25 Ways Google Docs Will Make You a Better Blogger

By: | January 23, 2016 | Tags: , , , , |

#Google Docs or Microsoft Word?Have you heard of Google Docs?

Do you like free?

Do you like easy?

Do you like convenient?

Then you will love Google Docs.

The popularity of Google Docs grows yearly. The best part is if you use it, you will be a more productive blogger.

Google Docs is divided into three sections: Docs, Sheets, and Slides.

Reasons Bloggers Should Use Google Docs

  1. Immediate access Your documents are always on the Internet even without the hard drive you saved it on. Blogger Hayli deJong is a teacher. If she’s running late, still at school, and wants to post, she can access her notes.
  2. Auto save Many bloggers like to write their articles on Google Docs. They don’t have to keep saving due to the automatic save. WordPress has a “saved” version of your article. However, the difference between the current version and the backup version can be confusing.
  3. Fills a need Today, people need a Google Account. According to blogger Claire Bullerwell, “If you plan on making a business out of blogging, you need a Google account.” Even students in schools today are told they need Gmail to be successful in school since assignments are submitted electronically to the teacher.
  4. A free platform Since free tools are available through Google Docs, you might as well take advantage of them.
  5. Allows for blogger collaboration My cross-promotional partner Mark Newsome and I recently collaborated on marketing copy for my blog critique service using Google Docs. Your collaborators can edit, view, or comment on your article with varying degrees of privacy.
  6. Allows for peace of mind You never have to worry about losing your documents even if you lose your laptop or flash drive. Everything is stored at Drive.Google.com.
  7. Helps you stay organized At Drive.Google.com, where you save your work, you can make folders which will help you keep your writing organized.
  8. Convenience There are ways you can publish directly to your Blogger or WordPress blog.
  9. Interface with its other tools You can Email your document to your Gmail account. You can also use Google Docs to research without leaving the screen. Just click Tools, Research.
  10. Enhances Your Focus You can concentrate on blog writing easier since the dashboard isn’t there. Although WordPress has a distraction-free mode, Co-Schedule’s Julie Neidlinger prefers writing in Google Docs.
  11. Voice dictation. This is handy if you ever don’t feel like typing. Sometimes, people don’t type quickly, but they want to get their ideas out as fast as they can.
  12. Translation available Google Docs will translate your article. A translator is under the Tools drop-down menu.
  13. Social media presence increased When you share your link, you can share it to Facebook, Twitter, or Google Plus.
  14. Bridges the generation gap Because students are growing up with Google Docs in schools, your younger reader may want to use it to communicate with you. For example, they may want to use it to send a guest post with attachments.
  15. Templates Google Docs can be used for resumes, letters, brochures, and proposals.
  16. Brainstorm blog post content ideas Hayli deJong uses Google Docs to paste questions from her readers into her blank document template in case she ever needs an idea to write a blog post about.
  17. Photos You can find and insert images while working on your document.
  18. Editorial Calendar Google Docs has an editorial calendar, so you can plan out your blog posts. Your collaborators can contribute ideas. Click Sheets, Daily Schedule.
  19. Pitch an idea, product, or service One of the templates under “Spreadsheets” contains a slide presentation to pitch an idea or a product. You could pitch your idea to another blogger or a potential customer. Perhaps you want to pitch an idea for a sponsored post. All can be done with this template.
  20. To-Do List I currently keep my to-do list in Evernote, but many users of Google Docs prefer to have all their notes together. One of the Sheets is a to-do list.
  21. Budget Tracker If you spend money on your blog. Annual and Monthly Calendars are available to keep track of your expenses.
  22. Spreadsheets Mary Burris, from the JingleJangleJungle blog, kept a spreadsheet using Google Docs. It contained a complete list of the linky parties she attended, the days it occurred, and the sites. It had the niche, the linky name, and the URL. If you click “insights,” Google then analyzes the data on the spreadsheet for you with colorful graphs. For example, it gives “insights” into what percentage of parties occur on which days. Mary’s list contained 117 linky parties! Bloggers are often on the lookout for a way to make an income. Would a list of 117 linky parties be of value to bloggers? She could accept payment, and then easily Email the list using the “Share” button.
  23. Power Points Many bloggers are embedding power points in their posts using Google Docs.
  24. Incentives A blogger used a template on a slide to make an incentive, a media kit. It was visually appealing since it was on a predesigned template, and I bet it didn’t take her long at all to fill in the template with the information for the media kit.
  25. Portfolios If you are an artist who needs to present your work electronically, you should store your work in the portfolio template. If ever anyone is interested, it takes seconds to click “share” to show it to them. The days of lugging large portfolios around to interviews are gone.

