Running a successful eCommerce business requires a lot of multitasking – one of the largest and most important factors being administrative work. If a business fails to keep up with its administrative duties, all other balls in the air can quickly lose momentum and come crashing down.
But how can one stay on top of the administrative work necessary to ensure a flourishing eCommerce business?
The answer is simple—and it’s free.
Google Docs.
Google Docs are engineered to help businesses and individuals maximize their productivity and offer all the features you need from a word processing application. It’s desktop and mobile compatible, and you can access it from anywhere, at any time, as all the data is stored in the cloud. That’s why we’re sharing our best tips, tricks, shortcuts, and more so that you can use Google Docs to make a success of your eCommerce business.
Table of contents
- Open a new Google Doc in seconds
- Auto-generate summaries of your documents
- Customize workflows with add-ons
- Work offline
- Create citations automatically
- Search for images in Google Docs
- Share documents publicly
- Tag people in document comment sections
- Organize documents with Outline
- Enable voice typing
- In summary
- FAQs
- Open a new Google Doc in seconds
Traditionally, you would open a new Google Doc by heading to the program’s home page and selecting ‘+’ to open a blank document. This is simple enough, but you can save even more time by typing ‘docs. New’ into your web browser.
If you’re logged into your Gmail account in this browser, it will automatically open a new document linked to this account. You can also use similar commands to open a new Google Sheet (‘sheets. new’) or a Google Slide (‘slides. new’). The faster you can create new docs, the quicker you can work on them, and this shortcut can shave minutes off your day—and those minutes add up.
“Time isn’t the main thing; it’s the only thing.”—Miles Davis
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Auto-generate summaries of your documents
Google Docs has a unique summary feature that uses artificial intelligence to generate summaries of your content automatically. You can customize each resume manually, or you can select the parts of it you prefer. Alternatively, you can generate a new summary entirely.
Start creating instant summaries by enabling the Outline feature in Google Docs. Now, select the + button, choose Summary, and allow the program to auto-generate your resume. Once complete, hit the tab key to accept the summary or edit it by clicking the attached pencil icon.
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Customize workflows with add-ons
Google Docs offers many add-ons that work similarly to browser extensions. Each add-on is designed to assist with a specific task and can improve your productivity significantly if you choose them wisely.
Use Google Docs’ add-ons to streamline any task, from creating personalized charts and running plagiarism checks to converting documents into other formats. If you’re creating product descriptions for your eCommerce store, the Grammarly add-on is handy as it checks and corrects grammar and spelling in real-time. It also allows you to quickly check your reports and any marketing material to ensure it’s error-free.
“Workflow is understanding your job, your tools, and then not thinking about it anymore.”—Merlin Mann.
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Work offline
Did you know you can use Google Docs effectively without an internet connection? If you want to work, write or brainstorm while traveling or in areas without a stable internet connection, you can take Docs offline to achieve your goals. This is ideal for eCommerce business owners who need flexibility and are not necessarily working 9-5 from an office environment.
The offline version allows you to write, read, and edit pages; all changes will sync with your Google Drive once you reconnect to the internet. You’ll need to use Chrome as your browser and download the Google Docs Offline extension to use this trick. Once the extension is downloaded, open a document you wish to take offline, select File, and then choose Make Available Offline.
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Create citations automatically
If you’re working on something that requires citations, you can use Google Docs to cite your sources automatically.
Head to Tools and select Citations, and then choose your Format, indicate your Source Type and Accessed By data, and put in the relevant URL. Docs will allow you to search for a citation or to cite it yourself. Citations are a crucial aspect of SEO, so this will be useful when creating content or updating your eCommerce site with new information. They also give your business credibility and make it appear more trustworthy.
“For eCommerce, the most important thing is trust.”—Jack Ma
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Search for images in Google Docs
If you’d like to add images to your documents but haven’t found the ideal pictures, you can find them in Google Docs using the Research tool. Use this feature by selecting the Research sidebar from the Tools menu.
You can filter images according to usage rights, add citations, and more. Click on the image you’d like to add, and it will direct you to the URL for the idea. You can also drag it from the sidebar to quickly position it in your document. Images play a significant role in eCommerce, and having this functionality so readily available can save you hours of time and effort.
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Share documents publicly
If you need to share documents with a large audience, embed them in your website, or grant anyone access, the Google Docs public sharing feature has been designed to enable exactly that. You can share everything from sales data and forecasts to printable invoice templates, allowing the relevant people access to the documentation they need without relying on email.
Google also allows you to turn link sharing on and off as required and customize authorized viewers’ ability to edit, comment, and share Docs with others. This makes it easy to collaborate with all your stakeholders, track contributions and changes, and easily share information on a need-to-know basis. Using the version history, you can always roll back to past versions of shared docs and see who implemented what changes if you made a document editable.
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Tag people in document comment sections
If you’ve shared your document with a team or group and you’ve enabled comments, you can also converse with those readers in the words by tagging them. When leaving a comment, type @ or + and then type the intended recipient’s name.
Google Docs will automatically suggest people from your Gmail contact list and email the recipient to inform them that you’ve tagged them in a comment. Remember, they need access to the document to read your comment. Google will prompt you to select permissions for each user you tag.
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Organize documents with Outline
Google Docs’ Outline feature allows you to organize and navigate documents easily. Head to View and select Show Outline, or use the keyboard shortcuts Ctrl+Alt+A (Windows) or Cmd+Option+A (Mac).
The outline icon will appear in your sidebar; click on it, and every new heading you create will appear in the sidebar, giving you a convenient overview of your document’s outline as you write.
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Enable voice typing
Transcription software is a game-changer for businesses, and Google Docs knows this. If you want to make quick notes hands-free or type up longer documents without sitting in front of a computer, the Voice Typing feature offers the ultimate solution. In Google Docs, you only need to select Voice Typing or use the shortcuts Ctrl+Shift+S (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+S (Mac).
You’ll need to agree to the requested voice permissions the first time you use this feature, but after that, you’ll have immediate access to the microphone that will record your speech and convert it to text.
In Summary
Google Docs have powerful tools and features that make creating professional, shareable documents seamless and straightforward.
Use these tips and tricks to master Google Docs and boost your eCommerce business’s productivity!
Frequently asked questions
Is Google Docs free to use?
Google Docs is free for individuals and businesses, but you will need a Gmail account to use the application.
How do I store my Google Docs?
Your Google Docs will automatically get stored in the Drive associated with your Gmail account as long as you’re logged in. You can keep and organize your documents in Google Drive by selecting the gray folder icon and accessing your docs.
Can I customize my Google Docs experience?
Google Docs offers a range of customization options. Head to the Tools menu and select Preferences to add automated correction short-cuts and adjust your usability settings.
Can I publish Google Docs online?
Google Docs can be published online and on servers, allowing anyone with the correct link to view them. Head to File, select Share and then click Publish to Web. Choose between Embed or Link, and like Publish to share your documents online.
