From Gmail to Drive: 25 Essential Google Tips Every Real Estate Agent Should Know

File this under "Time flies": Google celebrated its 25th birthday this week! When it debuted in 1998, Google offered only a search box on a bare-bones webpage — a far cry from the behemoth that would come to influence so much of our online lives.

Beyond the market dominance of Google products like search, YouTube, and Android, the company also offers a wealth of productivity tools. You're probably already familiar with Gmail, Google Drive, and other Google tools — but are you getting as much out of them as you can?

In honor of a quarter-century of Google, we're taking a look back at 25 of the best Google productivity tips that we've shared over the years (including a couple new ones). Read on to learn how you can leverage Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive, and more to make your real estate business run as smooth as can be.

Gmail

Do you remember browser-based email services from back in the day? They were clunky, slow, and lacking in features. Enter Gmail in 2004, relegating the likes of AOL, Hotmail, and Yahoo to the land of irrelevance. With Gmail, users got an efficient and easy-to-use email solution that offered functionality to rival programs like Outlook.

What about that functionality, though? Are you taking advantage of all that Gmail offers? Find out in 7 Things You Didn't Know You Could Do with Gmail.

Overloaded inbox got you overwhelmed? See Take Control: 3 Tips to Master Your Gmail Inbox for tips on taming the chaos.

Finally, if you've ever been locked out of your Gmail account or even deleted it, see Can You Recover an Old Gmail Account? to learn how to restore it.

Google Calendar

If you're like most agents, your calendar controls much of your working life. From showings to deadlines, it's all there. Google Calendar integrates with Gmail, so if you're a Gmail user, it's a great idea to learn the basics of Leveraging Google Calendar for Real Estate.

If you're an Android phone user, Google Calendar is your phone's default calendar. Get tips from a working Realtor on how to better use it in Real Estate Smartphone Tricks: Using Your Phone's Calendar.

Are you an iPhone user who still uses Google Calendar, perhaps because you are a Gmail user? Find out How to Sync Your Google and Apple Calendars to keep everything working together smoothly.

Google Drive

Google Drive lets you store all kinds of files in the cloud, like Dropbox. Unlike Dropbox, however, Google Drive lets you also create documents, spreadsheets, slideshows and more. Learn the basics here: Leveraging Google Drive for Real Estate.

Want to go deeper? Check out this video, 7 Things You Didn't Know You Could Do in Google Drive:

Google Docs

Farewell, Microsoft Word. With Google Docs, word processing power comes to a web browser near you. Not only can you create documents, you can collaborate with others and even upload, convert and read multiple file types. 5 Great Google Docs Tips and Tactics has all the info you need to get started.

And did you know that you can even eSign real estate documents in Google Drive? As we reported this summer, Google is working on an eSignature solution for Google Docs. It's not public yet, but in the meantime, you can Use the DocuSign eSignature Google Add-On in Google Drive, Gmail and Docs.

Google Sheets

Spreadsheets: they're not just for accountants anymore. With Google Sheets, you can:

• Create templates for your real estate business (try these seven templates to get started)
• Create an automated lead capture form
• Capture open house leads and sync them to your CRM

But wait, there's more! See 7 Things You Didn't Know You Could Do in Google Sheets.

That's good sheet, man.

Google Slides

Need to create a new listing presentation that's accessible from anywhere and easy to share? Say goodbye to PowerPoint, and dive into the world of Google Slides. These articles can help you get started:

• How to Make a Flyer in Google Slides
• 10 Steps to Create a Custom Presentation in Google Slides

Google Keep

Keep is an underappreciated Google tool. Similar to Apple Notes, it's a stock app on Android phones. But you don't need an Android phone to use it — if you have a Google account, you're good to go!

You can explore the basics of it here. After that, we recommend going deeper by learning how to:

• Grab text from an image
• Collaborate with others
• Set a location reminder
• Use voice dictation

Google Ads

As the saying goes, "All real estate is local." And while you've surely heard (and likely used) Google Ads, do you know much about Google Local Services Ads? If your answer is "No," check out this article to learn What's the Big Deal about Google Local Services Ads? And if you have more questions, don't miss Questions About Google's Local Services Ads? We Have Answers.

Miscellaneous Google Tools

Google has plenty more tools, including the world's No. 1 web browser, Chrome. Extensions are a great way to supercharge the usefulness of your browser. But you know what would supercharge your browser even more? Browser extensions that bring the bower of AI to Chrome. You can explore that in 8 Browser Extensions for ChatGPT.

Finally, we all know that becoming a local expert is great for your real estate reputation. Did you know that Google has a feature that can help you show off your local knowledge? Learn how to leverage Google Local Guides in the video below: