Ben Norman5.6 billion. That is the average number of searches that Google experiences per day. The country’s most popular search engine has countless uses, from finding stock photos to checking share prices. And through some of those searches, Google has helped fuel the nation’s economy.
In their annual economic impact report, Google revealed that their search and advertising tools generated $335 billion of economic activity, impacting more than 1.3 million businesses, developers, and nonprofits across the nation.
In Arizona alone, 26,000 businesses used Google’s search and advertising tools, which created $5.55 billion in economic activity. By establishing direct connections between different businesses, consumers, nonprofits, and more, Google provides organizations of all sizes with tools to flourish. In fact, Google helps drive over 1 billion direct connections, including calls and online reservations, every month.
“Small businesses are the lifeblood of the American economy,” Google spokesman Peter Schottenfels said. “As more Americans look to the web to find services and products they need, at Google, we see our role to help businesses connect with customers. Through free products like Google My Business, small businesses can easily make sure they stand out on Google Search and Maps, and thereby get more customers.”
In its report, Google reached out to David Espinoza, the owner of a boot-manufacturing store in Phoenix. As a small business, Espinoza Boot Maker struggled to find clients initially. But Espinoza told Google that because of its myriad analytics and advertising tools, he was able to take his company to the next level.
“We started with Google Analytics to get a good understanding of where the site traffic comes from,” Espinoza told Google. “The month we launched the website was the highest revenue month in the business’s 27-year history. Getting on Google Maps and Google My Business has really helped people find the location of our shop and contact us. Every month we see more people viewing our photos and calling or requesting directions to the shop.”
The U.S. is home to 30 million small businesses, which employ more than 60 million people. Moreover, small businesses make up over 99 percent of companies in the nation and employ roughly half of all national workers.
“This year’s economic impact report shows that more Arizona businesses can count on Google as a partner to help them connect with customers and grow,” Schottenfels said.
Google announced that it is coming to cities throughout Arizona as part of the tech company’s Grow with Google initiative to help create economic opportunity in communities across the United States. Google will kickstart this work locally by hosting free, one-day events in three libraries to help job seekers, small business owners, students, educators and entrepreneurs improve their digital skills.
They will hold workshops in Tucson on June 10th, Phoenix on June 12th, and Flagstaff on June 14th.
Noemi Santaella
Joseph Kavetsky
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