Google generated over $100 billion for American businesses in 2013

Google has been the heart and soul of the internet for many years. While many continue to pit the company against other tech companies, such as Apple, Google got its start by dominating the online world For many companies, the only reason they have been able to reach a high level of success is the internet. More specifically, they have relied heavily on Google, from AdWords to AdSense to Maps and much more. When you think about the internet and the way people act online, there is no replacement for Google. There may be competition, such as Yahoo! and Microsoft, but neither one has proved it has the staying power of the big G. If you are measuring online power based on economic impact on business, you don’t have to look any further than Google, as the search engine company has been a high flying superstar for quite some time.

Google has published its annual Economic Impact Report (PDF) that reveals some interesting statistics about how the web and its tools are helping American businesses. Last year, the report claims that Google tools helped generate $111 billion of economic activity for 1.5 million businesses, web-based publishers and non-profit organizations across the United States. Google also claims that 97% of Internet users turn to the web to look for local products and services, adding that two times as many jobs and twice as much revenue through exports were created by web-savvy SMBs. The Mountain View-based company offers a comprehensive report that includes information for the United States as a whole, in addition to breaking down the numbers into state-by-state reports. The report identifies a list of so-called “eCities,” recognizing the strongest online business community in each state. Google partnered with independent research firm Ipsos MORI to analyze the strength of local small businesses in each state, concluding that America’s digital capitals include Atlanta, Austin, Boulder, Carlsbad, Scottsdale, Albuquerque, Minnetonka, Lexington, New York City and several other large metropolitan areas. Google outlined its methodology on how its reached these numbers in a detailed article, factoring in Google Search, AdWords, AdSense, Ad Grants and more. The company did not estimate the economic impact that its employees provide, nor did it include major products like Google Maps and YouTube in this report. At the bottom line, Google says that these estimates are actually lower than the company’s true economic impact.