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If you have a business name, a product name or a name for yourself, you should check out a powerful, free tool: Google Alerts. You may have searched your name and/or the name of your business on Google. Chances are you don’t comb through Google Search results daily to find important mentions of you or your business on the Internet. With Google Alerts, you can be notified when your search terms appear on the Internet.
Google Alerts is a free service from Google that will send you email notifications when a search term is mentioned on the Internet. Google Alerts allows you to refine both the search terms and how often you are alerted about your terms. You can also choose to be alerted to every mention or just the most important mentions.
How It Works
Go to google.com/alerts and enter your search term in the Search query field. You can choose words, names, numbers, websites, keywords, etc. You can use single words, multiple words or phrases.
If you want to search a string of words, put quotes around the words to search them in order. If you don’t use quotation marks, Google will search for mentions of all of the words in an article. For example, setting an alert for [“Wonder of Tech”] will give you alerts for mentions of this blog. If you don’t use quotes around [Wonder of Tech], you will receive alerts from any articles mentioning both “wonder” and “tech”, giving you plenty of alerts about the Wonder Boys of Arkansas Tech.
You can also eliminate search terms by putting a minus sign before a search term you want to exclude. In the example above, you could avoid mentions of the Wonder Boys of Arkansas by searching [Wonder of Tech Arkansas].
More information on using search terms can be found on this Google page.
Under “Result type” you can specify which sources Google Alerts searches:
- Everything
- News
- Blogs
- Video
- Discussions
- Books
Unless you have a reason to eliminate certain sources, it’s best to start with “Everything” to make sure you don’t miss any alerts.
Next choose how often you want Google to notify you about an alert. Your choices are: as it happens, once a day, once a week. If you choose the first option, you could flood your inbox with Google Alerts if you are searching popular terms. Try starting with the once a day option to see if that frequency is manageable.
You can choose from the Best Results, allowing Google to filter mentions it deems unimportant, or Everything, which will give you many more results.
Finally, choose where to send the alerts. You can enter an email address (it doesn’t have to be a Gmail address) or, if you’re signed into your Google account, you can send the alerts to an RSS reader.
Google shows you a preview of your results when you’ve entered your information, giving you an idea of what to expect from your alerts.
[tip]The time of day you create a Google Alert is the time that the Google Alert will appear in your inbox. If you want your alerts first thing in the morning, create the Google Alert then. [/tip]
You can set up to 1,000 alerts, but make sure you don’t overload your inbox with alerts. Manage your alerts, edit search terms, frequency of notices and information sources from the Google Alerts page or from your Manage My Alerts page on your Google account.
Ways You Can Use Google Alerts
You can use Google Alerts in many ways, such as searching for your name, your business, your website, your products, your competitors, and industry trends.
Keep an eye on trends in your industry by setting up Google Alerts for keywords relevant to your business. Your email could soon turn into a personal newsletter, giving you timely updates about important information, keeping you ahead of the curve.
Get the scoop on your competition. Set up alerts for your competitors’ businesses and products to find out what people are saying about them, both good and bad.
Set up a Google Alert for articles you’ve written. If you want to see where you’ve been cited or plagiarized, set up a Google Alert for a sentence or two of an article you have written. Google will notify you if someone else is using your writing so you can make sure you’ve been given proper credit.
If you’re embarking on a job hunt, Google Alerts can identify recently posted positions in your field. Use keywords to identify jobs that would be a good fit and have Google keep you updated automatically.
Set up Google Alerts for stock symbols to keep track of important news about your investments.
Watch for identity theft by setting a Google Alert for your name, address and telephone number. Some sites recommend setting a Google Alert for other identifying information, such as your date of birth, email address, driver’s license number, license plate number and social security number. Be careful though as Google sends these alerts to your email inbox so you must have a very secure email to make sure you’re not providing hackers with this personal information.
Enter the web address/url of your company’s website to monitor links and mentions of your website. Add [link:yourwebsitename.com] in the Search query field.
If you’re launching a new marketing campaign, use Google Alerts to see where your product is being mentioned on the web and find out whether your campaign is creating buzz.
If you want to be alerted when tickets go on sale for an upcoming event, set up a Google Alert for the name of the event and [tickets] to make sure you find out when to buy them.
