We all know Google as the 900 pound gorilla of search engines. The very name of the
company has become a
verb. Just Google it
. Google has 91% market share of search engines.
However, search is not the only thing Google does. From mobile phones to devices for the home such as Google Home, Google WiFi and even a VR headset, Google has over seventy-two products in it's portfolio.
For the purposes of this article, I will focus on just some of Google's commonly used services closely related to the Internet, a few worthwhile tools and a few hidden gems:
- Google Maps
- is a web mapping service developed by Google. It offers satellite imagery, street maps, 360° panoramic views of streets (Street View), real-time traffic conditions (Google Traffic), and route planning for traveling by foot, car, bicycle (in beta), or public transportation. Google Maps can be embedded into websites to help consumers find brick and mortar store locations, offices, etc.
- YouTube
- is a video-sharing website headquartered in San Bruno, California. The service was created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005. Google bought the site in November 2006 for US $1.65 billion.
- Google Drive
- is a file storage and synchronization service developed by Google. Launched on April 24, 2012, Google Drive allows users to store files on Google's servers, synchronize files across devices, and share files. See cloud computing.
- Google Play
- is a digital distribution service operated and developed by Google. It serves as the official app store for the Android operating system, allowing users to browse,purchase and download applications, music, magazines, books, movies, and television programs.
- Gmail
- is a free, advertising-supported email service developed by Google. Users can access Gmail on the web and using third-party programs that synchronize email content through POP or IMAP protocols.
- Google News
- is a free news aggregator provided and operated by Google. The service selects news from thousands of news websites and groups similar stories together and displays them according to each reader's personalized interests. Many use Google News as their browser start page.
- Google Chrome
- is a freeware web browser developed by Google. It was first released in September 2008, for Microsoft Windows, and was later ported to Linux, macOS, iOS and Android. According to StatCounter, as of March 2026, Chrome is by far the most used web browser in the world, with 65.7% market share across all platforms (desktop, tablet, mobile). Safari is a distant second, with 16%. Microsoft Edge is in third place, with roughly 5%, followed by Firefox with 2%.
- Google Translate
- is a free multilingual machine translation service developed by Google, to translate text. It offers a website interface, mobile apps for Android and iOS, and more. Google Translate supports over 100 languages at various levels and serves over 500 million people daily.
- Google Docs
- Google Docs, along with Google Sheets, and Google Slides are a word processor, a spreadsheet and a presentation program respectively, all part of a free, web-based software office suite offered by Google within its Google Drive service. The apps are compatible with Microsoft Office file formats.
- Google Ads
- is an online advertising service developed by Google, where advertisers pay to display brief advertising copy, product listings, and video content within the Google ad network to web users, appearance of ads is determined by the keywords used by the individual doing the searching on Google. Ads are placed above and to the right of the organic search listings on the SERP.
- Google Analytics
- is a web analytics service offered by Google that tracks and reports website traffic. Google launched the service in November 2005 after acquiring Urchin. Google Analytics is now the most widely used web analytics service on the Internet. Google Analytics is free to use, but additional features are available for a fee.
- Business Profile
- is a free and easy-to-use tool for businesses and organizations to manage their online presence across Google, including Search and Maps. By verifying and editing your business information, you can both help customers find you and tell them the story of your business.