Okay I may have just dated myself with the analogy, but Google reminds me of the TV show intro. Google is better, stronger, and much faster. If you submit a brand new URL and website to Google via Google’s Add URL option and follow up with a XML sitemap through Google’s Webmaster Tools, the main URL is indexed within 24 hours. Actually, my latest website submission was indexed within about 18 hours. The entire website gets picked up over the course of the next week. That is fast. Much faster than the Google we knew years ago.

Of course, please remember that fast indexing does not come without work. Your website needs to be Google friendly and you need to have a few inbound links on Digg or another popular content tagging website. Keeping that in mind, it is much easier to get web presence these days that it was in years past. Google friendly websites and organic off page search engine optimization can and will reward a new website quickly.

As usual, Google continues to provide free and valuable tools to webmasters and online marketers. Their Google Insights for Search tool allows users to view search volumes, geographical hot spots, and search volume increases.

For my example search, I selected “marketing”. Internet marketing scored fourth with online marketing scoring sixth in search volume. I learned Illinois was the top state for US based search with Minnesota and Georgia following close behind. My beloved Michigan was not in the top ten, but I will not blame this on Google. Rising search terms were social media marketing at 250% growth, SEO marketing at 50% growth, and affiliate marketing at 40% growth.

The tool also gives the ability to select a given region, state, or city and see the data all dynamically change based on the new selection. A decision support system at its finest, all free and all within my world of Internet marketing.

Once again, I say Google is Googlelicious.

If you make any attempt to learn about search engine optimization, Google provides you with the proper tools. Google’s Webmaster Tools provide a complete starters guide to search engine optimization that explains what is allowed and what is not allowed. The document provides – in detail – what Google wants to see in website meta, URL’s, and on page content. Following the rules is simple if you take the time to download and read the white paper.

If that isn’t enough, Google Adwords provides a free keyword research tool that will help pick the right keywords for optimization. Google Adwords will even show keywords that competitor websites use in their online marketing efforts. All available for free without registration and to anyone who is willing to do a little bit of online research.

Once a website is up and running, Google continues to provide value by offering Google Analytics – again for free – to track website visitors, view inbound referrals, track visitor movement, and optimize for reducing visitor bounce rates. Dig a tad deeper to discover the company name of business based visitors, their geographical location, and which browser they use. In most situations, Google Analytics provides more than most small to mid-market companies need or want.

I truly do believe Google is Googlelicious and I challenge anyone to provide me with another company that offers so many free tools to help companies succeed.