Updated December 2006: The following articles applies to US versions of QuickBooks only unfortunatley.

Google Inc. and Intuit Inc. the makers of QuickBooks one of the most popular small business accounting packages available announced a joint partnership designed to help small businesses promote themselves using the many popular Google services that will now be built into most QuickBooks 2007 products.

Intuit Inc. and Google Inc. announced today a strategic alliance designed to help millions of small businesses promote themselves online using a variety of popular Google services built into most QuickBooks (R) 2007 products. The alliance combines Intuit’s deep knowledge and experience solving small business problems with Google’s expertise and reach on the Web to help small businesses address their number one objective — attracting new customers.

For the first time, small businesses can use QuickBooks to market themselves online by listing their businesses on Google Maps(TM), creating and managing advertising campaigns with Google AdWords(TM) and posting their products for sale on Google through Google Base(TM) — a free product listing service (similar to an eBay store). Integrated into QuickBooks 2007, available fall 2006, QuickBooks customers will have the ability to attract new customers using Google, the world’s leading search engine.

“Intuit is committed to partnering with best-in-class companies to help solve important customer problems,” said Steve Bennett, president and chief executive officer of Intuit. “By partnering with a leading company like Google, we bring together Intuit’s strength in creating easy-to-use solutions with Google’s Web expertise to offer leading-edge online services to help small businesses attract new customers.”

Research by Access Markets International (AMI) Partners, Inc., a leading technology analyst group, found that more than 50 percent of small businesses in the U.S. believe they can use the Internet for sales, marketing and customer support to help grow their business and strengthen customer relationships. This alliance addresses this need by helping small businesses quickly and easily use the Web as an effective marketing tool.

“This alliance combines the strengths of both Google and Intuit to deliver innovative online technologies that help small businesses succeed in an increasingly competitive business environment,” said Eric Schmidt, chief executive officer of Google. “By adding key Google services into the world’s most popular accounting product, we’re making it easier than ever for small businesses to find and use all of the tools available to them.”

Two Companies, One Powerful Solution

QuickBooks 2007 will include several services that provide an easy way for small businesses to use Google to get their businesses and products noticed on the Internet — right from an icon on the QuickBooks Home page.

Google AdWords — Currently used by hundreds of thousands of businesses worldwide to gain new customers in a cost-effective way, AdWords relies on keywords to precisely target the delivery of an ad to Web users seeking information about a particular product or service. Starting with $50 in Google AdWords credits, QuickBooks users can use AdWords to advertise themselves online.

QuickBooks users can select search terms related to their product or service and create customized ads that show up when shoppers search on Google for those products or services. This feature gives small businesses full control over their budgets, allowing them to stop or pause their campaign, monitor their spending or change their advertising messages at any time.

First Crush Wine Bar and Restaurant (www.firstcrush.com), a San Francisco restaurant, found that using AdWords tripled the number of visitors to its Web site and now provides 25 percent of the restaurant’s leads.

“With more than 4,000 restaurants in San Francisco, you need to stand out above the crowd, which means getting as much visibility as possible,” said Shahram Bijan, owner of First Crush Wine Bar and Restaurant. “Before joining AdWords, our Web site received about 200 unique visitors each day. Today, that number has more than tripled.”

(Google Maps For Business helps small businesses get found)

Google Maps — Businesses using QuickBooks can more easily be found online with a free business listing — even if the business does not have a Web site. Google Maps gives QuickBooks users a tool to reach qualified prospective customers by simply creating and managing an online business listing. The mapping capability allows customers to find a business, see a satellite image of it and get driving directions. The feature also lets small businesses provide information such as their hours of operation, payment forms accepted and printable coupons. The listing can be updated at any time by the business owner, which means the business listing is always relevant and topical.

QuickBooks Product Listing Service — Product-based businesses will now have the ability to turn local shoppers into their customers with the new QuickBooks Product Listing Service, which will be in Beta at time of the QuickBooks 2007 launch. Small businesses can let online shoppers know they carry a specific product by using this service to make their merchandise searchable on Google through Google Base. Powered by technology from StepUp Commerce, Inc., recently acquired by Intuit, this feature enables users to automatically transfer inventory information to Google Base and attract local buyers to their shops.

Research by iProspect, a leading search engine marketing firm, found that 47 percent of consumers who researched a product online drove to a store and bought the product during the 2005 holiday shopping season. Additionally, 63 percent of those who researched online went to a retailers’ Web site for product information — more than to any other type of online site.

“QuickBooks continues to expand the problems we solve. The product listing service helps businesses attract new customers by making their products findable on the Web,” said Brad Smith, senior vice president of Intuit’s Small Business Division. “This is the first step in creating an open and connected community that builds value around small business data.”