Intuit and Google Forge Alliance; Combines the Power of QuickBooks with Google's Reach to Help Small Businesses Attract New Customers

For the first time, small businesses can use QuickBooks to marketthemselves online by listing their businesses on Google Maps(TM),creating and managing advertising campaigns with Google AdWords(TM)and posting their products for sale on Google through Google Base(TM)-- a free product listing service. Integrated into QuickBooks 2007,available this fall, QuickBooks customers will have the ability toattract new customers using Google, the world's leading search engine.

"Intuit is committed to partnering with best-in-class companies tohelp solve important customer problems," said Steve Bennett, presidentand chief executive officer of Intuit. "By partnering with a leadingcompany like Google, we bring together Intuit's strength in creatingeasy-to-use solutions with Google's Web expertise to offerleading-edge online services to help small businesses attract newcustomers."

Research by Access Markets International (AMI) Partners, Inc., aleading technology analyst group, found that more than 50 percent ofsmall businesses in the U.S. believe they can use the Internet forsales, marketing and customer support to help grow their business andstrengthen customer relationships. This alliance addresses this needby helping small businesses quickly and easily use the Web as aneffective marketing tool.

"This alliance combines the strengths of both Google and Intuit todeliver innovative online technologies that help small businessessucceed in an increasingly competitive business environment," saidEric Schmidt, chief executive officer of Google. "By adding key Googleservices into the world's most popular accounting product, we'remaking it easier than ever for small businesses to find and use all ofthe tools available to them."

Two Companies, One Powerful Solution

QuickBooks 2007 will include several services that provide an easyway for small businesses to use Google to get their businesses andproducts noticed on the Internet -- right from an icon on theQuickBooks Home page.

Google AdWords -- Currently used by hundreds of thousands ofbusinesses worldwide to gain new customers in a cost-effective way,AdWords relies on keywords to precisely target the delivery of an adto Web users seeking information about a particular product orservice. Starting with $50 in Google AdWords credits, QuickBooks userscan use AdWords to advertise themselves online.

QuickBooks users can select search terms related to their productor service and create customized ads that show up when shoppers searchon Google for those products or services. This feature gives smallbusinesses full control over their budgets, allowing them to stop orpause their campaign, monitor their spending or change theiradvertising messages at any time.

First Crush Wine Bar and Restaurant (www.firstcrush.com), a SanFrancisco restaurant, found that using AdWords tripled the number ofvisitors to its Web site and now provides 25 percent of therestaurant's leads.

"With more than 4,000 restaurants in San Francisco, you need tostand out above the crowd, which means getting as much visibility aspossible," said Shahram Bijan, owner of First Crush Wine Bar andRestaurant. "Before joining AdWords, our Web site received about 200unique visitors each day. Today, that number has more than tripled."

Google Maps -- Businesses using QuickBooks can more easily befound online with a free business listing -- even if the business doesnot have a Web site. Google Maps gives QuickBooks users a tool toreach qualified prospective customers by simply creating and managingan online business listing. The mapping capability allows customers tofind a business, see a satellite image of it and get drivingdirections. The feature also lets small businesses provide informationsuch as their hours of operation, payment forms accepted and printablecoupons. The listing can be updated at any time by the business owner,which means the business listing is always relevant and topical.

QuickBooks Product Listing Service -- Product-based businesseswill now have the ability to turn local shoppers into their customerswith the new QuickBooks Product Listing Service, which will be in Betaat time of the QuickBooks 2007 launch. Small businesses can let onlineshoppers know they carry a specific product by using this service tomake their merchandise searchable on Google through Google Base.Powered by technology from StepUp Commerce, Inc., recently acquired byIntuit, this feature enables users to automatically transfer inventoryinformation to Google Base and attract local buyers to their shops.

Research by iProspect, a leading search engine marketing firm,found that 47 percent of consumers who researched a product onlinedrove to a store and bought the product during the 2005 holidayshopping season. Additionally, 63 percent of those who researchedonline went to a retailers' Web site for product information -- morethan to any other type of online site.

