Google doesn't require any introduction, (if you need one, simply google it :-) ).

I’m not a fan of it's aggressive tactics – it kills competition (think of Google Trader and Tradestable).

Nonetheless, I was blown away when I saw a chrome ad on goal.com. God, I was only browsing for football news, how could my attention by taken by a mere ad? Out of curiosity, I downloaded chrome and, sincerely, there is no better browser. For a novice, chrome is a free browser from the big G.

From then on, I've been curious of the activities of Google - how it operates. I must admit that I have tend to love the company from the business standpoint. Unlike Microsoft, Google is just too professional. it knows what it wants and how to get it.

This is a two part series, I'll detail 3 of the 6 business lessons from Google I've learnt and you should, if you are serious of building a failure-proof business.

1. FREE is The Next Big Thing

More often than not, you see people trying to benefit from the little knowledge they have. I've seen some folks selling cheat codes at some ridiculous prices. Despite that these codes are bugs; still, they'll try to rip you off because they (think) are privy to the cheats.

It’s so rampant in the online world: some claim to have made ‘millions’ online only to ask for recharge vouchers when giving out the secret formula. You wonder; if they've made the millions, how on earth will they be so much interested in recharge vouchers?

If you think well of your business, then you should know that such paltry information should be given out for free – yes, for FREE! This, is the 1st of business lesson I've learnt from Google. Google offers the best search engine for free but makes money through ads. This is the system that works. You need to give your customers a bait; something that will pull them in.

It’s amazing how we don’t use common sense in business even when we use it in our daily lives. We are so much emotionally attached to money that we disregard common sense. You can’t go fishing without a bait, it’s impossible. Bait is what traps the fish – it is what pulls it in.

This same common sense is required in business. You need something to pull your customers in - they are uninterested in the first place. You need something to catch their attention and that is by offering something as a decoy.

Google does this well, most of Google products are free – Gmail, Chrome, the free Google Drive. These are baits to pull in customers.

2. Give The Best Bait!

Yahoo Inc started before Google, but the word “google” is now a verb according to the oxford dictionary. This is the result of being the best. The Google search engine is the best there is. It has a nice user interface; it takes less than a minute to give search results for any query. It’s that good.

It is unfortunate that entrepreneurs don't do this. Due to the nature of my work, I subscribe to different newsletters and often times, I unsubscribe within a month. This is not for the information that is provided, but for the quality offered. Common, don’t be cheap!

Though you are giving out a bait, let it be the best bait you can ever give. Develop a brand: a good brand pulls in customers. Google search engine controls more than 60 percent of the search market; it offers the best service in the best way it can be offered. That – my dear – is the only way to attract lots of customers.

3. Secure Your Stronghold

A decade ago, Google started as a search engine, now it is a conglomerate of enterprises. Think of Gmail (the best email provider), Youtube (the 3rd most visited site in the world), Android (it controls 70 percent of the smartphone global market share), Google maps, Chrome and Google+. These products were only possible because Google was able to secure its stronghold – the search engine.

While in high school, a teacher used to tell me this:

understand one chapter before moving to the other even if there is not enough time.
Looking back know, I realize the wisdom behind it. Had it been I heeded the advice, I'd have known everything there is to know about any course whatsoever. I’d have been able to solve any problem on any subject, instead of reading all subjects but failing to understand any.

In order words – GO DEEP, DON’T GO WIDE! This is where lots of business owners fail – they go wide instead of going deep.

Back to the online world – don't claim to know how to blog, how to do affiliate marketing, at the same time how to build lists. My advice – perfect one before heading to the other.

Linda Ikeji is to blogging as Seun Osewa is to managing a forum; that is it. Seun may fail as a blogger and Linda will fail as a forum manager. They both know their respective strengths and perfected them.

Don’t be a jack of all trade and master of none. If you want to do something, perfect it before heading to the next. Have one thing on your mind at a particular time, secure it, and then expand.

Here you have it, the first of a two part series, I have detailed 3 very important business lessons from Google that you can incorporate into your business to see it skyrocket. Next week will be the concluding part. Till then, stay focused!