Google targets small firms with Intuit alliance

Small businesses are important customers for Google's advertising programme

Google has partnered with accounting software firm Intuit in an effort to strengthen its ties with small businesses.

Intuit develops the QuickBooks application which has about 3.7 million users. The partnership will see Intuit integrating several Google services into the application.

A company will be able to market itself with a listing on Google Maps, for example, and manage online advertising campaigns directly from the QuickBooks application.

Small businesses are important customers for Google's advertising programme. The search provider's online advertising network provides an easy way to control marketing budgets and reach specific target audiences.

Google cited a study by Access Markets International Partners which found that more than half of small businesses believe they can grow their business through the web.

The Google integration will be available in the US version of QuickBooks 2007 due this autumn.

Both companies declined to reveal the financial details of the partnership, but Google will share some of the revenue generated through Intuit users with the software developer.