Writing great content takes time and skill but with Google Alerts you can source relevant content from across the web and share it instantly.
Google Alerts function as a free customised search engine that delivers results to you automatically. You can key up to 1,000 Alerts on any given email address and effortlessly monitor online activity pertaining to your choice of terms.
Google Alerts very kindly suggests an ego-search if you are logged into your Gmail account
Having so much more material to share, and being given so many more ideas for creating your own, will not only help establish you as an expert source of information but can also help facilitate further Social Media interaction, letting you comment and converse with authority while also keeping a finger on the pulse of developments within your market sphere.
Google Alerts are also an easy way to know if other sites link to you, quote you, praise or complain about you, letting you monitor public opinion on a day-to-day basis and respond quickly should any questions need answering, glowing reviews need highlighting, or sudden fires need extinguishing.
Outlined below are the simple steps to setting up Google Alerts:
Google Alerts
- Visit https://www.google.co.nz/alerts
- If you already have a Gmail account you can simply sign in and if not, just fill out the form on the Google Alerts homepage. However having a Google account will give you access to more management options.
Also, depending on the volume of traffic, you may want to set up an alternative email address so your inbox doesn't get completely flooded. - Enter the search terms you want tracked, separated by commas. These can easily be edited later so you don't need to worry too much about precision at this point. And if you're not sure where to start, enter your site and business names then keyword phrases related to your brand and market niche.
- Choose the type of results you wish to monitor from the list of options.
- Choose how often you'd like to receive Alerts.
- Choose how many Alerts you'd like to see.
- Choose where you want Alerts delivered. They can be delivered to an email address or via RSS feed.
- Click the Create Alert button and finish.
And that's it, you're now ready to keep an eagle eye over global events pertaining to your business without having to spend all day, every day searching the internet!
And remember you can always change or refine your Alerts with Google's Advanced Search features if you're getting results that don't apply or need to focus on something in particular.