How It Doesn’t Work
Google Alerts isn’t effective if you have a common name, such as John Jones, or the name of a famous person. If your name is Justin Bieber or Taylor Swift and you’re not a teen sensation, Google Alerts will not work well for you. Similarly, if you’re searching a term in the news a lot, such as [US Presidential Election], you may be overwhelmed by results, even if you choose “Only the best results.”
The good news is that Google Alerts is free and easy to edit. If you find that your search term is bringing too many results, or not enough results, you can refine your options to make sure that you’re getting the information you need.
Bottom Line
Whether you want to keep up with industry news, monitor your name or Keep Up with Kim Kardashian, use Google Alerts as your powerful, free tool.
Have you used Google Alerts? What do you use as your search terms? Has Google Alerts ever notified you of an important mention on the Internet? Let us know in the Comments section below!
Thanks for the tips. I have been using Yahoo alerts for a similar purpose but think I’ll switch to Google as I’m slowly drifting away from Yahoo.
One of my favorite uses is to track a drug which I take and which has been subject to recent trial runs. It is a common enough drug but this keeps me further ahead than my M.D.
Hi Lee, What a great use for Google Alerts. That information could be very helpful to those awaiting the launch of a drug. You’re right, Google Alerts could let you know about the drug coming to market before the doctor finds out about it.
Thanks for sharing your brilliant idea with us, Lee!
Great info Carolyn!
I have read and heard a lot about Google Alerts, but never really gone so much in detail as from your post! There is surely a great deal you can do with this free tool.
However, I wanted to ask that how or why would we want to look for results when we have normal google.com for that? I normally just type out what I want and get the results instantly. So, is google alerts mainly to get you the information in your mailbox? Or perhaps it sends you all the things, places, or searches you wanted to know about and filled in?
I just thought to clarify before my inbox starts flooding up with these alerts for which you do need to devote time to read through all of them.
Thanks for sharing 🙂
Hi Harleena, Excellent question. Google Alerts is to be used when you want Google to notify you when a search term appears on the Internet. For example, I have a Google Alert set for my name [“Carolyn Nicander Mohr”] so that if I am mentioned on the Internet, I will find out about it. (There are quite a few people with the name “Carolyn Mohr” so I don’t have a Google Alert set up for just my first and last names.)
I also have Google Alerts set up for the name of my blog [“Wonder of Tech”] and my URL [link:wonderoftech.com] and have found some references to my blog I would not have found otherwise.
Google Alerts saves me from having to search these terms daily. I know when these terms appear without having to take time to conduct a daily search.
I agree, there is a danger of having your inbox flooded if you search a term that is very popular. You can adjust the settings so that you only get alerts from specific categories, such as news or blogs, or only get them weekly, or you can send them to your RSS reader.
I hope you find Google Alerts helpful, Harleena! 🙂
Understood that well now Carolyn!
I guess I should try it out with my name or the blogs name and see how things work. Yes, you are right that we could even check it weekly or get it into our RSS so that the inbox is not really flooded all the time. But yes, if where your first name is only mentioned or your middle name is not mentioned, you must not be getting notified I guess?
I would surely be trying it out, more so because you suggested it. Thanks once again. 🙂
Google Alerts gives you a preview as you are entering the search fields so you can see what sorts of Alerts you will be getting. You’re right, unless you searched for [Harleena] instead of [“Harleena Singh”], you wouldn’t pick up mentions just of “Harleena”.
If you find your inbox flooded, you can always edit your search parameters later. Good luck!
Hi Carolyn,
I use Google alerts a lot. Most of it is on topics of interest to me . I find a lot of new blogs and news using Google alerts.
One thing is that if the alerts are marked to send news everyday to inbox, one might get overwhelmed if the number of topics one is following are many. In that case it is better to keep the alert on a weekly basis. Otherwise this monster keeps sending content our way :).
Its a fantastic tool and I use it to maximum 🙂
Hi Ashvini, Excellent point, for mentions that aren’t time-sensitive, getting an alert once a week can be sufficient. You can also customize your alerts so the more important ones are set for daily or immediate notices while the less important ones are weekly.
You can also use your RSS reader to keep notices out of your inbox. Just be sure that you check your reader regularly. 🙂
Thanks for sharing your wonderful suggestions with us, Ashvini!
