As an employee and small business owner, I love G Suite. I would consider it one of the best tools I’ve ever owned, mainly because it’s so easy to use and incredibly multi-functional. Here We will share the Ultimate Guide of Google Suite for the best result of blogging and G Suite’s various services.
Whether I’m collaborating with my editor on a new HubSpot blog article, scheduling time to chat with a new client, or emailing a funny dog GIF to my friends, G Suite goes well with almost everything on my computer — productive or otherwise.
Google entered 2019 with 5 million paying G Suite customers—a 25% increase since the start of 2017. I’ll let this statistic speak for itself: G Suite is an incredibly valuable tool for individuals and businesses around the world. Notable G Suite customers include Uber, BuzzFeed, PwC, and, of course, HubSpot.
If you haven’t used the G Suite platform for your business, we recommend that you try it. Read this guide to better understand the G Suite platform, how you can optimize your account, and how to use the tool for better growth. Better yet, bookmark it so you can refer to it later.
What is Google Suite?
G Suite is a collection of business, productivity, collaboration, and education software developed and supported by Google. Primary G Suite tools include Gmail, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, Calendar, Google+, Sites, Hangouts, and Keep.
G Suite was released 12 years ago as “Google Apps for your domain”. Initial launches include Gmail, Google Talk, Google Calendar, and Google Page Creator (now called Sites). Google Apps for Education followed two months later.
Over the past 10 years, Google has released various tools and updates as part of its suite of apps. Google Apps was renamed G Suite in September 2016, and not long after, the company launched its first hardware product: Jamboard.
The G Suite platform also includes the G Suite Marketplace (originally released in 2010), through which you can install third-party cloud applications and use them as part of your collection of G Suite tools.
Users of G Suite
G Suite is used by businesses and individuals.
However, consumer accounts are not called “G Suite”. For example, when I sign in to my personal Google account, the top right corner of the screen looks like this:
Alternatively, when I sign in to my personal Google account for work, the top right corner shows this:
While G Suite services are free for consumers, businesses must pay for enterprise features such as a custom email domain, unlimited cloud storage, additional administrative and marketing tools, and 24/7 support. (We’ll get to the G Suite pricing structure later.)
If businesses have multiple users in G Suite, they must also pay per person. When I log into my HubSpot employee account, Google looks like this:
However, unlike other free consumer software, users of the free G Suite do not receive advertisements while using the Services. Bonus: Google does not use information stored in G Suite apps and accounts for advertising purposes.
Google Suite products
Google offers a range of products for both personal and business use. Most of them are accessible through your Google account (by tapping the menu in the upper right corner), although some need to be installed as Google Chrome extensions to get full functionality.
We’ll get into how to set up and manage your G Suite account later, but for now, we’ll look at the different tools available in your G Suite.
Gmail Services or Workspace
Gmail is G Suite’s email software. It was released in 2004 and now has over 1 billion users worldwide
With the G Suite plan, businesses can enjoy 30 GB of storage space, custom company email addresses (yourname@společnost.com), unlimited Google Group email addresses, 24/7 phone and email support, and compatible add-ons available through the G Suite Marketplace.
With HubSpot email tracking that’s compatible with Gmail, you’ll know the moment a prospect opens an email, send a perfectly timed follow-up, and close the deal faster than ever.
Google Drive
Google Drive is G Suite’s cloud storage platform and was launched in 2012. Drive manages all of your company’s content and supports collaboration across your organization. It allows you to display different file formats, so you don’t need to download additional software to your device.
Depending on their G Suite plan, businesses can enjoy 30GB, 1TB, or unlimited storage per user and audit and report statistics for Drive content.
Google Documents, sheets, and images
Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides are G Suite word processors, spreadsheets, and presentation programs. They joined the platform in 2006.
These programs enable real-time collaboration, automatic saving of changes and tracking of revision history. Users can post comments, suggest edits, communicate via built-in chat, and create templates for future use.
With the G Suite tariff, companies can use, among other things, unlimited revision history
Google Forms
Google Forms is G Suite’s web forms and surveys tool. Also introduced in 2006, Forms shares many of the same features as Docs, Sheets, and Slides, such as auto-save, real-time collaboration, and template creation. For data collection through forms, users can personalize surveys or quizzes, send URLs to respondents, and review data (which is automatically collected in sheets).
Download HubSpot’s free online form builder to convert your visitors into leads and start growing your business fast.
G Calendar
Google Calendar is G Suite’s online calendar. Launched in 2006, it integrates with Gmail to manage schedules, appointments, meetings, and tasks (via Google Tasks).
With G Suite, businesses can enjoy smart scheduling (where employees can see open windows of time on colleagues’ calendars), calendars for Google Groups, calendars for meeting rooms and shared resources, public calendars so customers can view company events, and easy migration . to an external Z calendar (such as iCal, Outlook or Exchange).
