We've got Google but now we also have 'Goggles'. You could be forgiven for thinking it's a typo but no, we now have the use of Goggles on the internet which has opened up a whole new way of searching for what you're looking for.

So how does it work? Well, it works on the basis of images rather than words. So you can take a picture of something on a mobile device then use Goggles to do a search for you based on the image, rather than you having to type in words.

It's still evolving and being developed and so there are some things which it works well for such as landmarks, places, logos and so on, and others which it has yet to figure out. You can use it for places to eat, types of wine, names of books, barcodes on DVDs and a whole multitude of other things. It will then take you to related sites with details of that image, such as Wikipedia etc.

So how will this impact on businesses? To begin with, it means that instant information on people's media mobile devices just got a whole lot easier and customers can find what they're looking for wherever they go. High street retailers could be affected by this turn in technology because the way in which they market their products and their promotions will need to change in order to compete. A customer could simply walk into a shop, take an image of the barcode on a pair of shoes, for example, and then do a comparison search through Goggles. It will give consumers more freedom than ever before and the chance to find their bargains more easily.

This of course means that all businesses, whether small or large, whether internet-based or not, will need to sit up and take note of this soon-to-be massively popular new technology. They will need to re-evaluate the way in which they market themselves and get a handle on this technology before it explodes into regular use.

It also means that brand recognition will become even more important to your business in getting noticed and getting out there. Business owners need to start thinking about how to increase their own brand recognition and do it fast.

It could have an immediate impact on the travel industry, for example, which relies heavily on visuals for its marketing purposes. But it will also mean that, whilst touring, people can take photos of landmarks and locate their own way around unfamiliar places with virtually-assisted travel guides.

So for your own businesses which are website-based, you could use images on your website which can then act as searchable links to your site. You could actually use this to your advantage and as another form of search engine optimisation. What do you do - tell people in the form of images and tag them with relevant keywords? If you are a business where you need people to be able to visit you, such as a golf club or a hairdresser, then take a picture of the front of your building, meta tag it with keywords, and post it to your own site. If you sell a tangible product, get some images of them and post them to your website.

There is no doubt that this technology will grow over time once Google has perfected its searching techniques. More and more people own mobile devices with cameras built into them, which means more and more people will at least experiment with Google Goggles and, as long as it works well, it will become the next fashion. Instant gratification just got even more instant.

Make sure you keep up with Goggles and watch this space...