With Google Alerts you stay informed of new interesting content on the internet. for example, do you want to stay informed of the latest news about sustainable hair shampoo? Set up a Google Alert and you will be notified when new content has been posted on this topic.
Does this concern all possible content on the internet? Yes, that’s basically what it comes down to. However, it is a fact that the way of setting up has a major influence on the alerts. For example, do you set an English keyword? Then you will only stay informed of content in which the English keyword has been used. This is also the case if, for example, you choose a German or Dutch keyword.
What is it?
Google Alerts is also known as Google Notification. That name actually immediately clearly reflects what this tool is; this tool gives you notifications if a certain keyword appears in new content. Which keyword this is is entirely up to you to determine. Google itself says the following about this:
“Reports of interesting new content on the internet. How often. Immediate. Up to once a day. Up to once a week. Sources. Automatically.”
That sounds interesting, doesn’t it? We would like to tell you more about the benefits and setting up Google Alerts below.
What are the benefits of Google Alerts?
Is it advisable to get started with Google Alerts? Yes, that is certainly the case as far as we are concerned. At WordPressonderhoud.nl, we have also set up all kinds of alerts ourselves. Why? Because with these alerts you can enjoy the necessary benefits:
- You’ll stay up to date with new blog posts from your competitors. If you know that you and your competitor are focusing on the same topic, you can enter all kinds of relevant search terms within Google Alerts. As soon as you receive an alert, there is a chance that it is because your competition has posted a new message. Thanks to Google Alerts, you stay sharp on this and you can act quickly.
- You stay up to date with professional literature. Are you active in a specialized industry? And do you know that certain gurus regularly share relevant articles? You can then constantly monitor their websites, but you can much better set up a Google Alert. Thanks to this alert, you will stay informed of professional literature that relates to the industry in which you work.
- It’s completely free. If you want to use Google Alerts, you don’t have to pay anything for this. This tool from Google is completely free to use.
- You can set up Google Alerts to your liking. Another important advantage is that you can set up Google Alerts completely to your liking. For example, you decide for yourself from which search results you want to receive an alert. You also decide how often you want to receive a notification. For example, do you want this several times a day? Or do you want this once a week? The choice is yours.
- Ideal for vacancies. Are you currently unemployed and looking for a new job? Or would you like to switch from your current job to another job? In both cases, Google Alerts also comes in handy. By setting up Google Alerts in the right way, you stay up to date with the latest vacancies. Thanks to this free tool from Google, you may soon be able to find your new dream job!
Set up Google Alerts
Are you convinced of the benefits of this free tool from Google? And would you therefore like to get started with this tool yourself? Then we strongly advise you to follow the steps below. With these steps, you can quickly and easily set up Google Alerts as desired.
Step 1: Go to the Google Alerts website
Firstly, you have to go to the Google Alerts website via your browser. To do this, type ‘google.com/alerts’ in the internet bar.
Step 2: Choose a search term
You will now be taken to a screen in which you can ‘report about…’ sees. Click on that and then enter the desired keyword. This can be, for example, your company name, but also a relevant search term for your business operations.
Tip: do you want to receive the alerts of a long tail keyword? Then the advice is to put this long tail keyword in quotation marks. Thanks to the quotation marks, you will only receive a notification if the long tail keyword is processed in the correct word order in an article.
Step 3: Choose the notification options
You are now presented with all kinds of options:
- How often: you can indicate how often you want to receive a notification from Google. Do you want to receive a notification no more than once a day? Or do you want to receive a notification several times a week? The choice is yours.
- Sources: for sources, it is best to choose ‘Automatic’. This ensures the most convenience.
- Language and region: this depends on your own preferences. If you focus on the Netherlands, it is wise to click on ‘Dutch’ and ‘Any region’.
- How much: finally, you can choose ‘Only the best results’ for how much. Google’s smart algorithm filters all the results and sends only the best results to you. Very desirable.
Step 4: Enter your email address
All you have to do now is enter your e-mail address. If you then click on ‘Report’, you will receive alerts in your mailbox from that moment on. With these alerts you stay perfectly informed of potentially interesting content!
Conclusion
Would you like to get started with Google Alerts? With the above step-by-step plan you make this very easy for yourself.
Can’t quite figure it out? Do you run into problems? Are you unable to set up Google Alerts as desired? Or does something unexpectedly go wrong? You can contact us at any time. We are happy to solve all problems related to Google Alerts for you.
Do you want to be provided with the best tips? Or do you want Google Alerts to be set up completely to your liking? You can also contact us in those situations. We are happy to help/support you with Google Alerts!
