You can set Google Alerts instead of constantly checking Google News to see if any new stories have been published on a given topic. Google Alerts sends you an email whenever Google discovers a new result that fits your alert. This article serves as a guide on how to set up the Google Alerts app. Let’s dive in!
What are Google Alerts?
Google Alerts are an email notification service that monitors the web for the terms you specify. Google’s free service is great for keeping tabs on how customers feel about your business and what they have to say about the goods and services you offer.
Can You Set Multiple Google Alerts?
Each Gmail account can have up to one thousand alerts. To use Google Alerts, you need a Gmail account, and the alerts will be sent to that address. However, setting up a Gmail account is effortless and costs you nothing. So, let’s check out how simple it is to set up Google Alerts.
How to Set a Google Alerts App
Thinking of how to set up your Google Alerts app? Here is a simple guide on how to set your Google alerts:
#1. Visit the Google Alerts Website
To subscribe to Google Alerts, go to https://www.google.com/alerts in your browser or follow this direct link.
#2. Type in the Query You Wish to Keep an eye on
A summary of the many kinds of results you might expect to see appears just below the search bar. If the search results don’t seem to fit your needs, consider refining your criteria.
- Direct Quotation: To find complete phrases rather than individual words, use quotation marks. To receive information about the film The Boy in the House, for instance, you may enclose the title in quotation marks. Verify the order of the words within the quotations. Use quotes to limit your search to particular phrases.
- With a negative sign: To filter out unwanted terms from your search, use the minus sign (-). This is especially useful for narrowing the scope of a search by eliminating terms that could have different meanings. Entering animal will filter out any results pertaining to the puma animal, leaving only those pertaining to the Puma clothing brand.
- Using an asterisk: If a word is unfamiliar to you, just replace it with an asterisk. Searching “New York * citizens” will return results about various things that the city is doing to its citizens. It will return any sentence that has “New York” and “citizens.”
- The OR operator: If you use OR in your search, you’ll see results that include all of your criteria. If you ran a search for “Australia OR prison OR systems,” results pages would show up that may only contain one of the search terms.
#3. Select Your Desired Source
To access other filtering choices, use the More Options link that appears beneath the search bar. Select a submenu there, and then click the arrow to the right of Source. Simply click on as many checkboxes as you’d like to include. A tick will appear next to the chosen references.
- Automatic: Displays the best results, regardless of where they were found.
- Blogs: Only blog posts will be returned. Although blogs aren’t always the best source of information, they can be useful for gauging the internet community’s sentiment toward a given topic.
- News: Results from reputable sources like the New York Times and the Washington Post will be returned. If you want to keep tabs on a developing topic or event, this is a reliable source to incorporate.
- Web: Will provide results from all across the web, including online groups and message boards.
- Video: Provides search results for videos.
- Books: Find all the latest books that fit your criteria. Due to the lower frequency with which books are published, you might expect a smaller number of results.
- Discussions: Discussion groups and other online communities are included in the search results.
- Finance: Provides economic and financial results. If you want to keep tabs on the success (or failure) of a certain product or firm, this is a great place to look.
#4. Pick the Interval at Which You’d like to be Notified
To access other filtering choices, use the More Options link that appears beneath the search bar. Then, select a frequency from the corresponding selection.
- As-it-happens: Google can notify you by email whenever there is new content that matches your search terms. To stay abreast of a developing story or event, this is an excellent resource. However, it will cause a flood of emails.
- A maximum of once each day: If you set up a daily Google alert, the search engine will email you a daily summary of the latest information that matches your query. On days when there is little activity related to your search phrase, you may not receive an alert.
- At most once a week: If you set up a weekly Google alert, you’ll receive a synopsis of recent content that relates to your search term. If your search keyword is uncommon and new information on it is rarely available, this may be the best alternative for you.
#5. Choose Between “All results” and “Only the Best Results
The More Options button may be found just below the search bar. Select an option from the submenu that appears to the right of How many. Selecting All Results will provide any and all information matching your search criteria, regardless of how reliable it is. If you want to get a feel for how people are reacting to something on the internet, this can help.
#6. Pick Your Region
To access other filtering choices, use the More Options link that appears beneath the search bar. Then select a region using the pull-down option to the right of the word. You can narrow your search results by geographic location with this feature.
#7. Pick the Preferred Method of Receiving the Result
To access other filtering choices, use the More Options link that appears beneath the search bar. Then, to the right of Deliver To, select a corresponding drop-down menu item. Either an RSS feed or an email address can be used. Read our article on creating an RSS feed if you are unfamiliar with the concept.
Click Create Alert once you’ve made your selections and verified the results preview to your satisfaction. You may now choose between receiving notifications by email or via an RSS feed.
