9 Reasons to Use Google for All Your Blogging Needs

If you are thinking about starting a blog, it is very important to research and plan your product. There are many vendors and platforms out there that offer blog hosting, but none can match everything that Google is willing to offer. Keep reading for 9 reasons to use Google for all your blogging needs.

1.  Blogger: Google’s Blogger is very easy to set up for beginners. The step-by-step wizard makes the initial layout a snap. The best part is, it is also powerful and flexible enough for the advanced bloggers, which can save you future migration headaches. There are also many add-ins available to make your blog more unique and gain traffic.

2.  Adsense: If you have done any research on blogging for profit, you already know that Google’s Adsense is a must. Setting up Adsense to work with Blogger is easy by design to encourage new bloggers to use as many of Google’s features as possible.

3.  Google+: One of the easiest ways to gain traffic on your blog is to incorporate social media into your marketing and promotion plan. The good news – Google has that covered as well with Google+, which is constantly gaining popularity. Similarly to how Facebook was considered the “mature alternative to MySpace” at one time, Google+ is becoming the more mature and professional alternative to Facebook. Additionally, Googe+ already has many communities for research, discussion, and collaboration purposes.

4.  Gmail: Almost everyone already has a Gmail account. When used with other Google applications, Gmail gives you the ability to have an email account that is directly tied to your blog, advertisement platform, and social media outlet. It gives you the professional appearance of having a specific account for your blog as well.

5.  Hangouts: Google’s Hangouts is a new feature of Google+ that allows you to collaborate with other bloggers or even your readers through text, voice, and video chat. Just imagine having the capability to hold chat sessions with your audience to discuss issues, let them know more about you, or even make suggestions about your content. Google Hangouts is the ultimate way to stay connected to your fans.

6.  YouTube: If you are anything like me, you might also be interested in trying out a video blog (vlog). With YouTube, you can set up your own channel to talk about whatever you desire. If you are smart, you will also use YouTube (with Adsense) to promote your blog and use your blog to host links to your YouTube videos.

7.  Cross-Authentication: One of the biggest advantages to using Google applications is the cross-authentication. When you log into one Google product, your credentials pass on to the next application. This saves you time and effort associated with creating, maintaining, and remembering multiple user accounts.

8. Search Engine Optimization: Many bloggers and webmasters spend so much of their time trying to figure out creative ways to get their blog to the first page of Google. Luckily for you, your blog is already hosted by them! In other words, they already see your blog – something that can be difficult to initiate, otherwise.

9. Cost: What is the absolute best reason to use Google applications for your blogging endeavors? You probably guessed it already. Google applications are free. You can’t beat that with a stick.

As you can see, there are quite a few reasons to use Google for all your blogging needs. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions about getting started or making the switch, please feel free to use the “comments” section below.

-BCS