After several months of waiting, Google has officially announced it’s launch of Google Helpouts. Since it’s original talks back in July and invites to people and businesses in August to advertise their services, Google has been keeping us in the dark.

Google Helpouts is a new program that offers help to users with any “how to” questions they may have via a real-time video.

You might be thinking, how does this work? Just like doing a Google search, when the user enters the topic they are searching for, Google will list results for the available Helpouts. Some Helpouts will charge a fee, while others may be free. Each Helpout will also notify the user of the next available time for their Helpout or allow the user to request a particular time that may work for them.

In addition to the live Helpouts, users can view introductory videos if there requested Helpout is not available immediately. This can help the user understand more about the business that is providing the Helpout. For example, the above photo showcases what a Helpout may look like.

Not only are these Google Helpouts going to benefit the search engines users, but it will help businesses as well. This program will allow the businesses that provide the Helpouts be paid for the use of their video and time.

The advantages to businesses that provide Helpouts are not only the flexibility of scheduling a Helpout at their convenience, but businesses will also be the ones to determine the prices and rate of pay, whether it be by the minute or a fixed rate. The payments will be collected through Google Wallet.

In addition to Google Helpouts being available on your PC, but Google Inc. has also released an app to make it more convenient to use on your mobile device, although it appears to be limited to Android devices for right now.

Currently, there are only a select few brands, such as Sephora, Weight Watchers, and Rosetta Stone that are using Google Helpouts.

Eventually, the number of Helpouts will be available will grow, but for the time being it will start out fairly small. Invitations need to be requested in order for a business to provide Helpouts.

The only foreseeable issues that could arise would be unsatisfactory Helpouts. Google has stated that there will be a money back guarantee on all Helpouts that are not satisfactory, but this means that the user will have to opt out of having their Helpout session recorded, which is of course for quality assurance and customer retention. However, Google has stated that “health-related” Helpouts will not be recorded.

It seems the benefits to Google Helpout outweigh the disadvantages as for right now. As more businesses create their Helpout the more traffic their business is most likely to see, creating a key factor in marketing their business in the future. Contact Windy City Web Designs if you have concerns about your Google ad or have questions in regards to web design or Internet marketing.