Wish you had a super power that allowed you to know exactly what people were saying about your company online? Well, save that wish for something really great, (like invisibility so you can sneak into Google's headquarters, steal all their ideas, and become the filthiest type of rich imaginable) because that's what Google Alerts are for. Not sure how to set them up or why you need them? Check out our step-by-step instructions for today's To-Do Tuesday below.
Why You Need Google Alerts
Why would you want Google Alerts all up in your inbox? Well, for one, it'll feel lovely knowing every time you get an alert that someone has said something about your company. Of course, every mention of your company may not be positive, (shocking, we know) but there's an upside to that too. Google Alerts enables you to respond to any negative feedback you get on review sites immediately so you can show current and prospective customers that you're proactive and truly care about customer satisfaction. Yes, you can do your own searches for your company's name, but do you really have time to do that? And, as a business owner with a superbusy schedule, will you even remember to do it? Problem solved! Google Alerts will be your daily (or weekly) reminder that someone has said something about your company online. Knowing what was said about your company can provide you with valuable feedback you can use to make your products better. What do people like about your products or services? Don't like? How can you better tailor them to their needs? All of this free and incredibly valuable information could be waiting for you online. All Google Alerts does is make it easy and convenient for you to find it - no super powers needed!
How to Set Up Google Alerts
- Access the Google Alerts home page.
- Type your business' name in the 'search query' box.
- Select your result type. Your options are 'everything, news, blogs, video, discussions, and books.' Since you'll be using Google Alerts to find out what your customers are saying about your company, 'everything' is probably the best choice.
- Now you get to select how often you'd like the alerts hitting your inbox. We can't decide this one for you, so you're going to have to take it from here. What would work best for you? Once a day, as it happens, or once a week?
- Now you get to choose if you'd like to see only the best results or all results. Since this is your first go-round with Google Alerts, select 'all results' for now. Once you start getting the alerts, you may find that you're getting duplicates or results that aren't as relevant as you'd like. If that happens, simply change to 'only the best results.'
- Enter your email address.
- Verify your Google Alerts subscription by clicking on the link that's sent to your inbox.
- You're done!
See? We told you our To-Do Tuesday would always be delightfully easy, yet ever so helpful to a small business owner like you! As always, we love to hear from you, so be sure to let us know if you've found Google Alerts to be beneficial in managing your business' reputation online.