Google has a range of web applications that can help your online business.
"Webmaster Tools" is a collection of applications designed to help web site owners optimize their online presence. Whether you run an online business or have an offline business with a small website, Webmaster Tools can help you glean vital business information about how people are finding your site, how they behave when they are on your site and which pages are most successful at converting visitors into customers.
Instructions
1. Register with Google Webmaster Tools. If you have a Google account already, for example GMail, you can use your existing credentials to log into Google and open a Webmaster Tools account. If not, visit www.Google.com/webmasters/tools and click "Create an Account Now." Enter your personal information as prompted, including name and preferred account name. By registering with Google, you will automatically open a GMail email account. Once registered, you are redirected to the Webmaster Tools dashboard.
2. Click "Add a Site." In the box, type the name of the website that you wish to integrate with the Webmaster Tools. You can add multiple sites, but only one at a time.
3. Verify your site. Google needs to know that you own the site. There quickest way to do this is to download the HTML file from the link on the "Verify" page. Upload that file to your website. The method for doing this varies according to which company is hosting your site. As an example, on Dreamhost, do the following: click "Dashboard" or "Control Panel" and select "Upload" file. Once uploaded, go back to the verification page and click on "Verify." The file upload doesn't appear visibly on your website; it is located in the file registry. Google trawls your registry to locate the file to confirm ownership.
4. Click the "Your site on the web" link on the left of the control panel. If you have more than one website associated with your Webmaster Tools account, click on the tab for the site you want to view.
5. Click "Search queries." This provides valuable information about how people find your website. It tells you the most common search term that brought visitors to your site. For example, you can tell if somebody types into Google "best spot cream" and ends up at your site as a result of that search. This data also lists search terms by those that are increasing at the fastest rate. Use this information to predict trends relevant to your business.
6. Click "Keywords." This provides a list of the most common words Google sees when it "trawls" your site. Google uses this information to rank your site in its index. So if your top keyword is "Spanish Guitars," but you sell "Acoustic Guitars" you know that your site isn't correctly optimized for its purpose, and you can edit the content accordingly.
7. Click "Links to your site." This page provides a list of websites that link to your site. Inbound links are good, because they increase your ranking in Google. You can also find out what other people are saying about your site by clicking through on the link(s) provided.
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