We bloggers are always on the lookout for free tools: free blogging tools, free SEO tools, free marketing tools, and it goes on and on!
Surprisingly, we have been ignoring the one tool which is not only free, but has been handed down to us by the search engine Lord, Google, and it’s called Google Alerts.
What is Google Alerts?
Google Alerts is a web content monitoring tool.
You enter a search keyword and the tool shows if the search keyword appears in Google results.
You can select the kind of results you wish to see, namely News, Blogs, Video, Discussion and Books.
From a bloggers’ perspective, this is a tool for blog marketing and analysis.
Why Should You Use Google Alerts?
A very relevant question and I will give you eight equally relevant and outside-the-box answers.
1) Check Content Indexing
You can use Google Alerts to check whether your blog posts are getting indexed.
Simply create an alert with your blog name.
Every time a blog post is published and indexed, you will get an alert.
If not, you need to check with Google Webmasters and submit a sitemap.
2) Find Blogs for Guest Blogging
If Google comes around to devaluing guest blogging links, we are doomed.
If not, Google Alerts is THE best place to discover blogs in any specific niche and pitch guest post ideas.
First, you need to select your targeted keywords.
Whenever anything is posted and indexed around the targeted keywords, Google will send you a notification.
I set up a Google alert for ‘guest posting’ and here’s a sample of notifications received.
Simply visit the source, check out the website, and pitch your idea.
3) Find Blogs for Commenting
Every blogger knows the value of commenting.
Similar to the second method, set up alerts and visit the source blog to comment.
It is a hassle-free method because you don’t have to spend hours searching for niche-relevant blogs or signing up with blog email lists to remain updated.
Just use Google Alerts!
4) Get News Updates
Bloggers often get traffic spikes when they write about trending topics.
By using Google Alerts and setting the frequency of notifications to “as it happens”, remaining updated on niche developments is much easier.
Here’s an example. Target keyword phrase is ‘Facebook’.
5) Monitor Brand Name
If you’re trying to build an authority and brand-able blog, Google Alerts will be a handy tool to track blog branding.
You will know if someone links to your blog or mentions it on their posts, and determine the value it adds.
For example, when I searched for Traffic Generation Café, this is the result I got:
You can see that the results show incoming backlinks.
This way, Ana gets to know where her blog is getting exposure and she can monitor traffic as well.
6) Track Backlinks
If you are into commenting, guest blogging, article marketing, presentations and video marketing to promote your blog, Google Alerts will help to track backlinks.
Whenever your blog link appears anywhere on the blogosphere, you get a notification from Google.
7) Find Content Ideas with * and OR Combination
When you track developments happening within your niche, you will come across topics and issues others are writing about and it could inspire you to present your thoughts on the topic.
You could also use the * and OR attributes to search for specific ideas.
For instance, you can add ‘how * blog’ [without quotes] and Google will replace the * mark with suitable phrases and show you the final output.
An example is given below.
Writer’s block is common for bloggers. Using Google Alerts will give you fresh perspective on niche developments.
8) Use ~ to Unravel Horizontally Relevant Synonyms & Niches
Suppose you have a blog on ‘pain relief’.
When you set up the Google Alerts adding “~ pain relief” search query [remove quotes], Google will show synonyms of the search query.
See the example below.
This is beneficial if you want to target more keywords.
These synonymous phrases could become the secondary keywords to incorporate on the blog.
Won’t Google Alerts Clutter Inbox?
Of course, it will.
You can easily avoid the clutter by setting a Gmail filter. Please follow the given steps to do so.
1. Log in to Gmail.
2. Create a New Label.
3. Go to Settings > Filters > Create a New Filter
4. On the new page, add the following:
From: googlealerts-noreply@google.com
To: [your email id]
Leave other fields blank.
5. Click ‘Create filter with this search’.
The filter is set up.
Filters won’t clutter the inbox. They are completely unobtrusive.
Whenever you wish to brainstorm ideas or monitor blog progress, go to the label and check the emails.
Google Alerts Alternatives
Some users complain that Google Alerts becomes slow or fails to deliver results after a few weeks.
I don’t know the reason for this, but in case you do experience the same, here is a list of 10 alternatives to Google Alerts.
Most of these tools are free. Some have paid versions as well.
Some are for Twitter and Facebook alerts.
Marketing Takeaway
I find Google Alerts to be a valuable tool, especially for bloggers.
Before you invest in other blogging and SEO tools, do try out Google Alerts.
