Google Alerts is almost an afterthought to most seasoned webmasters and digital marketers, but let’s retract a minute and zoom back out to ten-thousand feet. What if you, Jane Business, could track/monitor every time a keyword was mentioned in a Google search result? How would you harvest that power?
Here’s how I would take advantage of that – I’d monitor my name, for one, but I’d also monitor topics of interest for me, my industry, or areas where I’m trying to build links back to my website or a client’s website.
How Google Alerts Work
Using your Google Account login, simply go to Google Alerts and “Create an alert about….” I just created an alert about “Napa SEO” and “winery adwords,” because I want to work more in Napa and with wineries. I also created a new alert for “SEO experiments,” because I want to know what data and geek scientists are doing in experimenting with search and algorithms. The possibilities are endless. You save a search query and choose a time of delivery and frequency of email (as it happens, daily, weekly. That’s it!
Some More Clever Ways to Use Google Alerts
- Monitor new releases from your favorite artist!
- Get location specific news!
- Get the latest coupon codes (thanks Lifehacker!)
- Track your favorite hobby, sports team, actor, etc!
- Monitor your niche to find new business opportunities!
- Monitor your brand or competition!
- Find new restaurant openings!
Or try some from one of these lists:
- 20 Search Terms You Should Plug Into Google Alerts – Inc.com
- 10 Uses of Google Alerts For A Freelance – MakeUseOf.com
- 8 Unconventional Ways to Use Google Alerts For Better Blogging – Traffic Generation Cafe
- 8 Ways to Use Email Alerts to Boost SEO – Whiteboard Friday – Moz.com
Search operators work with Google Alerts, so brush up on these little handy search characters, and start searching smarter.
