Google Alerts

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September 2010

Google Alerts

Social media is a great way to get a competitive advantage over your competitors and to stay up-to-date about what people are saying about you or topics of interest. While we discussed a few of them in last week's article about Twitter Search and Facebook Search, this week's focus is on Google Alerts.

Google Alerts are email updates of the latest relevant Google results (web, news, etc.) based on your choice of query or topic. Here are five ways that Google Alerts can be used to help your business:

1. Track Topics and Keywords

This is how most people start out using Google Alerts. By selecting keywords or topics that are relevant to your business , you are able to have Google tell you who is writing about that relevant topic. Keeping on top of what’s happening in your industry will help you make better decisions in your business and alert you to new products or strategies that can help you do things smarter.

2. Keep an eye on yourself

An obvious offshoot of tracking broad keywords is to use Google Alerts to also track your brand name, the names of all of your employees, the name of your blog, your domain name, any product names, etc. Anything that is associated with your company and is unique enough that it can be tracked, should be tracked. Being able to quickly spot conversations taking place about you on the Web allows you to become part of them. Whether the mention is someone recommending you or someone being critical, your ability to get involved is very beneficial to your business as it shows how you can be proactive.

3. Track Competitors

If your competitors are doing something that is cutting edge, you should be as well. Tracking competitors alerts you to different strategies or potential openings that might arise. Tracking Competitors is very important and a great strategy for improving your business.

4. Track New Links

As a small business owner, it’s really important to pay attention to the links coming into your site. In addition to helping you identify possible partners or industry specific pages, it allows you stay involved with new and upcoming trends. And of course, tracking links to your competitors sites is important as well.

5. Find Customers

Finally, to help find customers, you can use Google Alerts to search for phrases such as "who sells a widget" Yahoo answers, Google Groups, and other sites that provide questions and answers.

Posted By: Michael Drobnis @ May 05, 2010 10:42:00 PM

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