Google Alerts could be a powerful tool to leverage your business marketing strategy. In this post, you will learn everything about it.
What is Google Alerts
First things first: what is Google Alerts? Google Alerts is a free online tool provided by Google that allows users to monitor the web for specific keywords, phrases, or topics of interest. When new content matching the selected criteria is indexed by Google, the user receives email notifications or updates.
Particularly in marketing, it’s a great tool to monitor whenever your name, company or relevant keywords for your business are searched. It’s an interesting tool within your company’s marketing arsenal, holding the immense potential to enrich your marketing strategy, gain insights and many other functions.
How Google Alerts works
Setting up alerts
To create a Google Alert, you visit the Google Alerts website (https://www.google.com/alerts). Here, you can input the keywords or phrases you want to monitor. You can customize the sources (e.g., news, blogs, web, videos), language, region, and frequency of alerts.
Choosing Keywords
Specify the keywords or phrases you want to track. For example, if you’re a company, you might set up alerts for your brand name, product names, or industry-related terms.
Selecting sources
Determine the sources you want Google to search. You can choose from a variety of options, including news, blogs, web, video, books, and discussions. Each of these categories focuses on different types of content.
Customizing settings
Customize additional settings, such as language, region, and how often you want to receive alerts (e.g., as it happens, once a day, or once a week).
Preview and create the alert
Google provides a preview of the type of results you might receive based on your alert settings. After reviewing, you can create the alert.
Receiving notifications
Once your Google Alert is set up, you’ll receive email notifications containing links to new content matching your specified criteria. You can click on these links to access the full content and stay updated on the latest information.
Use cases for Google Alerts
Using Google Alerts for your marketing and SEO strategy is a comprehensive way to stay informed about industry trends, monitor your online presence, and identify opportunities.
Brand monitoring
Set up alerts for your business name, product names, and key executives to monitor mentions across the web. This helps you stay on top of your brand reputation, address customer feedback, and engage with your audience. Timely responses to both positive and negative mentions are crucial for maintaining a positive brand image.
Competitor analysis
Monitor your competitors by setting up alerts for their company names, product names, or key personnel. Stay informed about their marketing campaigns, product launches, and any news related to their business. Analyzing competitor strategies can provide valuable insights for enhancing your own marketing efforts.
Industry trends and keywords
Set up Google Alerts for key industry terms, trends, and keywords related to your marketing niche. Stay informed about the latest developments, emerging trends, and changes in consumer behavior. This knowledge can help you adapt your marketing strategy to stay ahead of the curve.
News and publications
Receive updates on news articles, blog posts, or publications related to your interests. Being aware of the latest news in your industry allows you to tailor your marketing messages to align with current events and market dynamics.
Customer feedback
Set up alerts for keywords related to your business along with terms like “review” or “feedback.” This allows you to track what customers are saying about your products or services across various platforms. Positive feedback can be leveraged in your marketing materials, while addressing negative feedback promptly is essential for reputation management.
Content curation
Use Google Alerts to discover relevant content that you can share on your social media channels or blog. By curating high-quality content from reputable sources, you position yourself as an industry expert and provide additional value to your audience.
Backlink opportunities
Set up alerts for terms related to your industry and add “guest post,” “write for us,” or “submit a guest post.” This can help you discover opportunities for guest posting and building high-quality backlinks to your website.
Industry events and conferences
Create alerts for industry conferences, events, and webinars. Staying informed about these events allows you to plan your content and SEO strategy around them, potentially attracting more traffic and visibility during industry-specific occasions.
Local SEO
If your business has a local presence, set up alerts for location-specific keywords, events, and news. This can help you optimize your local SEO strategy and stay connected with the local community.
Content gaps
Monitor alerts for long-tail keywords and niche topics related to your industry. This can help you identify gaps in existing content and create new, valuable content that addresses specific queries or concerns within your niche.
Powerful. Simple. Free. Google Alerts can help you leverage your business strategy by providing you with insights on reputation, campaigns, content, competitors and the industry market.
