Alert! Alert! Set up your Google Alerts and be in the Know!

You do know about Google alerts, right? You ARE using them to know whenever someone is searching for you or for information about you on the internet, right? You're in the know about your properties and websites and the goings on on the internet about all things YOU, right?

If not, get your Google Alert set up TODAY!

Here's the why's and the how's...

First, you can set up a Google alert to notify you immediately or once a day on anything you want.

- For example, you can be alerted whenever someone searches for you by your name.
- You can be alerted whenever someone searches for your website.
- Want to know if someone is looking for your competitor? You can do that too!
- Do people search for your blogs? Set up a Google alert to see!
- How about your property listings by address? You can set that up too!

Secondly, setting up a Google alert is super easy to do!

The first step is to make sure you have a Google account. If you have GMail, then you have a Google account. If you don't have a Google account, it is super easy to set one up.

Step one - Google the words "Google Account"
Step two - click on the link that say's "Google Account" or just click here! When you get there, the webpage should look like this.

Step three - Click on Google Alerts

Step four - Set up your Google Alerts!

Type in your search terms - that's whatever search or words you want Google to watch for you, such as your name. Then choose the Type. This means everything on the web (comprehensive) or just blogs, news, video, groups, etc. For example, if you've posted a video on YouTube, a Google alert will tell you when someone searches for it or watches it. Next, pick how often to be notified. Your options are once a day, once a week or as it happens. I always choose as it happens because I want to be in the know!

Finally, put in whatever email address you want your alerts sent to. If you're using Microsoft Outlook and have all your emails forwarded, then you'll see these alerts pop in throughout the day or once a week right on your desktop.

To find out more about using Outlook in this way, click the following link:

http://activerain.com/blogsview/1278207/simplifiy-your-life-with-microsoft-outlook-

Now, let me show you how to make your Google alerts effective and powerful!

Here's what your Google Account management screen should look like. You can see that I have lots of alerts set up. To see if an alert is actually finding anything, just click on it!

Here's the search results for my name with the "Blogs" type selected. You can see that this Google alert see's lot's of results!

But now let's look at one that isn't going to do anything for me. Here's a Google alert I have set up for one of my listings. It is just a search alert for the address with the type set to "Blogs". You can see that there are NO results that show up. That's not good!

But when I go back and adjust the alert to the address, city and state AND name of neighborhood, I suddenly have an effective search alert! Now, whenever someone searches for this home and any of these three results pop up, I will be notified!

So there you go! Remember, the power of Google search results come when you drill down and make your alerts specific to what you blogged about at Active Rain. Keywords are vital here. Connecting your Google Alert to your keyword tags will give you the information you are wanting to know.

And if you use a smart phone, you should be able to see your Google alerts pop in there via your emails. Now, you're really connected!

Congratulations on living a digital life!