Bryan Stapp,
Loud Amplifier Marketing

There are so many great free tools available from Google, it’s hard to choose which are my favorites.  But I love the fact that Google makes world class tools available absolutely free.  Marketers always need to watch their budgets, and these can literally save you thousands of dollars every year.

So here are seven that I think are useful, let me know which ones you like.

1) Google Analytics

Google Analytics provides actionable insight into how to optimize websites, online campaigns, and even offline marketing efforts.  It is a sophisticated yet easy to use application which will help you determine which marketing initiatives are driving the most valuable traffic to your site and how best to convert those visitors once they are there.  It integrates with AdWords, giving you atomic level detail on which keywords are most profitable or driving the desired action. Read my full review on Google Analytics here.

2) Google Checkout

Google Checkout is a payment process which integrates with your AdWords campaign and your website, allowing your customers to buy from you quickly and securely using a single username and password.  Once they use Google Checkout, the system processes their payment and their order  in conjunction with your shopping cart.  Read my full review on Google Checkout here.

3) Google Product Search

Google Product Search (you may remember this as “Froogle”) helps shoppers find and buy products from merchants across the web.  When you list your products in Product Search, shoppers can quickly and easily find your site, delivering you more traffic and helping you to increase sales.  And if you accept Google Checkout for payment, the Checkout badge will appear on your Product Search listings, driving even more traffic and confident shoppers to your site.  Read my full review on Google Product Search here.

4) Google Trends

Google Trends lets you see who is interested in any given  topic, on a local or worldwide basis.  You can enter up to five topics and see how often they’ve been searched on Google over time.  Google Trends also shows how frequently your topics have appeared in Google News stories and in which geographic regions people have searched for them the most.  Read my full review on Google Trends here.

5) 800-GOOG-411

1-800-GOOG-411 is a voice activated system offering directory assistance Google Search results from any phone (mobile or land line, it doesn’t matter) for free. Which means you can now stop paying $1.50 to the phone company every time you need a phone number.  Read my full review on 800-GOOG-411 here.

6) Branded Channels on YouTube

You Tube lets you build a brand channel which is a premium (but free) customizable page where you can present all of your video content.  It lets you build a centralized video library which acts as a hub for the community to watch your videos and connect with your brand.  And while it’s free, quick and easy, it’s something your competitors probably won’t think to take advantage of – giving you a differentiated brand experience.  Read more about building a branded channel on YouTube here.

7) Gmail, Google Base, Google Apps, etc.

OK, I am cheating on this one a little bit.  But between Gmail, Base, Apps, Webmaster Tools, Earth, Suggest, Finance, Health, etc there are just too many to choose from.  Maybe my favorites should really be the ones that put money in my pocket like AdWords and AdSense….