Google alerts for the win (way better than mirror gazing)!

Quick tip for Google alerts.  For those of you who haven’t heard of Google alerts (https://www.google.com.au/alerts) it is a service by Google that allows you to be notified when new content hits the web.  Pick a topic or a name and when something new is being indexed by Google you will get a notification email.

This is perfect for companies that are looking at activity around product or services.

When some of our clients are considering new products or services available in another country an alert can provide you with a ‘heads up’ of net activity so you can get a feel for how well it is being received in that audience.  For example if the product is suddenly in the news because it is being worn or used by a celebrity you will hear from Google and you can leverage this sudden exposure to your advantage.

If there is a lot of new discussion Google will aggregate the links to the content and send it to you at a frequency that suits you.  Nice!

Let’s pause for a moment.  Quick question: how often do you Google your business name?  For those of you giving yourself a mental tick – great – but do you check for new results that might be low on the list?  If you are like most business people the answer is rarely.

So why not use Google Alerts to keep an eye on your results for you?  Just create an alert for your business name.  Whenever any new content is indexed about your business you will know about it.  It’s a great way to ensure you keep an eye on your reputation.