Are You Googlelicious?

Google Alerts is ‘email updates’ of the latest relevant Google results (web, news, etc.) based on your choice of query or topic. It distills the results from the first 20 or so pages of its search engine results and sends you the alert. The most important aspect of being on the web is your online reputation. Making sure that the information regarding yourself and your business is Good and True and not anything, that is going to hurt you or your business. Now, there are many different aspects of reputation monitoring, and one in particular is Google Alerts.

As a business owner whose specialty is marketing, Google Alerts is a tool that I cannot live without. I get to find out about my clients and their competition, see if anyone is plagiarizing their content, and see who is searching for them. Google Alerts is the ultimate internet spy.

Here are some ways I use the service to save me lots of time and energy marketing in the wrong places.

Are You Googlelicious?
Google Alerts allows you to take a keyword phrase (for example, your name or company name) and receive a notification each time Google finds a new page using that phrase. My Google Alerts has my name “Lucinda Cross”, amongst other words and phrases that are in my industry that I use by doing a keyword search (www.freekeywordtracker.com).

Whenever someone mentions my name or company online, I know about it IMMEDIATELY thanks to Google Alerts – it sends me an email letting me know where the mention is.

Why should you know this information? If someone mentions my name, I can then comment or send an email to the webmaster regarding the page in question. If the mention was a good one, then I could thank him or her and make a connection. If it was bad, then I could ask why or try to change his or her opinions of me or see how the issue can be resolved.  Either way, I am aware of what is being said about my company, and me, which is VERY important! Since most of my business comes from online, my online brand reputation means everything.

So now, do you see why I had you stop what you were doing? Make sure you stay on top of your targeted keywords and phrases, set up through Google Alerts. When a mention is made, that is an opportunity for you to join the conversation and engage the webmaster, and hopefully generate interest in your website or blog. This is especially important in obtaining inbound links to your site. Here is a sample of what I get on a daily basis:

Google Alert – “lucinda cross”

Personal Power Expert and Marketing Strategist Making Waves in …
says Personal Power Expert and Marketing Strategist; Lucinda Cross. The purpose of the session is to provide the tools to help women identify with their value and the power they possess to serve in order to better serve their …
Lifestyle – Latest News – http://www.prlog.org/cat-lifestyle/

Twitter / Lucinda Cross: Take the 28Day Blog Challe …
Take the 28Day Blog Challenge. 1 blog post a day, up to 100 words, post it on your blog, and let us know where to find it by using #gotblog.
twitter.com/corpmomdropout/status/21953058103631872

Twitter / Lucinda Cross: Tailor Made Target. http:/ …
Tailor Made Target. http://tinyurl.com/22ncodj Find a market that is small enough for you to be a major player, but not so small…#gotblog.
https://twitter.com/corpmomdropout/…/23821000709771264

Corporate Mom Dropouts By Lucinda Cross – NEW (eBay item …
Find Corporate Mom Dropouts By Lucinda Cross – NEW in the Books, Magazines, Nonfiction Books category on eBay Australia.
cgi.ebay.com.au/Corporate-Mom-Dropouts…-/270688417619

I must admit I love this thing.  My personal spy and it keeps me in contact with those who are looking for me or using my name. If you’re not using Google Alerts, I hope this article will motivate you to get started.