This isn’t going to be a super exciting post, but it’s something that I think is really important to share!
I’m not sure if a lot of you use Google Alerts or not… if you don’t, you should!!! I think it’s a really underutilized tool. Basically, I love all Google products (software?), but this is the most useful one.
From the Google webpage:
Monitor the Web for interesting new content
Google Alerts are email updates of the latest relevant Google results (web, news, etc.) based on your queries.
Enter a search query you wish to monitor. You will see a preview of the type of results you’ll receive. Some handy uses of Google Alerts include:
- monitoring a developing news story
- keeping current on a competitor or industry
- getting the latest on a celebrity or event
- keeping tabs on your favorite sports teams
I personally have a BUNCH of Google Alerts:
Heitlinger
[since my last name isn’t that common]
Carly Heitlinger
Carly A. Heitlinger
College Prepster
The College Prepster
www.carlytheprepster.com
www.thecollegeprepster.tumblr.com
Sweet Lemon
Sweet Lemon Magazine
etc. (I have close to 20 variations of key words!)
Using Google Alerts for my blog is pretty self explanatory, it lets me know if someone linked to TCP or mentioned a specific post. It’s great because I can check out the website and comment or reach out to the author! It also is a fun way to see if you were included in any “mainstream” websites (in my experience, they don’t contact you even if they link the blog).
The MOST IMPORTANT alert ever is your name. I’m serious. If you’re applying for jobs… it’s a good idea to know what’s out there! Sometimes I’m mentioned in the strangest articles that I wouldn’t have known otherwise. Maintaining tabs on your online identity is super important. Google Alerts makes it easy!!!
Another useful thing is if you’re about to go to an interview for you dream job and you want to make sure you’re prepared. Make a Google Alert for the company! That way you can be totally up-to-date on the current events of the organization.
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On another note, if you have a blog, I’m sure you’re familiar with Google Analytics. It’s clearly a useful tool to figure out traffic for your blog.
But…
It’s also relevant for your personal website! If you have, let’s say, an online portfolio, you can track to see if people are going to your website or not. It could be that you’re giving out business cards at networking events, but no one is making it to your site. You can track that. If you track and see that Mr. CEO did check out your site, but you didn’t hear from him… I suggest sending him an email to follow up!
(Another more complicated tip…. you can create special tracking links so if you email a link, you can ensure that the link was clicked and tracked to see how long the person spent on the website.)
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Long story short: Google Alerts lets you take control of your online reputation in a super simple way.
Do you use Google Alerts? Has it helped you?
xoxo
I haven't used Google Alerts, but I do use Google Analytics! I love Google Analytics. I'm definitely going to check out the alerts though!
I don't use Google Alerts but I definitely think it's a great idea for all the reasons you listed. Thank You for Sharing 🙂
Once something bad or something you don't want gets online, you can never get it off. (Occasionally you can sue and win, but… rarely.) It's scary. 🙁
Interesting! Thanks for this tip. I'm definitely gonna use it!
I LOVE Google Alerts. I work in PR and use them to follow myself, my clients, my agency, and my dream agency. Google Analytics is also a must have for proving ROI!
I am definitely going to start using this! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the heads up. I will check into this 🙂
That actually sounds interesting! I'll have to look into it.
I've used google alerts for my name, but I never thought of using it for my blog! Thanks!
hmm.. I need to figure this out for my blog and stuff! Interesting!
xoxo.
This was so helpful! Thank you!