Today we’re talking about Google and it’s plethora of tools for tracking data on your website. The good news? Google offers you a LOT of data for free. The not-so-awesome news? It’s given to you in a multitude of platforms and all with different tracking codes.

Google Analytics: Who's Showing Up to Your Website?

Think of Google Analytics as the guest list for your website. It tracks who's visiting, where they came from, what they looked at, and how long they stayed before bouncing.

Once you add a small snippet of code to your site, GA gets to work collecting data like:

• How many people visited (and when)
• Where they came from (ie Google search, social media, a link someone shared)
• Which pages they're actually reading
• What device they're on
• Whether they completed a goal, like filling out a contact form
  
  

Google Ads: The "Pay to Play" Platform (Formerly AdWords)

Real talk: Google Ads was called Google AdWords for 18 years (2000–2018) before Google decided the name wasn't cutting it anymore.

So what is it? Google Ads is the platform behind those results at the top of a search page marked "Sponsored." Businesses bid on through keywords and search themes, and when someone searches those terms, a winner gets their ad shown. You pay when someone clicks (pssst. that's the pay-per-click (PPC) model you've probably heard of).

Beyond search, Google Ads also covers:

• Display ads — banner ads across websites all over the internet (think of these like digital billboards)
• YouTube ads — yep, YouTube is owned by Google so all ads are managed here
• Shopping ads — product listings with images and prices right in search results
• Performance Max — Google's most versatile campaign type that incorporates both display and search ads

Google Search Console: A Direct Line to the Algorithm

While Google Analytics is all about your visitors, Google Search Console is all about your relationship with Google's search engine itself. It's like getting to peek behind the curtain.

For free, it shows you:

• What search terms that people actually used to find you
• How often your pages appear in Google results (impressions) vs. how often people click
• Which pages are indexed — and why some might not be
• Whether your site is mobile-friendly and how it performs on Google's speed benchmarks (Core Web Vitals)
• Any security issues or manual penalties you should know about

You can also submit a sitemap, request re-indexing after you update a page, and generally feel like you have some control over your Google presence. It's very satisfying.

Google Business Profile: Your Free Storefront on Google

You know that box that shows up on the right side of Google when you search for a local business that includes photos, hours, reviews, and a map? That's a Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business, rebranded in 2021 because… Google gonna Google).

Claiming and optimizing yours is one of the highest-return free things you can do for local visibility. Your profile shows:

• Your name, address, hours, phone number, and website
• Photos of your space (interior and exterior), products, or team
• Customer reviews (and your responses to them!)
• Posts and updates, kind of like a mini social feed
• Booking links or menu links, depending on your industry

Plus, the insights dashboard tells you how many people called you, clicked for directions, or found you through a specific search (and who doesn’t want that data?).

One thing to watch: Anyone can suggest edits to your listing. Yes, including competitors. Check in on it every so often just to make sure nothing funky has changed.

Google Domains: Tricked Ya! Those Are Squarespace Now

Here's a fun little plot twist to end on.

Google Domains used to be Google's domain registrar, aka the place where you could buy and manage website addresses (like yourbusiness.com) directly through Google. Clean interface, solid reputation, people liked it.

Then in 2023, Google sold the entire thing to Squarespace. Every domain. Every customer. Transferred, just like that.

So if you registered your domain through Google Domains….surprise, you're a Squarespace customer now. Your domain still works, everything carried over, but you're no longer in Google's world for that piece.

If you're looking for a domain today, good options include Squarespace Domains (the former Google Domains), GoDaddy, Namecheap, or Cloudflare Registrar.

The Quick Recap

• Google Analytics → Who's visiting your website and what they're doing
• Google Ads → Paying to show up in front of the right people, fast
• Google Search Console → How Google sees your site and what's working in organic search
• Google Business Profile → Your local presence on Google Search and Maps
• Google Domains → Squarespace's problem now

All are free and offer a slightly different picture of your business on the internet. If you'd rather have someone else handle the whole thing? Well. You know where to find us. 🍋

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