Google Alerts is a great product that allows you to enter keywords into “Google Alerts” and you will be notified when Google finds something on the web (news, blogs, etc.) that mention the keywords you entered. On their page they explain it as:
Google Alerts are email updates of the latest relevant Google results (web, news, etc.) based on your choice of query or topic.
Some handy uses of Google Alerts include:
- monitoring a developing news story
- keeping current on a competitor or industry
- getting the latest on a celebrity or event
- keeping tabs on your favorite sports teams
This is an awesome service that lets you stay up-to-date with sites, blogs, news, video and a couple other options and the results are very relevant to your interests (because you choose the keywords).
While they give a few examples of how to use them, they can be extremely beneficial to you when monitoring or staying current with your business, competitors, or industry.
How to set up Google Alerts
When you want to set them up, it’s extremely easy to do:
- Go to Google Alerts
- Type in some search terms that you want them to monitor
- From the drop-down box choose what you want them to monitor (everything, video, news, sites, etc)
- Select how often you want to be notified of new alerts (instantly, daily, weekly)
- Type in your email address and your done!
All of this should only take you a couple minutes and you will now have more information on the topics you are interested in than ever before, and they’re automatically emailed to you.
A couple tricks & tips for Google Alerts
I have been using them for a couple years now and they allow me to really stay on top of what’s going on, but there are a few tips I want to share that can help you out.
- If you’re getting too many results, try refining or narrowing down your phrase. Sometimes you will get flooded with alerts if you’re topic is too broad.
- Place quotation marks i.e. “keyword” around your keyword for exact matches
- Instead of emailing them to me I have set up the alerts to go in Google Reader where I can easily flag them, save them for later reference, categorize, sort, and manage them much more easily then trying to save them in my email inbox.
Some keyword suggestions
While you are able to keep track of any topic, there are a few I’d recommend setting up if you are wanting to use them for business:
- Your business name
- Your own name
- Your website address (so you can track mentions of your site)
- Your closest competitors
If you use them effectively and efficiently you should notice that you are really able to stay fresh with what’s going on and you’ll be notified as things happen so you’re never behind the ball again.
Related posts:
- An In-Depth Guide to the Google AdWords Keyword Tool
- An Introduction to Google Reader – Stay Up-to-Date with Your Favorite Sites
- 17 Essential Tools Every Blogger & Marketer Should Use
- 32 Tips to Increase Your Google AdWords Click-Through Rate (CTR)
- Google Chrome Themes – 29 ways to make your browser beautiful
- Dual monitors boost your productivity
- How To Track Exactly What People Are Clicking On Your Website
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
This was great. I loved the explaination and how you made the steps easy.