Chitraparna Sinha
Chitraparna Sinha is a 5-year veteran of the freelance content development industry, a social media enthusiast, a freelancing consultant, a thinker, a published editor and a professional blogger. She can be reached via her blog SocialVani.
Google alerts works well for me.
I am no longer a fan, actually… catches only about 10% of the mentions, if I am lucky!
Thank you for this wonderful post. Just used it to create a nice Google Alerts Filter.
You are so very welcome, Katie!
I love using google alerts! Another good tool to monitor your content is Talk Walker. My good friend Matthew Woodward wrote an excellent blog post comparing the two services. Check it out when you got time, great content by the way!
I’ve been using Talk Walker for a while now – love it, so much more accurate that Google Alerts!
Great tips Ana, am hitting alerts full force as Big G killed my rankings last update. You always provide great content. Thanks for the tips
Sorry to hear that, Charles; hope you get it back soon.
I missed this post somehow. 🙁 A great alternative alerts feature that provides you with even more than you’ll get from Google Alerts is TalkWalker. It may fill your needs a little better. It has a sleek design and I love that you can actually see some example results before you start getting updates emailed to you.
Just set up an alert with them, Bradley; look forward to the results. Thanks for the tip!
I did not even think about alerts for blog commenting. Great suggestion! 🙂
Excellent post – thank you very much 🙂
One small point is that I think it is better to check “Skip the Inbox (Archive It)” when setting up a Label.
Otherwise all your Alerts will remain in your inbox (as well as your separate Google Alerts folder), and still therefore clutter it up.
Good point, Nick.
This is great. I never knew how to use google alerts. I do know how to set up a filter so I will definitely do that. I’m going to save this site so I can come back to it. Thanks again, Amy
All the 8 tips for Google alerts are awesome. I use Google alerts & even follow some of the ways but I never cared how beneficial it could be. I will really use these tips from now onwards.
Comment on blogs are actually so great that people use it to promote their blog and I have never used Google Alert before. But it’d be great to try it out.
Thank you for the great post, Chitra. I’ve been collecting some info the last couple of weeks searching for alternative to me favourite Google Reader. After reading your post I’m choosing Google Alert for sure!
Hey Chitraparna,
I have been using Google Alerts (or similar tools) for a while simply to find other bloggers in my niche and connect with them (sometimes using #3 commenting). But I am going to have to start using it for #7 and #8 as well 🙂
I like the fact that you ended it with Google Alerts alternatives because for the most part it seems to be not working as well as it used to. I think even Ana mentioned this some time ago.
Anyway, awesome post. It was a informative read 🙂
– Mark T.
Hey Mark, glad that you found it informative 🙂
In fact, it was Ana who gave me the idea to present Alert alternatives as well.
If Alerts is working for you well, using #7 and #8 will be really informative.
~ Chitra
I use google alerts to help me with blog commenting. Thank you for the other tips. Good article. I enjoyed it.
Great information.
I already use Google Alerts to a certain extent, but you definitely pointed out some other great ways to really leverage it.
I particularly like the guest post ideas. That one is a pretty neat little trick to get the most out it.
Staying on top of the news is also very helpful. It is surprising what you can find out before everyone else using this type of method.
Great post Chitra,
I never knew we could do so much with Google Alerts.
Thanks also for the alternatives.
Cheers 🙂
You are welcome Walter. Some people have problems using Alerts so the alternatives would be useful.
Thanks for commenting 🙂
~ Chitra
Wow, I thought this post was written by “yours truly”, Mrs Hoffman. Very informative guest post Chitra, thanks!
And to Anna, just want you to know I appreciate your work lady. Even though I do not comment much (bad habit) on your blog, I do always open up your useful email newsletter.
PS I saw you complain the other day about people not commenting as much. And you wondered if its the absence of comment luv on TGC. Yep it is! And i do hope you’re not bringing it back as most people just leave comments for the sake of the link, the comment section becomes so cluttered in a way that useful comments are buried.
PPS Your blog looks better with the new mod.
Cheers!
You made me smile, Siya; you should comment more often. 🙂
And yes, Chitra did a fabulous job!
Well written guest post, Chtiraparma.
You have included some very useful ideas to get the most out of Google Alerts….
I have been using Google Alerts for a long time, though, only recently put them to work with one of my sites….
Agree 100% with the filter option…as Google Alerts can end up flooding your mail box if we are not careful , and if we have set up a large number of Alerts…..
Never heard of Google alerts actually, gonna check this out. Thanks.
