Google Alerts: Your Bloodhounds on the Net

I’m amazed at how few small businesses use Google Alerts to take a pulse on their corner of the outside world. What, never heard of Google Alerts? Don’t know that they are free? Don’t realize all that you can learn? Then listen up.

Google Alerts are “email updates of the latest relevant Google results (web, news, etc.) based on your choice of query or topic.”

Uses for Small Business

* To monitor your company name and personal name, to see what people say about you in the media and on the internet.

* To monitor your industry “space” by using key words or phrases that bring you related news, blog posts and internet articles.

* To follow media coverage of a specific event or press release. (It’s not perfect for media pickup, but it works.)

* To learn about a new area of business interest.

How To Create A Google Alerts

1. Log on to www.google.com/alerts. (You must log into or create a Google Account.)

2. Fill in information on search term, media coverage area, desired frequency and your email, and click Create Alert.

3. When you get a confirming email in your inbox, click to confirm that you want to start the alert.

Tips on Terms

You may have to experiment with keywords or phrases to receive the kind of information you want. For example, the words SCORE Chicago result in numerous sports-related alerts for Chicago teams.

Solution: “SCORE Chicago” workshops. By quoting the phrase “SCORE Chicago”, I only receive alerts where those words appear together, and by adding the word “workshops,” I narrow down alerts to those mentioning our workshops. Similarly, I quote my name, “Peg Corwin” so I don’t get flooded with alerts on Corwins I have never met.

Small Biz Experience

Ric Cox, President & CEO of ChicagoCondosOnline.com and blogger at ChicagoCondosOnline.blogspot.com, now runs alerts related to his business. Says Ric “I am amazed by two benefits. One, how much these daily e-mails help me learn about my industry (condos in Chicago). And two, how much I learn about competitors I never knew existed.”

Erica Zalokar, of LegalBalance.com, claims that “Google Alerts have saved me numerous hours scouring the web trying to find relevant content for a website I am building.”

One Negative

There is a downside: you will have more email to read. The fix is to configure your email service to direct Alerts to a separate folder and read them at your leisure.

Bottom Line

Google Alerts help you keep up with what is being said about your business, and who is doing what in your industry. With Alerts, you may be able to correct mis-perceptions about your business, or thank someone for a mention, or learn about new competitive threats.

Why not try them for a week or two and then post a comment back here?