The Usefulness of Google Alerts App
Google Alerts can be used for more than just monitoring. You can use it to research both your own and your rivals’ websites. The following are the benefits:
#1. Keep an Eye Out for Critiques of Your Brand Online
Reputation management is a breeze using Google Alerts, which notifies you whenever your website or products are mentioned online. Listening in on what people are saying about your brand is facilitated by this. And if there are any complaints, you will be alerted right away so you can address them.
In a similar vein, the information can be used to determine where your products can use enhancements and what features should be included.
#2. Find a Fresh Perspective on Your Target Keywords
If you use Google Alerts to monitor what others are saying about your chosen keywords, you can improve your site’s SEO (search engine optimization). If you’re stuck for ways to give your material a fresh spin, this is a great resource to have at your disposal. To produce superior content, it is helpful to stay abreast of what is currently being published online in response to these concerns.
#3. Follow the Advertising Campaigns of Your Competitors
Setting up Google Alerts is an easy way to keep tabs on what the competition is up to. You can use it to learn about their advertising strategies. For example, you can set Google Alerts to let you know when a competitor is mentioned by adding their website name, goods, owner and other company representatives, address, etc.
You’ll then be notified any time their name is mentioned online. By contacting the owner of the website that is connected to your competition, you can inquire about possible backlink exchanges.
#4. Exploit Your Competitors’ Best Ideas for Fresh Content
Keeping tabs on the competition is a great way to come up with fresh ideas for your own website’s content. You can use the blog’s URL instead of its brand name to receive updates about new posts by the authors. By doing so, Google Alerts will notify you whenever they add new material to their site. Then, you’ll be able to fill in the blanks on your website with superior content on a similar topic to that of your rivals.
#5. Stop Theft and Piracy of Your Products
You’ve probably run into the issue of piracy if you’re selling digital goods online, such as plugins, software, eBooks, or courses. It’s not easy to check online for merchandise theft. Here’s where Google Alerts really shine.
You may monitor your brands with alerts, find sites and people who may have pirated your work, and take appropriate action against them. You may also use Google Alerts to easily and free of charge track mentions of your website, keywords, and competitors throughout the web.
Read Also: How to Change Email Signature in Gmail: Detailed Guide
Changing Your Google Alerts Settings
You can make changes to a Google Alert either by visiting google.com/alerts or by replying to the email notification you get.
#1. Editing From google.com/alerts
- To make changes to your Google Alerts, visit google.com/alerts.
- Second, edit an alert by selecting the pencil icon.
- Click the double arrows, and then pick an alert configuration choice from the resulting drop-down tabs to make the appropriate modifications to your alert or alert delivery.
- Select the “Update alert” option.
#2. Editing From a Google Alert Email Notification
- Access the email that Google Alert sent you.
- Select “Edit this alert.”
- Thirdly, your browser will take you to google.com/alert. Editing should be handled in the same way as described above. To make changes, start by selecting the pencil icon.
How to Delete a Google Alerts
Google Alerts can be edited and deleted in the exact same ways: via the Google Alerts page at google.com/alerts or via the Google Alerts email. Google Alerts can be deleted in the same way from a computer as they can be from a mobile device.
Getting Rid of an Alert from Google’s Alerts Page
- Visit google.com/alerts#.
- To dismiss a notification, simply click its garbage can symbol.
- The third step is to wait for Google to confirm that your alert has been removed.
- Google will verify that your alert has been removed. Even if you click “Dismiss” on the pop-up message, you can always go back and select “Undo” if you change your mind.
Deleting a Google Alert from an Email
You’ll be able to make changes to or remove a Google Alert email notice at any time. To accomplish this, do as follows:
- Access the email that Google Alert sent you.
- Select “Unsubscribe.”
- The third step is going to google.com/alert.com. To remove this Google Alert, select the bin icon.
More Customized Google Alerts
You may customize Google Alert email notifications in a number of different ways. Email notifications can be scheduled for a specific time, and numerous notifications can be combined into a single message.
Here are the easy steps you need to take to make these adjustments:
- To begin, visit google.com/alerts.
- Then, next to “My alerts,” select the gear symbol.
- Select the time of day you want to be notified by clicking the “Delivery Time” box in the pop-up window.
- Select the “Digest” checkbox to specify the email address and the frequency with which you will get email updates.
How Does Google Alerts Work?
Use the free service Google Alerts to keep tabs on your chosen search phrases. The outcomes are delivered to your Gmail inbox at a frequency of your choosing. This service is not only completely free, but it can also be tailored to your specific needs.
Do You Need a Gmail Account to Set Up Google Alerts?
You don’t need a Gmail account to utilize Google Alerts or any of Google’s other services. An email address from any service provider can be used. Having a Google account outside of Gmail is also possible.
Are Google Alerts Free?
Google Alerts is the easiest business tool to set up, and it’s free.
Final Thoughts
Knowing about Google Alerts is not all that matters, but knowing how to set Google Alerts is the main deal. I do hope you use this guide to create yours.
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