Other Testimonials For Google Docs

Quicksprout’s Neil Patel says, “Even basic tools such as Google Docs… go a long way when it comes to keeping track of things.”

Disadvantages of Google Docs

  • A Google account is required to use Google’s tools. You might want to share a document with someone who doesn’t have a Google account.
  • Microsoft Word Uses Grammarly.
  • It is easy to attach files to a Microsoft Word Doc.

Conclusion

In conclusion, although there are advantages to using Microsoft Word instead of Google Docs, overall, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

In addition to the advantages stated, all of Google’s tools can be modified. You can change the colors and font sizes and styles, for example. If you did want to invest money in Google Docs, there are additional add ons you can purchase like a thesaurus and chart maker.

Use Google Docs, and you will be more productive, more in vogue with today’s technology, more connected with other people you come into contact with online, and richer for not having spent any money to pay for any of these tools.

Please share, so that other bloggers are aware of the power of Google Docs.

Readers, which do you prefer, Google Docs or Microsoft Word? Why? Are there any other uses for Google Docs? I look forward to your views.

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  1. Lisa (mummascribbles)

    Oh this is really handy! I literally just got a chromebook so now have easy access to Google docs and am just getting used to it all – this post has come at the perfect time 🙂

    • Janice Wald

      HI Lisa,
      I saw your comment come in while I was still blogging in the wee hours of the morning. I was so excited to see you. It’s been a while! Thanks for your interest in my article and your comments. I am glad you enjoyed the post and found the timing perfect for you.
      Janice

  2. Juana

    This was an interesting read. I used Google Docs for my blog entries when I first started blogging. I didn’t have a computer at the time, just an iPhone (which I no longer have, ironically). After losing a post or two on my phone, I decided I needed to find a word processing program I could use on my phone. Enter, GoogleDocs!

    I wrote on GoogleDocs, was able to save drafts and come back to them later (which is handy for those who have kids), and I never lost a post again using the WordPress app. When I wanted to publish a post, I copy/pasted from the GoogleDocs app to the WordPress app, and voila! There was my blog post. I spent about a year writing my blog posts from the GoogleDocs app on my phone until a friend of mine gave me her laptop when she replaced hers with another.

    Now, I mostly write in WordPress, but I’m reminded that when I write in GoogleDocs, I don’t have to worry about losing any information, so I think I’ll hop over there and transfer some drafts and posts to GoogleDocs so I have a backup.

    Thanks for the post! I learned some things about what I can do with GoogleDocs.

    • Janice Wald

      HI Juana,
      I appreciate you sharing these experiences with the readers. Your story really hits home the point, you won’t lose your articles if you use Google Docs. Thanks for the testimonial! =)
      Janice

  3. Mabel Kwong

    This is such an informative article on using an online platform to organise your blog and blog posts. Never thought that Google Docs could be one way to do so. I really dislike writing my posts in WordPress, and currently do so through Word on my laptop. However, there are times when I am away from my laptop and feel like editing the post but it’s at home. If I wrote my posts on Google Docs, then I wouldn’t have this issue 😀

    The Google translate point caught my eye. I’ve used it a few times, but I’m not sure how accurate it is 😀

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Mabel,
      Thanks for sharing. While doing research for this article, I came across people that find blogging in WordPress so distracting they use Google Docs to write. I quoted one of them, Julie. Now, you are echoing the sentiment.
      Thanks for validating the point.
      Janice

    • Juana

      I have to tell you that as someone who actually knows a second language which is translated by Google Translator, the translator leaves a LOT to be desired. You’re better off consulting with a native speaker of the language, or with someone who at least has thoroughly studied the language, because that person can tell you things that a web translator won’t.

  4. Judy

    This sounds great! I will havet to check it out as I do already have a Google account.

