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Keeping You Updated

Staying up-to-date with news within your niche can be a lot of hassle. Thankfully, though, Google Alerts can be utilised to automate this process, keeping you updated without needing to monitor what’s going on constantly. So, what needs to be done to implement Google Alerts?

Key Takeaways

  • Effortless Niche Monitoring: Google Alerts simplifies staying informed about your niche by automating updates. By setting up alerts for industry keywords, competitors, and relevant searches, you can effortlessly stay updated without constant manual monitoring.
  • Comprehensive Alert Customisation: Customise your Google Alerts by specifying language, sources, region, frequency, and the number of alerts. This ensures you receive the most relevant updates tailored to your needs, enhancing your ability to track brand mentions, competitors, and industry trends effectively.
  • Limitations and Alternatives: While Google Alerts excels at basic web monitoring, it lacks social media tracking. To fill this gap, consider complementary tools like Mention for a more holistic approach to monitoring your brand and industry across different platforms.

This Is Why It’s Important

  • Monitor your brand: whether a customer or client, know what’s being said about you for that essential reputation monitoring.
  • Track competitors: watch for whether they’ve got positive or negative press, any new releases, and link building for SEO purposes.
  • Keep an eye on the industry: industry trends matter, so look out for events, shifts in attitude and new entrants.

Tracking Mentions With Google Alerts: Step-by-step

1. Head to the Google Alerts website.

2. Enter your preferred term for monitoring. Unsure? Consider elements such as your industry’s key terms, your competitors and what searches your customers may be doing. Or even better, head to Google Ads Keyword Planner or Google Trends.

3. Look at your alert options. Enter your alert, but don’t create it (yet). There are some points to configure from the drop-down options menu that should appear:

• Language – which language do you want your monitored content to be in?
• Sources – any particular sources to take into account? For an eclectic monitoring overview, keep it automatic.
• Region – any specific countries in mind for targeted monitoring?
• How many? – do you want alerts for everything or just the best?
• How often? – when do you need to be alerted? Daily? Weekly?

4. Get previewing – if you’re happy with your selected options, you can go ahead and click “create alert”. Of course, just repeat the process for any new alerts you want to create, and edit and delete as needed via the trashcan and pencil icons.

Any Downsides To Google Alerts?

Just one: it doesn’t monitor social media, which obviously has a lot of brand/industry buzz daily. However, there are other tools for this available online such as Mention.

The Best Tool For Basic Monitoring

Google Alerts is easy, quick, and free, making it ideal for the basic levels of brand monitoring. As long as you don’t overwhelm yourself with alerts, it’s a great way to keep an eye on your niche with minimal effort.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I set up Google Alerts for monitoring my brand?

To set up Google Alerts for monitoring your brand, follow these steps:

  1. Visit the Google Alerts website.
  2. Enter your brand name or relevant terms into the alert creation box. Consider including variations and common misspellings to capture all mentions.
  3. Customize your alert settings by selecting the language, sources, region, frequency, and the number of results you want.
  4. Preview the alert to ensure it meets your needs.
  5. Click “Create Alert” to start receiving updates. You can edit or delete alerts as needed through the Google Alerts dashboard.

Can I track my competitors and industry trends using Google Alerts?

Yes, Google Alerts can be an effective tool for tracking competitors and industry trends. To do this:

  1. Create separate alerts for each competitor by entering their name and relevant keywords.
  2. Use industry-specific keywords to monitor broader trends and news. Tools like Google AdWords Keyword Planner or Google Trends can help identify key terms.
  3. Adjust your alert settings to focus on specific regions or sources if necessary.
  4. Regularly review and refine your alerts to ensure you’re receiving the most relevant information.What are the limitations of Google Alerts and how can I address them?

While Google Alerts is excellent for basic web monitoring, it has some limitations:

  • Lack of Social Media Tracking: Google Alerts does not track social media platforms. To monitor social media mentions, consider using tools like Mention or Hootsuite.
  • Volume of Alerts: Receiving too many alerts can be overwhelming. Manage this by selecting only the most important keywords and adjusting the frequency and number of alerts.
  • Content Scope: Google Alerts primarily covers web content. For more in-depth monitoring, including forums and niche websites, you may need to use additional tools or services specialized in comprehensive media monitoring.