Do you even know what a Google Alert is?
Well it’s a really useful little web application to tell you when a certain phrase is used on a web page that Google has indexed. For instance, I have an alert set for “Frank Haywood”, and if anyone uses my name on a site I know about it within a few minutes.
You can set them up by clicking on Google Alerts.
It’s a very good web application to accompany and complement the tool I posted about the other day.
To go with these, in a few days time I’ll update my free keyword tool Keyword Inspector, and I’ll also shortly be releasing another nice little freebie that I think you’re going to like…
-Frank Haywood
Frank, a good piece of advice, as usual.
For anyone who has never seen a Google alert arriving in their email it’s quite fascinating. Seeing who – and where – your name, or website, is mentioned is quite instructional.
It’s also a very good way of testing how fast your content gets indexed. If you set up a Google alert on a phrase in your content that’s unique, as soon as you get your Google alert notificatin you know big G have found it.
For testing which methods work best to get them to look at your content, it’s a very valuable free resource.
Hi Frank,
I have used it for a while now. It announces new articles, blog posts and news feeds containing keywords of interest to me. It is a great tool AND it is free.
Geoff
Amin:
Yes it’s especially good for knowing how quickly your blog posts have been indexed. 😉
For instance I made this post at 9.40pm my time, and at 0:50am I received the Google alert. I usually get them within about 30 minutes, but I guess it depends on just when the SEs look at your site.
Hmm, here’s a thought. I haven’t posted all week (since Monday) – I wonder if that affects how often Google checks your site?
Geoff:
It’s funny isn’t it? You pick these tools up, start using them and forget how useful they are.
Yet I reckon 99% of marketers (or people interested in making money online) have never even heard of Google Alerts.
Here’s an interesting thing too. You both came to my blog and made a comment, yet I haven’t sent an email out to my subscribers yet.
Which are you using? The blog update tool or Google Alerts? 😉
It is the magic of RSS.