Google is of course the bread and butter of internet usage nowadays; just type your query into the search box and see what results come back. There are however other handy services from Google that do make a big difference, and although they’re aimed at more business use, they’re still handy to know and start using for all kinds of other personal use and interests. The majority are also free, and can easily be picked up by anyone, with Google themselves starting to bring out training and support as well as resources like YouTube videos.

So taking a step back, here are 7 types of additional services and features from Google that everyone needs to look into. Okay there’s a learning curve to pick them up, but once you do you’ll reap the rewards:

1. Mail

A popular extra that most are aware of, Google’s own email account known as Gmail. It’s free to set up, and similar to ones like Hotmail you can set up your email account with them.

One issue I’ve come across myself though is the way in which they organise emails, as they tend to group all similar ones into one entry where you have to scroll down and ‘unwarp’ previous emails in the chain – it’s probably just a personal choice, but I do prefer the old fashioned separate-email way of presenting this.

Another thing to be wary of as well is that over a certain size, and I mean super large size of many thousands of emails later, they will need to start charging you for longer term storage of them for a few pounds a month, which to be honest seems fair enough for what it is.

2. Calendar

The ability to make calendar entries online, with a few additional angles also worth looking into. Firstly, you can set up other Gmail users to link with some of your entries, handy if you want to set-up rotas for different people on different things.

Secondly, you can sync with things like your mobile phone calendar settings to get everything linked up. Thirdly, it can be used to send you reminders, and fourthly you can integrate the calendar onto website pages to then show others entries you have, particular good for volunteer groups.

3. Docs & Sheets

I’ve only recently got into these, and they’re great. In short, they similar to standard Microsoft document like Word and Excel but now online, with technology improving the last few years so they do have a lot of familiar features.

As well as being accessed online, and being able to upload original Microsoft versions of these, you can also get others to share them in terms of contributions and viewing.

4. Analytics & Webmaster

This is where things get technical more for website designers, but the end stats from these are helpful for everyone. In short, Webmaster tells you the technical aspect of your website for SEO and general purposes, and Analytics the amount and type of use your website gets.

So as an example, you can find out if there are any technical glitches not helping your rankings in the former, and then how many say visitors actually come to your site and how they get there in the later.

5. Business & Plus

This is Google’s entry into the online social-media and advertising world, with both inter-linked although not easily understood and evolving over the last few years. With Plus you have a profile like on Facebook for posts and comments, and although not popular in social media world, using it can have SEO benefits.

For Business, it is Google’s version of a free directory listing for your business, similar to say on Yell, but completely free and helps you have a separate mention with a red flag on Google maps and searches, something so often missed by businesses but essential.

6. Drive

This is Google’s online file storage system, similar to other services like Dropbox. It has a sync ability that allows you to automatically save all your own files on your computer. Also good for sharing documents with others, although make sure these don’t get duplicated every time they’re updated.

7. AdWords & AdSense

The paid advertising platforms for Google; with AdWords you pay Google to show your advert on search results or other sites, and with AdSense you received an income for Google using your site as a platform to have AdWords for others. These were the bee’s knees 10 years ago, and although not as easily profitable now with more competition, they can still be worth looking into.