"QuickBooks continues to expand the problems we solve. The productlisting service helps businesses attract new customers by making theirproducts findable on the Web," said Brad Smith, senior vice presidentof Intuit's Small Business Division. "This is the first step increating an open and connected community that builds value aroundsmall business data."

Greater Efficiency and Ease-of-Use

Intuit will also incorporate Google's powerful search engine,Google Desktop(TM), into QuickBooks 2007 so users will be able toquickly find customer, vendor or financial information anywhere withinQuickBooks or on their desktop. For security, the new tool can searchQuickBooks data only when it is accessed from within QuickBooks and istied to QuickBooks user permissions so search results are limited bythe searcher's authorization level.

Availability

The Google marketing tools will be available with U.S. versions ofQuickBooks 2007 products and services, including Simple Start, Pro,Premier, Enterprise Solutions, QuickBooks Point of Sale, InvoiceManager and Credit Card Processing Kit, which will be available in thefall of 2006. Google Desktop will be available with U.S. versions ofQuickBooks 2007 Simple Start, Pro, Premier, Invoice Manager and CreditCard Processing Kit.

Conference Call

Intuit CEO Steve Bennett and Google CEO Eric Schmidt will host aconference call at 1:15 p.m. PDT today to discuss this news. To attendthe conference call, dial 866-837-9787 in the U.S. or 001-703-639-1424from international locations. No reservation or access code is needed.

B-Roll

For free video content about the Intuit and Google alliance,please log onto www.thenewsmarket.com/google to preview and requestvideo. Registration and downloading is free to the media.Broadcast-standard video digitally or by tape is available on thissite.

About Google Inc.

Google's innovative search technologies connect millions of peoplearound the world with information every day. Founded in 1998 byStanford Ph.D. students Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google today is atop web property in all major global markets. Google's targetedadvertising program provides businesses of all sizes with measurableresults, while enhancing the overall web experience for users. Googleis headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices throughout theAmericas, Europe, and Asia. For more information, visitwww.google.com.

About Intuit Inc.

Intuit Inc. is a leading provider of business and financialmanagement solutions for small and mid-sized businesses, consumers andaccounting professionals. Its flagship products and services,including QuickBooks(R), Quicken(R) and TurboTax(R) software, simplifysmall business management and payroll processing, personal finance,and tax preparation and filing. ProSeries(R) and Lacerte(R) areIntuit's leading tax preparation software suites for professionalaccountants.

Founded in 1983, Intuit had annual revenue of $2.3 billion in itsfiscal year 2006. The company has nearly 7,500 employees with majoroffices in 13 states across the United States, and offices in Canadaand the United Kingdom. More information can be found atwww.intuit.com.

Intuit, the Intuit logo, and QuickBooks, among others, areregistered trademarks and/or registered service marks of Intuit Inc.in the United States and other countries.

Cautions About Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements, includingIntuit's expectations regarding the QuickBooks 2007 product, servicesand features and related customer experience. Because these forwardlooking statements involve risks and uncertainties, there areimportant factors that could cause our actual results to differmaterially from our expressed expectations. These factors include,without limitation, the following: future products and services,including QuickBooks 2007, may not adequately address customer needsand may not achieve broad market acceptance, which could harm ouroperating results and financial condition; we may not be able torealize the expected benefits from the announced alliance with Google;and product introductions and price competition from our competitorscan have unpredictable negative effects on our revenue, profitabilityand market position. More details about other risks that may affectIntuit's business are included in our Form 10-K for fiscal 2005 and inour other SEC filings. You can locate these reports through Intuit'sweb site at http://www.intuit.com/about_intuit/investors.Forward-looking statements are based on information as of the date ofthe press release, and Intuit does not undertake any duty to updateany forward-looking statement or other information in this pressrelease.