    • Janice Wald

      Perfect. I am so to change, but I love Google’s tools. With 25 ideas, I know you will find it useful. The peace of mind alone is worth using it. Thanks for writing! Great to see you Judy/Edwina =)
      Janice

  5. John Doe

    Thank you. I didn’t realize there were so many positive things about Google Docs.

  6. Jeanette Hall

    Since I literally hate the company of Microsoft, Google gets my business easily! Unless I have found a better free Unix-like writing platform (haven’t yet).

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Jeanette,
      Great to see you. What is a Unix-like writing platform? Not familiar with that term.
      Funny– Google wins by default! Thanks for writing and visiting me.
      Janice

  7. dgkaye

    Thanks for sharing this. I use Dropbox and have all my files handy everywhere too. 🙂

    • Janice Wald

      HI Debby,
      As you know, because we once discussed it, I use Dropbox too. However, I just had to pay to get more memory at Dropbox. Google Docs is a free website. I use both for piece of mind. Thanks for writing.
      Thanks for sharing my article too. I met a friend of yours who told me he found my site since you promoted it. John Mayberry is his name.
      Janice

  8. Laura Lohr

    I love my Google Docs. I am realizing that I am probably underutilizing the power of Google Docs. Great information here!

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Laura,
      Great to see you! Thanks for writing.
      I probably am under utilizing it too. However, since doing research for this article, I decided I will definitely research while there and not in a different tab.
      Janice

  9. John Maberry

    Like everything stored in the cloud, I have to wonder about security. I’ve tried searching on the web (stupidly, perhaps, through Google) without finding much about how secure Google Drive, Docs, etc. are. Then again, this is a discussion about using Docs for blogging–not your medical or financial info. 🙂 so maybe it’s not that much of a concern.

  10. Judy Freedman

    Love your newsletter and blog. You always have such helpful tips for bloggers. Thanks for all you share to make our blogs better.

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Judy,
      Thank you so much! What kind words to make my day! Much appreciated!
      Janice

  11. Victoria Fisher-Cuthbert

    I love using Google Docs. I didn’t know I had all those cool benefits with blogging. Great and helpful post. I’m definitely going to reunite my blogging with Google drive more.

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Victoria,
      I am glad you enjoyed the article. I, too, am more driven to use Google Docs to a fuller extent since writing the article. Thanks for writing me.
      Janice

  12. Sherrie Miranda

    Sounds good, BUT I have no idea which is which! Or if I’m even using either of them!
    I hope I figure this all out someday! 😉 <3
    Peace,
    Sherrie
    Sherrie Miranda's historically based, coming of age, Adventure novel “Secrets & Lies in El Salvador” is about an American girl in war-torn El Salvador:
    http://tinyurl.com/klxbt4y
    Her husband made a video for her novel. He wrote the song too:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P11Ch5chkAc

    • Janice Wald

      In your browser, type in Docs.Google.com Do you have a Google account?
      Janice

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Sherrie,
      Thanks for writing. Others will be confused, so thanks for asking about the difference.
      I clarified in the comment section since getting your question.
      Google Docs is a free website. It is found at Docs.Google.com. You need a Google account to use it.
      Microsoft Word is software. You don’t need the internet, but you need the device you downloaded it on.
      Does that help?
      Janice

  13. Janice Wald

    HI,
    I should have clarified:
    Microsoft Word is downloadable software. It normally comes with Microsoft Office Suite which is expensive. Google Docs is a free website. If you are on the Internet, you have access to your Google Docs.
    Janice

  14. Melinda Mitchell

    Hi Janice,
    By your conclusion, it looks like it is NOT easy to add files to Google Docs?
    All the other advantages are super!!
    Especially love the automatic backup part!!
    Your BBFFM

    • Melinda Mitchell

      And I bet it wasn’t accidental that your Venn diagram looks like a mastercard?? 😉

    • Janice Wald

      HI Melinda,
      It is extremely easy to add files in Google Docs. Just hit the Plus sign (+) to create a new document.
      What did I write that gave that impression?
      BBFF J

      • Melinda

        Disadvantages of Google Docs
        It is easy to attach files to a Microsoft Word Doc.

