Important URLs That Every Google User Should Know

Here are some 10 web links that lay hid deep inside your Google account dashboard that answers most of the questions posed by most users of Google accounts; Questions like, Which website has access to my Google account? What does Google know about me? Where can I see ads that I’ve clicked on Google search? Where can I get a list of ad that I’ve clicked on Google? What does Google know about the places I’ve visited recently? Where should I go if have forgotten the administrator password for Google? What are my interests as determined by Google? Of course, these are far from being rhetoric questions. These links would show you how much of you Google knows in an interesting depth. Here they are:

1. https://accounts.google.com/SignUpWithoutGmail
With this URL, you can signup to a new Google account without necessarily following the religious protocol of using your @gmail.com as username. You can actually sign up using any email address.

2. https://maps.google.com/locationhistory
Your Android device may be reporting your recent location data and velocity (are you moving and if yes, how fast are you moving) back to Google servers. Head over to the Google Maps website to see your entire location history and you also have the option to export this data as KML files that can be viewed inside Google Earth or even Google Drive.

See: 10 Fantabulous Google Features You Should be Using

3. https://www.google.com/ads/preferences/
Mathematicians can actually calculate your height using the size gotten from your footprints; In like manner, Google actually approximates your personality based on the site you have visited, your Google plus account, and other signals. Google make estimations of your age, gender, etc, and uses these data to serve you better. Use this URL to view how Google estimates you to be.

4. https://security.google.com/settings/security/activity
Given the IP and approximate location, you can check if anyone else had used your Google account. Go to the activity report to see a log of every device that has recently been used to log into your Google account. Unfortunately, you can’t remotely log out of a Google session. But, this URL sure gets you some security to cut down your worries.

5. https://support.google.com/legal
Digital conveniences are at your fingertips, just move them! If you ever find your content appearing on another website that is using one or more Google products – say Blogger, AdSense, Google+ or YouTube – you can raise a DMCA complaint with Google against that site to get that content removed. This wizard can also be used to remove websites from Google search results that are not welcoming to your content.

6. https://www.google.com/takeout
Freedom! Yes, you can download your photos, contacts, videos, Gmail messages out of Google’s territory. All you do is head straight to the Takeout page to download.
See also: How to Use Google to Solve Simple & Complicated Mathematics

7. https://security.google.com/settings/security/permissions
This is a complete list of web apps, browser extensions, Google Scripts and mobile apps that have any read or write access to your Google data. If the permission level says “access to basic account info”, it basically means that you have used your Google account to sign-in to that app.

8. https://www.google.com/settings/account/inactive
Though this does not work for Google apps, it’s a kind of Google reminder to log onto your Gmail account (accounts-perhaps you have multiple) in intervals of a few months. This helps you avoid violating Google’s program policy (because you have to login at least once every 9 months).

9. https://history.google.com
https://history.google.com/history/audio
‘Measurement is for the ease of enquiry’. Google records every search term that you’ve ever typed into their search boxes. They even keep a log of every Google ad that you have clicked on various websites and if you are a Google Now user, you can also see a log of all your audio search queries. OK Google.
10. https://admin.google.com/domain.com/VerifyAdminAccountPasswordReset [*]
Replace domain.com in the above URL with your own web domain name.
‘Once smart, twice smarter’, This URL gives you the ‘twice smarter edge’ against hacking. If ever your account is hacked, this secret link helps you reset your admin password, you would also have to verify your domain name by creating a CNAME record in your DNS.