Business is just as competitive online as it is in the real world, if not more so. Knowing where your business stands in relation to your closest competitors and where you both stand in regards to the market can give you the advantage you need to really pull ahead. The Internet improves your ability to track your competitors’ success and reputation, and Google Alerts has simplified and streamlined this task even more.
Leveraging Google Alerts To Keep You Informed
Google Alerts is a system that allows you to track the use of any keyword or phrase across the Web. With this tool, you can customize a feed of updates for every time your business—or the competition’s business—is mentioned in blogs, news articles, videos, and social media updates.
Tailor Google Alerts to send you a daily account of your competitors’ daily Internet presence. This will allow you to follow what people say about your competition closely and in near-real time. Google Alerts can make sure that you keep up with trends that your competition has taken advantage of and avoid the pitfalls that may have earned them a bad review.
Turn the Google Alert system around to keep up with your own reputation. Google Alerts can tell you when you get a good review, when you get a bad review, and which of your products and services are getting the most attention from the press or—even better—from social media.
The alert system can be set up to focus on any keyword in any situation. Use this to gauge the demands of the market in your industry. Follow words and phrases relevant to your business to see what your customers are interested in. This can help you adjust your advertising and tweak your list of products and services, staying a step ahead of your competition.
Let Us Know If You Need More Help
Information is power, and being more plugged-in to public opinions and market tendencies than your competition can quickly place you among the elite in your industry. Google Alerts is a free service, making it a pretty solid investment considering the benefits and advantages that it offers. If you need help setting up Google Alerts or would like to rank better than your competitors on Google, check out our Search Engine Optimization plans.