Rgds,
Alexander
Really Alexander?
Well then you must check it out…thank you for stopping by here.
~ Chitra
Very interesting Chitraparna. I am using these alerts and it works quite good. Did not realise that there was alternatives as well. I will be checking them out. Thanks for this.
You have solved my longstanding problem by mentioning the alternatives of Google Alert. Being a blogger with series of tasks in queue there has always been need an online assistant to let us remind when to respond what to ever-changing world of the blogging. For this purpose one can afford a personal asssitant especially during the struggle phase when we have to opt for freebie over the premium offer.
Glad to be of help Edson. I agree that bloggers have so much lined up that its hell of a task to keep up…Google Alerts and other alternatives help a lot.
~ Chitra
As always, Ana, really useful articles that tell you what to do – I appreciate that, with so many other things to think about.
I’m going to try again to get this Google Alerts thing working properly for me.
Great information on how to use Google alerts. Can I get your permission to republish your article on my website?
Thanks for asking first, Peter; and yes, you may republish it.
Hi Peter, glad you republished but you forgot to embed the presentation….check it out.
Great tips as always Ana!
Sadly there are speculations that Google Alerts will go the way of Google Reader, and they may be broken or at least not as reliable as they used to be. I will check out the alternatives.
Another cool way to find blogs for guest posting or commenting is to construct an atom feed like this:
http://www.google.com/search?q=guest+posting&ie=utf-8&tbm=blg&output=atom
and subscribe to this feed in your favorite news reader. For me it works like a charm. One could even use IFTTT to redirect this feed to email, SMS etc.
Thank you very much for letting us know about the value and opportunities that google alerts are offering , before this post i never thought it could be of any help for me but now i see it from tottally different perspective
This is excellent Chitraparna,
Now watch, as soon as I set it up my alerts and get addicted to it like RSS Reader Google will 86 it on me.
Have you heard of any alternatives systems that offer alert service?
Thank you Darnell. Google seems to cutting down on their projects faster than before 😛
BTW, I did give a list of Google Alerts alternatives. Here they are again – http://www.slideshare.net/SocialVani/google-alert-alternatives
Chitra
Well I always used Google Alerts as feeds to Google Reader.
So perhaps Google Alerts will go too!
Super useful post – and I was reminded of Copernic which I used to use a lot but have not done for years. And others I’d not heard of.
A little take away. I watched the slideshow at slideshare and made a comment. Then I was hit by a pop up that said I had to login to publish my comment.
Naturally I closed the window down.
…and made my comment here.
Sites that expect a login are simply badly designed / idiotic.
🙂
Alex
Hey Alex, I still don’t understand why Google would wish to close down Reader 🙁
Thank you for commenting here.
Well, it’s like commenting on Facebook without having an FB account, Alex; it’s understandable.
The one thing this article is missing is that Google Alerts can no longer be relied upon to deliver alerts. Most users are receiving few, if any, alerts of their mentions online: http://www.plagiarismtoday.com/2013/03/26/the-long-painful-demise-of-google-alerts/
I am a long-time user of this service, and I’m sad to see it decline so severely. Google can’t be trusted to upkeep its tools.
And that’s, of course, exactly what Chitra mentioned in the post, Elan, and provided us with Google Alerts alternatives.
This is one of the best FREE tools I ever use to alert me about certain stuffs around the internet. It’s a powerful tool that helps bloggers to be on the look out any time.
Some really nice tips here! Personally I love to use Google Alerts to find the latest news in my niches. This is a great way to not only uncover interesting content but also be “first” to push it out to your tribe which increases shares/retweets and helps build your following.
However I don’t use email alerts – personally I filter them through to my RSS reader at present. I then check them with my iPhone (Reeder app) when I get a second throughout the day, marking the good ones as “unread”.
Then, when I’m back on my computer I simply log on and share all the “pre-checked” content I have received that day. Easy and effective 🙂
Ana and Chitraparna,
I am usually not the first person to post on TGC. It’s actually nice for a change:)
Google Alerts is such a wonderful free tool. I never even considered all of the valuable advice you have given today in your post. I really appreciate you inspiring to be even better at what I do.
Now, it’s time to customize my Google Alert account and get the ball rolling.
I am soooo excited!!!
Many blessings,
Stacie Walker
Woman in Leadership
Hi Stacie,
I really thank Ana to have my guest post here & a special thanks to you too for reaching out.
I am sure Google Alerts will help you. If not, you also have alternatives.
Let’s get the ball rolling.
~ Chitra