G for Google.

Google is the leading search engine with about 70% market share. The name is derived from “Googol” which means 1 followed by a 100 zeros, and it was started in a Stanford University dorm as a project to provide better Internet search results.

Today, Google offers many services and tools that can be used by non-profit organizations:

Google Search: it can help you find information, multimedia files and other resources in a fast and easy way. Also, you can add a custom Google Search box to your own website to help your visitors find what they need.

Google Applications: Free and paid plans of a complete suite of online services, all you need is a domain name and you can get:

Gmail Email with up to 25 GB of storage per custom email address, mail search tools and integrated chat.

Google Docs Create, share and collaborate on documents in real-time.

Google Calendar Coordinate meetings and company events with sharable calendars.

Google Sites One-stop sharing for team information.

Google Talk Free text and voice calling around the world.

These easy to use tools can be very helpful for organizations with limited resources; especially that Google will take care of security, privacy and backups.

Google’s newest tool is the KNOL, considered a wikipedia rival, it is a platform to publish your knowledge and expertise about a specific subject and visitors can suggest modifications and additions to your content. You control what can be published.

Google Adwords: a pay per click advertising offering contextual ads on related Google search results pages and content network. if your NGO has a budget for online marketing, Adwords can be an efficient way to drive targeted traffic to your website. However, if not measured and monitored, it can become expensive.

Google also offers a web-based RSS reader and the IGoogle portal.

Another useful service is the Google Maps, although they don’t offer street level view in Lebanon yet, but still you can use it to visualize your data and statistics.

Google Analytics is another free tool to help you analyze your blog and website traffic.

Click here to check all what Google has to offer.

Some of the services are not completely available in Lebanon or Arab Countries yet, like the Google Checkout.