It’s easy to vilify large tech companies. They hold a lot of power over our online lives. One organization that people like to point to as a monopoly is Google. The company owns over 91% of the worlwide search market share, but it got there for a reason.
Google’s business model is to give people searching online what they want. So it’s in the company’s best interest to make your online life easier. Keeping people searching on its site allows Google to continue running a successful ad business to earn revenue.
Yes, it’s true that you do give up some of your information to the search engine in exhange for using its services (including YouTube, which Google owns). But the trade in Google’s case is a fair one for many.
It’s important to know who you can trust when you’re online so you can keep your personal data protected as much as possible.
Why is Google not such a bad guy? Here are several reasons why we like Google.
The Company Doesn’t Sell Your Data
Unlike some sites that profit from selling user data to marketing and consulting firms, Google does not do this. It states states clearly on its privacy policy page that, “we never sell your personal information.”
It’s used for internal ad targeting only, so ads can be personalized. However it further states that in ad personalize, it never uses factors like health, race, sexual orientation, or religion.
Google’s Business Model is to Help You Find Things More Easily
If Google makes your experience worse on its search engine or other services like Gmail, then you would most likely start looking for an alternative. Google’s guiding business model is to enable users to find what they need online more easily.
This is why it has added certain things over the years, such as those “People also ask” questions and answer sections on search results. As well as the reviews for businesses and company details that show up on the side of the page to make it easier for you to contact someone.
Free File & Photo Store in Google Drive
When it comes to free cloud storage space, Google is one of the most generous of all the cloud services. It gives you 15 GB of free file storage to use for your documents, photos, videos, and more through its Google Drive application.
This makes it easier to share large files with friends and family, because you can just send them a link where they can view or download the file. This means no more struggling to email a large file that keeps getting rejected due to size.
Free Gmail Email
Gmail is one of the most popular email services around, and its absolutely free. You can view your email from any device or use an app to download your Gmail messages to your desktop computer or smartphone.
You can also protect your account using two-step verification which helps you stop a hacker from gaining access to your account and sending out emails in your name.
Connected to your Gmail account, you can also use a Calendar that can send you appoinment reminders and a contacts app that stores all your friend/family/colleauge details.
Free Online Word Processing & Spreadsheet Tools
When you sign up for a Google account, you automatically gain access to a whole lot of online tools that you can use for free. This can save you from having to purchase other software or pay for a recurring cloud account subscription on another service.
Two of the most useful of these free tools are Google Sheets (which is like an online version of Excel) and Google Docs (like an online version of MS Word).
You’ll also notice other free apps you can use, such as Hangouts for video meetings, and Collections, which is similar to Pinterest.
Google Cares About the User Experience
In recent years Google has done things like reduce the number of ads shown on a search results page and make ads less intrusive. This may seem opposite of what other sites do, and it’s because the company’s principals care most about user experience and keeping people happy.
So, unlike other platforms that may creep in more ads over time (flooding your social feed with advertising), Google carefully examines user behavior to allow ads and organic results to coexist on the page without getting in the way of what a person came there to do in the first place.
Get Help Improving Your Online Safety & Privacy
Computer Techs enjoys working with Reno area residents to help them get more from their technology while also keeping their personal data secure. We can help you put automated solutions in place that keep you better protected online.
Contact us today with any questions or computer needs.