We’ve been PowerPoint experts for years, but with Google Slides’ increasing popularity among our clients, we’ve been building our skillset. If you’re a dedicated PowerPoint user getting curious about Google’s alternative, this is the blog for you.

Where did Google Slides come from? Why has it gotten more popular in recent years? Who uses it and why? Should we all learn how to use it? Find the answers you’re looking for below.

Slide Lore: A Little Background

Google Slides has been on the scene for longer than you might think. Released in 2006 under the name ‘Google Presentations’, Google slides was one of the founding applications released as part of the catchily named ‘Google Docs Online’ as direct competition to the market-leading Microsoft Office Suite. In 2012 it was rebranded as a ‘Presentation Tool’ with the new name ‘Google Slides’.

Why Choose Google Slides?

Businesses use Google Slides for a variety of reasons, but the biggest one is the platform’s sharing and collaboration capabilities. Google Slides is free, cloud-based, and can be accessed both on and offline. Built with Macs and PCs in mind, it’s a web-based app requiring no download or installation.

Why Not Choose Google Slides?

If you want to harness your full creative potential, you might opt for PowerPoint. While Google Slides offers basic transitions and effects, PPT has an advanced catalogue of transitions, effects and visual extras and allows you to fine-tune your design for maximum impact.

The 5 Biggest Advantages of Google Slides

Sharing and Accessibility

For large organisations, global companies or companies with remote workers, Google Slides’ accessibility and sharing capabilities are the biggest pull. Decks can be shared and worked on in real time by multiple users regardless of their locations, time zones or hardware. As long as you can access the internet, you can work on a project in Google Slides.

Cost

Another big selling point is that Google Slides is the most comprehensive presentation application that has always been completely free to use. As a result, it retains a huge following from charities, non-profit organisations, teachers and students.

Familiar Workspace

If you’re a devoted PowerPoint user, Google Slides’ interface will feel comfortable and easy to learn. Apart from masters being referred to as ‘themes’, most elements and functions are more or less identical; animations are animations, transitions are transitions.

PowerPoint Import

One big, big plus is Google Slides’ capability to import existing PowerPoint decks. The conversion process is simple and straightforward; most, but not all, elements are converted cleanly and require only a cursory glance to check that they look and function correctly.

Auto Save

No more lost work! Google Slides is constantly backed up to the Cloud. Even through a system crash or a power outage your presentation is held safely on Google’s servers …waiting for you to pick where you left off. Neither PowerPoint or Keynote boast this capability.

Google Slides is not going to go away anytime soon. Although it’s likely that PowerPoint will always be the market leader and our go-to software, I believe we certainly should all familiarise ourselves with the interface and its associated quirks.

Need a hand with your next business presentation? Get in touch today.