  15. Sheetal

    certainly an informative post! Really liked the way you complied the information and made it useful one and brought it in a common place to let the people read. Good work. I’m a personal blogger by passion and content writer by profession. I have just started my slideshare account to make beautiful presentations on various topics like content writing, social media and many more. Would like to know your valuable comments on it. Here is the link : http://www.slideshare.net/sheetalm8/15-tips-to-become-a-skilled-content-writer-57140916 and also check my personal blog

    Also, keep writing and would like to see more from you!

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Sheetal,
      I read your SlideShare. Impressive! I wasn’t too familiar with the platform. Thank you for the kind words about my writing. You said you’d like to see more from me. I encourage you to subscribe so you never miss a post.
      Janice

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  17. Mansi Padhya

    Hey Janico,

    Thanks for sharing this. This was an interesting read. I love my Google Docs. Google gets my business easily! Great information here!
    Thanks again. Have a great Week ahead. 🙂

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Mansi, thank you for your interest in my article, and your high praise. Where did you find my blog? I always wonder.
      Janice

          • Mansi Padhya

            I am not sure when I made search “Google Docs” but I found your request when I made search for “Google Docs”

          • Janice Wald

            Thank you for answering my question
            Janice

    • Janice Wald

      I just visited your site and wrote you a long comment about my attempts at marketing my Blog Coaching service, but it said I had to log in. I tried to log in with Facebook, but nothing happened. I just want you to know I did return the visit.
      Janice

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  19. Joanne Corey

    I use google docs for writing poetry. Do you know if I copy my poem from google docs into the WordPress editor if the formatting will be preserved? One of the frustration I have is that if I want to indent lines in a poem it is very difficult to do it within the WordPress editor itself.

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Joanne,
      Thank you for writing me. I have an idea.
      In your WordPress Dashboard, right under where the insert link icon is, there are icons with arrows. One has an icon with an arrow to the right. If you highlighted your poem and clicked that icon, would it move the whole poem successfully to the right?
      Janice

      • Joanne Corey

        The problem isn’t so much for the whole poem, but for individual lines. Poets often use different spacings for emphasis, for structure, and for visual cues. In most editors, you can use tabs or the space bar to position things as you wish, but the WP editor blithely ignores extra spaces. There is a way using the HTML editor to insert spaces, but it involves inserting a five or six character string over and over, which is incredibly tedious. I wish the visual editor had been made as “what you see is what you get.”

  20. Just Plain Marie

    Definitely interesting and quite a detailed list. I’m totally a Google girl (from Blogger to Gmail to Adsense and everything else), but I hadn’t considered writing posts on Google Docs. For me, though, it’s probably because I’m off-grid and need a post writer that I can use off-line.

    It’s great working with you on the Blogger’s Pit Stop and thanks for sharing this with us!
    Marie, Blogger’s Pit Stop crew

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Marie,
      What off-line post writer do you use to write your posts? Thanks. Fun working with you too.
      Janice

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  22. Cat

    I had no idea you could do voice translation with GDocs! I LOVE docs (I love Drive in general – way more than Dropbox) and I’ve convinced many of my clients to make the switch and start using it more. So great for sharing files and collaborating.

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Cat,
      I agree. You mentioned clients. I see you are a designer. GoogleDocs sounds like a great way to collaborate on designs. I’m glad my article gave you a new purpose for using GoogleDocs–the voice translation. Thank you for writing and telling me.
      Janice

  23. gigi

    Woah! What a great list, thank you! I didn’t know about so many of those features. I didn’t know that you could use it for an editorial calendar! Or that there was an option to translate! Yes, I love that it gives you peace of mind. You always have your document there, safe. I also use Drive to share family photos with my family. Its pretty incredible that google makes all this free for us! I’ll be checking out the features you talked about! Thank you!

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Gigi,
      My pleasure. I am glad you enjoyed the article. It was so well-received when I published it last weekend, I put it in my sidebar, so new people coming to my site could see.
      Thank you for letting me know the article was valuable to you and for visiting my blog today.
      Janice

  24. Regina L. L. Wells

    Love this post. I was already beginning to love Google Docs (after crashing my computer and not being able to find my MS Product Key to reinstall my Office software without paying for a new license). I really appreciate the additional advantages that you raise. Thank you!

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