A report released in April shows Google provided $9.67 billion of economic activity in Utah during 2021.
Google’s Economic Impact Report for Utah shows that more than 192,000 Utah businesses received requests for directions, phone calls, bookings, reviews and other direct connections to their customers through Google.
Additionally, it shows that Google provided $5.6 million in free advertising to Utah nonprofits through the Google Ad Grants program.
The company has had Google Fiber offices in Provo and Salt Lake City for over five years, according to a news release.
Samantha Heyrich, a public affairs spokesperson for Google, said the Economic Impact Report for Utah was calculated by estimating the economic activity provided to businesses, publishers, nonprofits, creators and developers by Google Search, Google Play, YouTube, Google Cloud and Google advertising.
“Our estimate is conservative in this regard and we don’t include the economic impact of our employees in the state or other Google products,” she said.
Google’s full methodology report is available at bit.ly/3vHCrlx.
Heyrich also said Google’s economic impact varies depending on the state and how businesses, nonprofits, publishers, creators and developers are using Google tools.
For instance, Google provided $1.1 billion in economic activity to Idaho, $10.06 billion to Arizona, $9.23 billion to Colorado and $5.4 billion to Nevada.
The U.S. Impact Report also shows that Google invested over $7 billion nationally into data centers and offices, and donated $263 million to local nonprofits.
Economic impact reports for other states are available at bit.ly/3scfViA.
The Baby Cubby
Google’s Economic Impact Report for Utah highlighted several local businesses who have benefitted from using Google tools, including The Baby Cubby in American Fork.
Founders Cameron and Jacquelyn Muir began the business in 2013 when they felt unsatisfied with their experience shopping for their kids.
Their brick-and-mortar store (586 N. 900 W., American Fork) plus their e-commerce site aims to make baby gear decisions and shopping easier.
With help from tools like Google Ads and a Google Business Profile, they’ve achieved a 300% increase in online sales since 2019.
The Muirs have also created over 500 YouTube videos that offer product reviews and how-to guides for parents.
Cameron said they use a variety of Google tools in their business, from Google Analytics to Google Docs and Sheets.
Jacquelyn added that Google tools are “extremely seamless” and easy to use.
‘Find joy in what you’re doing’
Cameron said the unique value in The Baby Cubby is found in creating a shopping experience that mirrors the huge life transitions parents go through when they have a child.
With so many baby products out there, choosing which ones to buy can be overwhelming, he said. That’s why The Baby Cubby tries to be a resource for parents navigating the baby products market for the first time.
“I’ve talked to lots of moms who have legitimately had panic attacks when they started shopping for their kids,” Cameron said. “So we want to create that experience where instead of being discouraged or overwhelmed, parents can be excited about that step in their lives.”
Google has been a big part of marketing that type of experience to their customers, Jacuelyn said.
For instance, their YouTube channel, which they’ve been running for about five years, has over 23,000 subscribers and gets 185,000 views a month. The channel has a total of over 11 million views.
Jacquelyn also gave some advice to aspiring business owners: make sure your heart is in what you’re doing.
“Make sure you’re passionate about it,” she said. “If your main goal is to make a quick buck here or there, then you’re not going to find joy in what you’re doing.”
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