I love Google Alerts. I have one for WordPress (I have it sending me best blog posts once per week). I used to have more, like one for SEO, but then my inbox got too full of info that I couldn’t keep up with. For a while I was following “small biz” and I found some great posts that way. One of my clients is following her own last name (it’s unusual, so she says she gets notices of her cousin, too). I have leoraw (my domain name) going to my Google Reader.
Hi Leora, Wow those are very interesting uses of Google Alerts. What search terms do you use to find the best blog posts through Google Alerts?
Yes, if someone has an unusual last name, she could make great use of Google Alerts. One of the most interesting uses of Google Alerts I found in doing research for this article was by someone who was adopted but wanted to find her birth family. She knew their last name but couldn’t seem to find them on the Internet. By using Google Alerts she was able to find a mention of them on the web one day.
Thanks for sharing your interesting ideas for Google Alerts with us, Leora! 🙂
Hi Carolyn,
You’ve told everyone about my secret weapon. I have used alerts for some time. I have an MPC alert for anything to do with our Monetary policy committee, interest rates and other economic indicators and after reading this will set one up for a zillion ideas! My friend was looking for a job and I set one up fro ASP.NET because that’s what he does. They are really useful.
The stock market is having a bad day today but when prices drop I see buying opportunities! The sun’s still shining and I’m saving money on heating. my car goes in next week so I might need to save a little, but I think the problem might be less serious than I first thought. I think I might save money by not listening to family and friends and asking an expert! 🙂
Hi Mike, Yes, you should definitely set up a Google Alert for your new blog. I like your idea of setting up a Google Alert for news stories that may affect your investments.
A dear friend once told me that you can make money whether the stock market is going up or down. His definition of a bad day in the market is a day when the market doesn’t move. 🙂
Yay, the party is back on…..
Google Alert is something I have been doing for awhile; not only do I Google Alert myself to see what is being said about me, I also have my top commercial accounts an prospect on Alert as well. It works great when I share info with them and they are impressed I ‘found’ it.
There are more than one Bill Dorman’s out there, but obviously I am the coolest and most popular……….just sayin’………..:)
Hi Bill, Wow, what a great use of Google Alerts, to keep tabs on prospective clients. I’m sure they are impressed that you are well-informed with the latest information.
I am a bit concerned, though, that your email inbox might be flooded with mentions of you, what with how famous you are and everything. You’re probably keeping Google quite busy! 😀
I love Google Alerts. I’ve got set up several alerts at any given time. Mainly for monitoring special topics I have websites about. I put them all in an rss feed, to get a good overview from whats currently going on in that topic, get ideas for new articles and keep an idea on my competition…
Hi Andy, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! It sounds as if you’re making good use of Google Alerts. Using the service to keep on top of the competition is a great idea. 🙂
Google Alerts is a great site indeed Carolyn and you did a fabulous job of explaining how to use it.
The first time I set my name up I was very surprised to learn there is an actress with my same name. Funny thing is though when you Google my name, I come up in the #1 spot, not her. There are also several other business women who pop up as well so I soon found this search wasn’t the best for me. I prefer just sticking with my link.
Good to see how others are using this as well. You can get bombarded if you aren’t careful so test test test.
Thanks for explaining this Carolyn and I did finally make it by.
~Adrienne
Hi Adrienne, Yes, I imagine with the last name of Smith you have plenty of namesakes. I friended another Carolyn Mohr on Facebook. I figured that if ever anyone ever got us confused we could straighten it it out. That hasn’t happened and I get confused at times when she posts. She is very nice though.
I didn’t know there was a famous actress named Adrienne Smith. But of course she isn’t as famous as you! She probably brags to people that you are her namesake. (*)
Hello Carolyn! Actually I’ve read and heard much about Google Alerts, but never really was much in details from your post! Certainly there is a big advantage you can do with this free tool in marketing. you can do more post about using this tool in marketing? I’ll really like.
Hello Lucio, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech. I’m glad you found this post educational. Google alerts is a fantastic tool to help you both personally and with your business.
Yes, Google Alerts can be very useful in marketing. In fact, I just wrote an article at Adrienne Smith’s blog on using Google Alerts, and 9 other sites, to market your business. You can find the article here: The Top 10 Sites to Promote Your Business.