Google+
Google+ is G Suite’s social network. It was launched in 2011, and as of October 2018, Google plans to end Google+ for customers in April 2019.
However, with G Suite, businesses can still enjoy the service, as well as limited communities and advanced privacy controls
G Sites
Google Sites is the G Suite website builder. It was added to the platform in 2008 and allows users to create websites with little or no coding knowledge or design skills. Landing pages and project web pages can be created using pre-made templates and published internally or publicly.
G Hangouts
Google Hangouts is a G Suite communication and messaging tool. Originally launched in 2006 as Google Talk, Hangouts supports text, voice, and video conversations (for up to 25 participants) and can be used between desktop and mobile devices. It’s also a simple alternative to Slack.
With G Suite, businesses can enjoy seamless integration with Calendar, screen sharing for attendees, auto-focus and smart mute features, automatically saved public YouTube live streams, and custom management controls.
Google Keep
Google Keep is G Suite’s note-taking tool. Keep, a new addition to the G Suite platform can be used to create, organize, and share notes, lists, images, and voice memos across multiple devices. It is available as a downloadable Chrome app and mobile app.
With the G Suite tariff, companies can enjoy, among other things, seamless integration with Google Docs
Do you need more hours in the day? Download our complete guide to workplace productivity here.
Google Suite for Business
There’s no doubt that G Suite is a valuable tool for businesses of all sizes. It’s the digital equivalent of a pocket knife – supporting collaboration, organization, productivity, marketing, and sales
Do you think G Suite would be a great addition to your company? In this section, you’ll learn how to set up G Suite for Business.
G Suite pricing
Over the last ten years, G Suite has grown and expanded significantly without changing the prices. (How crazy is that?)
Since day one, Google has offered two G Suite business offerings: G Suite Basic Edition ($5 per user per month) and G Suite Business Edition ($10 per user per month). Learn more about G Suite editions here.
On January 16, 2019, Google announced that it would raise the price of G Suite for the first time in a decade (albeit by a fraction). Starting April 2, the Basic edition will increase to $6 per user per month, and the Business edition will increase to $12 per user per month. Pricing will not change for G Suite Enterprise Edition customers.
Despite its ever-increasing growth, G Suite is still a great investment for your business. The user pricing model represents a cost proportional to any business regardless of size. Plus, with G Suite’s flexible plans, businesses can pay monthly and avoid long-term commitments.
G Suite account settings
Creating a G Suite account is easy. Go to the G Suite home page and click “Get Started.”
Enter the name of your company and the number of employees. You can change this number at any time as your team grows.
Next, enter your contact information (or information about the person who will manage your G Suite account). Google will send a confirmation to the email address you enter here, so make sure it’s accessible.
The next screen will ask if you have a business domain name. If you already have one, insert it here. If you don’t, Google will help you find and buy one – most domains cost $12 per year when purchased through Google.
On the next screen, enter your business address and contact information.
Finally, choose a username and password for your G Suite account. You’ll use these credentials to sign in to any G Suite tool in the future. Note: Your username will be the first part (or local part) of your business email.
To complete your account setup, you will be asked to review and verify your account. On this screen, you’ll see a summary of your monthly fees (after the 14-day trial) and any other one-time fees, such as the domain name. You will also be asked to review your account information and enter a payment method.
Finally, you’ll see two options for automatically renewing your domain and keeping your domain information private – we recommend checking them out to make your domain purchase process easier.
Manage your G Suite account
Once you’ve created a G Suite account, you’ll be redirected to your G Suite admin panel. This is probably the most important part of your G Suite account – you’ll manage all your settings from this page.
Let’s break down the categories and what you can do in each.
Google suite
Users
This is where you add new users to your G Suite account. You can also manage your users and assign them various attributes such as job titles and departments, as well as track their last logins and email usage.
Company profile
This is where you update your company information and customize your G Suite account with your company logo. You can create custom URLs for different G Suite services for your users.
Billing
Here you can view your account charges and manage your G Suite licenses. This should reflect the version (plan) you have chosen for your business.
Report
Here you can track your usage of G Suite services and applications and user activity. In the Highlights section, you’ll see an overview of usage activity, user status, storage statistics, and security of the app. In the Reports section, you’ll see options to run reports for specific services, devices, and users. You can also run audits to see what services and tools users are accessing.
Applications
Here you can manage your G Suite services and their settings Here you can see how many core G Suite apps you use, what other Google services you use, and any Marketplace or Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) services connected to your account.
Device management
Here you protect your company data on all devices connected to your G Suite account. You’ll see how many mobile and Chrome devices are connected, and how many Google devices (such as Jamboard) are linked to your account. There is also a simple screen where you can manage all your company devices.
Safety
Here you can manage all the security features for your G Suite account. From password management and monitoring to single sign-on (SSO) setup, this site is equipped to keep your G Suite accounts and users safe.
