Staying up to date on a specific topic (web, news, etc.) can be quite the routine for most. Imagine trying to surf the internet, all the available resources for whatever topic it is you’re wanting to track. There are more resources online for just about everything than any single person has time to read throughout their day or lifetime for that matter. Do not worry! We have create this little how-to guide to assist you and give you a bit of direction in setting up a Google Alert for the topic(s) you desire to know about.

Google Alerts are email updates of the latest relevant Google results (web, news, etc.) based on your choice of query or topic. Some handy uses of Google Alerts include:

• monitoring a developing news story
• keeping current on a competitor or industry
• getting the latest on a celebrity or event
• keeping tabs on your favorite sports teams

Let’s take a look at Google Alerts

The interface and functionality of Google Alerts is extremely efficient, easy to use, and functional.

Immediately after visiting http://www.google.com/alerts you will notice a small form on the right side of the page with just a few fields needing populated. These fields are:

Search Terms: The overall keyword specific topic(s) you wish to monitor, I.E. “Tulsa, Oklahoma”,”ThisTulsa.com”,”Saint Francis Health System”,”Utica Square”, etc. By entering specific keywords, you are enabling google with the criteria they require to narrow your search results and alert notifications down to the topic(s) you really want to read.

Type: The search type consists of serveral options:

1. Blogs
2. News
3. Web
4. Video
5. Comprehensive
6. Groups

Each search type has its purpose and place. If you’re wishing to search and receive notifications only about videos related to “Tulsa Dining,” you would use the search type videos. Therefore, depending on what you’re wanting to keep track of will help regulate which type of content you’re tracking. We recommend you begin with news, blogs, and comprehensive to begin, then get more advanced with your alerts as you realize what type of content is going to come in from each type.

How often: determines the duration between notifications. You are able to choose once-a-day, as it happens, or once a week. If you are a blogger, as it happens is beneficial because you’re able to track topics as they come across the internet wire. However, if you are a casual news reader the once a day or once a week option might help you stay on top of the news without bombarding your inbox with emails from Google all day.

What? You already have alerts setup

If you have experience with Google Alerts and you simply wish to manage them, it isn’t a problem. You can visit the link previously mentioned and manage which alerts you have setup, type, and frequency of delivery. Be sure to keep an eye on the content in which you are receiving, tweak the search terms, and you should get the most up to date information possible and when you want it most. If you have any questions or concerns about Google Alerts, leave us a comment on this article.