What is Google Alerts?

Google Alerts

What is Google Alerts?

Google Alerts is a free service from Google that monitors the web for any new content that matches a particular search query. At regular intervals, you can receive alert emails with links to newly discovered content. You can set the frequency to at most once a day, at most once a week, or as soon as it appears.

Example of Google Alerts email notification

Why is Google Alerts Important?

Google Alerts has a lot of practical uses:

Keeping Up with Interests: For everyday users, Google Alerts is a good opportunity to get updates on new content you're interested in. This could include news, blog posts, books, videos, and more.
Brand Monitoring: For brands and businesses, Google Alerts is a powerful tool to keep track of mentions and reviews, and even monitor competitors' online activities.
SEO and Link Building: From an SEO perspective, Google Alerts can help in:
- Monitoring the web for unlinked mentions of a brand or product name.
- Uncovering new guest posting opportunities.

Creative Ways to Use Google Alerts

Many people know about basic Google Alerts, but few are aware that the service supports advanced search operators from Google search. Here are several creative ways to incorporate Alerts into your daily workflow:

1. Monitor Competitors’ New Content

Set up alerts for “site:yourcompetitor.com” to stay on top of their new content. You can also follow their brand name to see mentions in the press or blogs.

2. Watch for Link Injection Hacks

Monitor your own website for link injections or low-quality user-generated content. For example, set up an alert for “site:yourwebsite.com viagra OR payday loans OR casino.”

3. Find Guest Posting Opportunities

Set alerts like:

Topic + “guest post by”
Topic + “write for us”
Topic + “guest article”

Example: For knitting, you might use “knitting + ‘write for us’” to find new guest post targets.

4. Answer Questions in Your Niche

Set up an alert to monitor forums and Q&A websites. For example:

[topic] + site:[forum1.com] OR site:[forum2.com] OR site:[qawebsite.com] + intitle:(who|what|when|where|how)

This helps you establish expertise and provide helpful answers, potentially driving traffic and building authority.

Get Even More Notifications with Ranktracker Alerts

While Google Alerts is useful, it has its limitations. Ranktracker Alerts can provide even more notifications. In addition to web mentions, Ranktracker Alerts can notify you of new or lost backlinks to your website and changes in keyword positions.

FAQs

Can Google Alerts track social media mentions? No, Google Alerts cannot track social media mentions directly. However, you can use social media monitoring tools for this purpose.

Is Google Alerts free? Yes, Google Alerts is a free service.

How often are Google Alerts sent? You can set the frequency to at most once a day, at most once a week, or as soon as the content appears.

Google Alerts