Although Google provides some of the best free webmaster tools available, most people are not aware of them. Moreover, many webmasters who are aware of them have not taken the time to investigate the potential of these free tools. What ever the reason for not using Google's tools, webmasters who do not use them are placing themselves at a major disadvantage to those who do. In order to access these tools, all you need to do are two simple things. First, you must get a free account with Google, as they are available only to registered users. Second, get an Adwords account with Google even if you do not anticipate any advertising for your web site. This step is so that you will have access to some of their most powerful webmaster tools.

Whatever your internet business, it is critical that you understand how to do keyword research. Effective marketing requires close attention to this basic aspect of online business, but fortunately Google offers a free service to assist you. Their free keyword suggestion tool will assist your research greatly. You can locate this tool by using "Google keyword suggestion" as your search term in the Google text box, and then following the link in the first of the search results. Using this tool can reduce struggling with your business.

The next very powerful tool is their site analytics software. You need an Adwords account for this one, but it is an amazing tool that tracks visitors to your site. This tool allows you see a wealth of data about how they found you and whether they are converting to customers and/or leads on your site. Similar software costs hundreds of dollars and is not nearly as user friendly and powerful. Using this software is an absolute must for any serious webmaster.

The last software we address, but by no means the least important, is the suite of webmaster tools. These tools give you up-to-date information on any problems with your pages, the number of pages contained in your index, and a detailed compilation of every page on the internet that links to your pages. This list can help you establish why your page ranks well or poorly for search terms that you think are appropriate to your company. This fairly new addition to Google's software offerings is probably the most important software that google has ever released. It has been highly effective and I recommend it very strongly.