Google Alerts is a very underutilized tool. It is a free tool that allows organizations to monitor their online presence.  Below are some ways you can benefit from using this tool.

1. Help track progress of your newly published content to see if it has been indexed by Google’s search bots. You can do this by tracking your company name, a specific URL, or the title of a blog.
2. Alert you when another site links to your site.
3. You can be notified if you are mentioned in social media conversations.
4. Track to see if/how your company’s executive team and other key personnel are mentioned online. 
5. Read how your competitors are being mentioned online

The directions below show you how to create a Google Alert

1. Log in to https://www.google.com/alerts
2. In the box at the top, enter what you want to follow.  This can be a url, a company name, an individual’s name, a social media handle or a search term.
3. To change your settings, click Show options. Your options are:
   • How often you get notifications
   • The types of sites you’ll see
   • Your language
   • The part of the world you want info from
   • How many results you want to see
   • What accounts get the alert
4. Click Create Alert. You’ll get emails whenever google finds matching search results.