Google couples its search engine with an automatic email generator, enabling online copywriters to monitor keywords, competitors, hackers and plagiarists.
Of all the online robots and applications on tap, my favorite is Google Alerts.
Google Alerts is the online copywriter’s friend. It’s powerful, uncomplicated and free.
Here’s how you can use it to aid your SEO copywriting and help maintain your high Google search rankings.
- Track your targeted keywords and discover when new information is being posted about your core topics.
- Discover your competitors for specific keyword phrases and how they are using them to attract organic search traffic that could be going to your website.
- Track your brand, your own name, and the names of your bylined columnists and bloggers.
Be the first to know if someone defames or libels you.
- Discover what users are saying about you and your website on Twitter, Facebook and on other public forums.
Use [inblogtitle:], [inposttitle:], [inpostauthor:], and [blogurl:] for best results.
- Discover new competitors for your products and services.
- Discover when Google has indexed a new page on your site.
Use [site:yourwebsitedomain.com] for best results.
- Discover if your site has been hacked.
Chances are, if you have a popular website, some miscreant will eventually hack it. Setting up individual Google Alerts for your website name and the words n*ude, s*ex, V*iagra, and p*oker can alert you immediately to most vandalism.
- Discover plagiarism of your proprietary content.
[text_ad]
In fact, a Google Alerts competitor, GigaAlert (nee Google Alert), is provided by Indigo Stream Technologies Ltd, a private company that also provides the Copyscape service.
Copyscape provides a free plagiarism checker for finding copies of your web page content online, as well as two more powerful professional solutions for preventing content theft and content fraud.
I’ve been happily using and recommending both Google Alerts and GigaAlert for years. Copyscape is very cool, too, if your site content is prone to getting ripped off.
—————
What are your favorite uses for Google Alerts and GigaAlert?
Please add your comments to the website version of this blog post.
—————
Peter A. Schaible is Mequoda’s Chief Copywriter. For more of his unique perspective on copywriting, you can subscribe to his complimentary series on Targeting Your Prospective Customer by Type: How to Position Your Brand to Trigger an Emotional Response, available at www.SunDanceNewMedia.com. No obligation.
Great post. Google alerts are arguably the most useful tool at the modern copywriter’s disposal.