and miss out on the opportunity to make money.

Adsense Guidelines:

• Click Fraud – don’t click on your own ads or ask friends to click them for you
• Don’t tell users to click on your ads in any way
• Never alter the Adsense code in any way
• Don’t run automated programs to click on your website’s ads
• Never divulge your Adsense earnings publicly
• Don’t place AdSense on sites that promote violence, drugs or any other illegal activity.

To find out more about Adsense policy, visit Google’s Terms and Conditions.

Use these guidelines to write Google Friendly Content

• One Page/One Topic: Remember that Google likes clear and simple content. As long as your content includes relevant highly ranked keywords, you give your page a good chance to be indexed highly by Google.
• Include text with image & video posts: Google’s search algorithm can’t ‘read’  pictures and videos, so by adding text you enable Google to ‘read’ your blog. This text should also incorporate the use of appropriate and relevant keywords.
• Relevancy: Google places value on relevant content, so simply using the right keywords is not enough. The keywords used in your website should also be in line with the content the website provides.
• Uniqueness: Unique content stands a better chance of featuring highly on Google as opposed to duplicate content. To ensure that your website features highly on Google, try not to accept content on your blog that has already been published on other websites.
• Backlinks: This refers to the external links that lead to your website. Having backlinks from reputable websites is always a good idea to make your website Google friendly. This can be done using article marketing, video marketing, social networking and social bookmarking. When it comes to article marketing, websites that feature highly on Google include Ezinearticles, Hubpages, WordPress, and Squidoo.  Backlinks from video websites such as YouTube also work favorably.

Keyword

Keywords play a very important role in the ranking of your website. Remember that the higher the keyword density, the better the website will rank. Evenly distributing keywords within the website, while also incorporating the main keyword in the title is also something that Google looks upon with favor. However, when it comes to keyword usage, don’t compromise the website’s content in order to stuff the page with relevant phrases.

Consistent Content

Google loves fresh content – the more frequently you update your content the better. This includes aspects such as regular blog posts, posting podcasts and adding video. The more you update your site, the more your site will be updated by Google .

Get Help From Google

A great thing about trying to make your website Google friendly is that you can actually turn to Google for help. Google provides all its registered users with free tools and guidelines to help them develop Google friendly content. All you have to do is register with Google (for free), and then go through the ‘webmaster tools’ section.