Using Google Alerts 5
One of the tools I have that I see very agents under-utilizing is the Google Alerts tool. It’s a very simple tool to use; enter your search criteria, do some minor configuration on frequency of updates, and submit your email address. Voila! You have real-time updates to Google’s index.
How I Use This Tool
The search query I use the most is “site:www.sitename.com”. What this will allow you to see is when pages of your site get indexed by Google. You are then given the opportunity to re-visit the page, remind yourself what keywords you were targeting for, and check their ranking in Google. You can automate this process by using this handy keyword analysis tool at McDar.net.
You can also use the Google Alerts tool to notify you of when new topics are indexed regarding specific keywords that you are looking to gain rankings in. The most common use would be “area real estate”, where you would replace “area” with your market location. This will allow you to see when new blogs, news articles and even competitors get their sites indexed by Google for the various keywords that you’ve chosen to go after.
If you are currently using Google Alerts, what nifty ways are you using them to better your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) efforts?
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This is, IMO, one of the most powerful tools out there. My favorite trick is to have alerts set up for my competitors’ (and webmasters in other markets I respect) names in parenthesis – such as “Steve Castaneda”. This allows me to see whenever one of my competitors has published a new article, and where. I’ve found some awesome resources this way, and I can tell when one of my competitors is starting a big article writing push.
And when are you going to turn this blog into a do-follow????
Great insight, Eric! I’ve recently implemented this into my repertoire and have already started to get alerts.
Do follow coming up!
Steve,
thanks for the site:example.com tip. I’m going to set this up right now. It’ll be nice to see when competitors (as Eric mentioned) and our web pages get indexed. It’s also a great way to keep up on certain topics.
Thanks for the excellent insight. Looks like my dreams of clearing out my inbox on a daily basis are slowly fading away. Keep the tool insights coming. Thanks again!