Google released its "Google My Business" service Wednesday to help companies build better relationships with customers.
The service provides a variety of tools from the search giant, such as Search, Maps, Insights, Hangouts and Google+, according to CNN.
"We've never pulled together all of these features into a single hub that's easy to use," said Jen Fitzpatrick, vice president of engineering and product management at Google. "The idea is to let small businesses manage their online presence in a single, consolidated way."
Firms will be able to use an Android app for My Business to manage information and respond to reviews from customers, Mashable reported.
"The Internet is connecting more businesses with their people each day. However, our users tell us that finding these loyal customers can be complex and time-consuming. We believe it shouldn't be," Google wrote in a blog post.
The service will work with Google's AdWords platform to give businesses access to data about customers and engagement.
Companies using the service will be able to add photos and videos about their businesses to their dashboards. Being able to respond to reviews and connect through Google+ and Google Hangout will help firms communicate better with their customers CNN reported.
"Business owners are busy and may have said they're overwhelmed by the technology out there," Fitzpatrick said. "We spent time thinking about how to make things simpler to empower businesses to become successful online."
My Business is a free service, and will be available to the company's 2.2 million advertisers. Most of these advertisers are small businesses.
James Croom, marketing manager with Google's small business team, said research showed that a little over half of small businesses in the U.S. with less than 200 employees have a website, CNN reported.
Google created My Business with help from this information, as well as feedback from its small businesses.
