Introduction
If you want updates of the latest Google search results related to specific subject material, you can set Google Alerts to send the alerts right to your inbox. The alerts will be set based on the exact criteria you enter. It’s your choice what you want to monitor with Google Alerts.
Step 1
Using Google Alerts is a simple process and setup is just about as easy as 1-2-3. Before you begin to set up Google Alerts, you should decide what type of alerts you want to receive. Do you have the desire to monitor for searches related to your website or similar websites? Do you want to simply keep up with up-to-date news or sports details? Whatever the case may be, you need to know ahead of time what type of alerts you want to receive before actually setting up the Google Alerts to work for you.
Step 2
Now that you know what type of results you want, it’s time to go to www.google.com/alerts. That is the homepage for Google Alerts. If you currently have a Google account, you need to sign in with your account information. If you are not a current Google account holder then it’s easy to create one. Simply click on the sign-in link at the upper right hand corner of the page. Login with your info or just click on the red “sign up” button and proceed to account creation.
Step 3
You are ready to go once you sign in with your current account information or create an account to use with Google. When you first sign in you will see the page where you will be setting the actual Google Alerts that will come to you. There is a red button that says “create a new alert.” Click there and you will be taken to the page where the alert will be created.
Step 4
Enter your search query, set the type of result you want. You can choose everything, news, blogs, video, discussions or books. You can also choose how often you want to get results in your inbox. Do you want these to be sent when it happens, daily or once a week? The choice is yours. If you choose to receive the alerts when it happens, you will most likely be getting tons of email daily. Now it’s time to decide what results you want. Do you want to receive each and every result or just those that are relevant?
Now you can input your email address that you want the alerts delivered to or you can choose feed where the results will be viewable through the RSS feed on Google Reader.
Step 5
After you input all of the required information you will need to verify the alerts in order for them to work properly. You can perform this function through the management section where you have set the alerts up or through the confirmation email you receive that should come to your email inbox.
That is the basic information you need when you want to set up Google Alerts. It’s easy to do and all the information you need can be found at www.google.com/alerts.
Tips
Complete information and details about Google Alerts can be found at www.google.com/alerts.