Support, support
Here you can access G Suite support, available 24/7 by phone or email. However, before being redirected to the live support line, you will be presented with an admin help popup with suggested help material.
Data transfer
This is where you import your company’s email, calendar, and contact information. Google makes it easy to transfer any business data you need to successfully organize and use G Suite. You must run this tool for each type of data transferred. To start the migration, you’ll need a migration source, a connection log, and an accounting certificate to verify that you own the data.
Dashboard
Here you will see relevant statistics about any business domain connected to your G Suite account.
Buildings and property
Here you can manage and monitor all buildings, rooms and company resources connected to your G Suite account. This is where you plug in all the meetings and conference rooms you want to make available to your users so they can schedule them into their calendars. You can also access statistics that tell you how and when your room is being used.
Group
This is where you create groups and mailing lists. Groups are great for communicating with all teams or parts of your organization at once. You can also give each group their own calendar to plan events and manage team meetings.
Administrator Role
This is where you add new administrators and manage the current administrator roles and permissions of your G Suite account. You can also set admin permissions for specific groups, services, and devices You can see what admin permissions they have and can change them accordingly.
Domains
Here you can add or remove domains associated with your G Suite account. You can add a new domain or domain alias on this page if you can verify ownership. You can also manage where your visitors will be redirected when they visit your domain.
Six ways to use G Suite for better growth
G Suite is a valuable platform for your company. But how can you use it to improve your business? Below are seven specific strategies for getting the most out of your G Suite account.
Check out the G Suite + HubSpot integration today and see how it can benefit your business growth.
1. Create custom brand templates with Disk
Brand identity is essential and branding and logo design costs can be expensive. Who wants to see wasted marketing money (eg employees using unbranded documents, presentations, and graphics)? I’m not sure.
Simplify your branding process with G Suite services. Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Forms all have template options – let designers create custom branded design templates and save them to your Drive. Then encourage your employees to use these templates instead of starting from scratch
2. Collect customer feedback using forms
Customer feedback is the lifeblood of a healthy and growing business. If you don’t know exactly what you’re doing, you can’t do much. If you don’t know what you’re doing wrong, you can’t fix it. Customer feedback should be a high priority for your company.
Google Forms makes it easy to collect and analyze customer and client data Use the tools to create simple surveys that collect customer feedback, market research, your Net Promoter® Score, and more. You can use forms to conduct internal research or collect information from peers and colleagues.
3. Enable remote employees with calendars
Take it from me – as great as working remotely can be, there’s something to be said for working with your team every day. For one thing, it can be easier to work together when you see each other in person. However, this is not always possible for those who work remotely or internationally.
If you have remote employees, Google Calendar can help them feel connected and included in what’s happening at work. The calendar makes it easy to view colleagues’ schedules and book time at their desks in the open room—without ever stepping foot in the office. You can set up calendars dedicated to company-wide events or extracurricular activities like gym or after-work clubs. Employees can simply subscribe to these calendars to stay up-to-date.
4. Manage team tasks with Keep
The internet keeps us connected, but it can still be difficult to collaborate remotely. If you’ve ever wanted a place where you can digitally jot down notes, create lists, sketch, and save images all while working together, Keep is the solution for you. Keep is a simple Evernote alternative that’s extremely useful even if you don’t use G Suite.
Use Keep to manage teamwork, outstanding projects, and ongoing collaboration. Create checklists to stay on top of tasks and connect a co-worker to see what’s needed. You can save articles and web pages in Keep and add notes with important thoughts and ideas to make searching online even easier.
5. See how employees are using G Suite with reports
Not everyone uses G Suite the same way. The dashboard in the admin console can tell you how and how often your team uses G Suite tools and apps. Use this information to better inform your team about what G Suite has to offer. In addition, the dashboard can provide valuable security information—such as which devices were used to sign in and which users may need to install updates—so you can keep your team and data safe.
6. Take advantage of the new tools in the G Suite Marketplace
G Suite Marketplace is one of my favorite places to shop. Google has integrated literally hundreds of third-party tools that serve only to make life easier for you and your employees. Choose from tools for business, productivity, communication, education, and utility. Download apps like Zoom, Xero, Google Analytics, and Asana to seamlessly link them to your G Suite account and integrate with other apps like Sheets, Calendar, and more.
Tip: Watch your employees use the new tool and see if it benefits your business.
Check out and install HubSpot on the G Suite Marketplace today.
Take your business to the next level with G Suite
For the past ten years, G Suite has been helping businesses collaborate, communicate and grow. With simpler tools and an easier integration process, G Suite has become an essential tool for companies around the world. No matter what industry you’re in, G Suite can help you improve your business processes internally and externally.
G Suite equips your employees to handle hundreds of tasks—productive and otherwise—with ease.
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