Enjoy!
thank you for the amazing tips and once again an awesome post i can never go a day without reading your post they are so full of useful information, thank you
Hi Andrew, Thanks for your kind words. It means a lot to me to know these article help you. I hope you continue to enjoy The Wonder of Tech.
I am in love with Google alerts. I didn’t use it often but a friend of mine used it to tell me that someone actually ripped off my post… word to word; there isn’t much you could say but makes you a little aware of what is going around.
Hi Hajra, I’m so sorry that happened to you. It’s horrible when people steal your hard work. But I’m glad that Google Alerts has helped you. I hope in the future that your mentions are only for acclaim, not for content pirates.
I have used Google Alerts for a number of years now and been quite pleased with the results. Most of the time I use it to track my blog but I have used it to gather information on other topics too.
The biggest issue for me has been time because I just don’t have enough to sift through all of the information that I could be chasing down.
Hello Jack, Good point. Once you get the information, what do you you do with it? If you’re becoming overwhelmed, perhaps go for less frequent notifations or try searching fewer terms. Or maybe you could get less famous? Nah, that would never work. (*)
The post is very interesting and useful for me.Thanks for sharing the post..
Hi Sound Bar, Im glad you found this useful and interesting. Thanks for stopping by and letting us know!
Hey Carolyn
Nice post I haven’t any experienced about Google alert but it’s really seems important for me.By the way I try your play ups apps it’s really awesome.
Hi Rizwan, I think you’ll find Google Alerts very useful. The Play Up app is great and I’ve heard from a lot of readers that they have enjoyed Play Up. Thanks for letting us know, Rizwan!
I’m guessing that there might be some trial-and-error involved in using Google Alerts to your best advantage, but it sounds like a great intelligence-gathering tool.
Hi Joel, great point. You may need to edit you alerts to make sure you are getting the results you desire. But the good news is that it’s easy to edit your alerts.
Great tips Carolyn. I especially like how you’ve included examples on how to use Google Alerts. It’s a great tool and one I wish I had thought to blog about. 🙂 I didn’t realize that you had written a guest post for Adrienne’s blog. I must have missed that one. I’ve started following you now and being in the same LinkedIn group should help me keep track of your latest posts too.
Hi Sheeryl, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! I’m so glad we connected and that I discovered your LinkedIn site through Leora’s blog. I’m still catching up from being away on vacation but I will be by to visit your site soon.
Yes, I was honored to be a guest author on Adrienne’s site a few weeks ago. Her site is one of my favorites! 🙂
I love Google Alerts!
I’ve found a ton of great resources within my industry (insurance) on marketing that I would never have found if it wasn’t for Google Alerts.
Great article… Thanks,
Ryan H.
Hi Ryan, Great example of how to use Google Alerts effectively. Thank you for sharing your experience and your kind words with us! 🙂
Hi Carolyn
Google Alert is a great free tool that I have been using for some time know. I mostly use it to check if somebody out there is using the name of my domain. Maybe it is time for me to extend my use of Google Alerts.
Hi Thomas, Yes, you can consider expanding your use of Google Alerts. See if you can add to your alerts without getting overwhelmed by getting too many notices. You can always edit your alerts if you get too many.
Hi good post.
Was just searching to find something like this.was looking at setting up a site and this hopefully will be very useful. Like you say I could imagine if you used this tool for a common search you could get inundated with alerts. Which then would probably drive you mad. But for less searched words should be a big asset.
Thanks again.
Hi Lee, Yes, the alerts could drive you mad but you can easily edit them if you get too many. Dont let the fear of getting too many alerts stop you from trying the service. You can tweak them and get the results you want, if not on the first try, then after you refine your search terms.
For some reason, GA doesn’t do a good job for me, Carolyn – I still miss out on a lot of mentions… Haven’t figured out why!
Hi Ana, I agree, Google Alerts isn’t perfect. Sometimes it misses mentions of my name, other times it picks up mentions a few days later, even though I get daily alerts. But Google Alerts has also been very helpful in informing me of mentions I would not have learned of otherwise.
Google really has so much to offer, i am constantly finding new tools. Google Alerts is such a good idea, as a business you are always curious to know how your customers are feeling about your services and products. This is a great way to keep track and help unsatisfied customers. Thank you for sharing this great tool Carolyn.
Hi Sarah, You’re right, Google Alerts is a very useful way to keep track of your customers as well as your competition .im glad you enjoyed this article!