Google Alerts is a free tool that lets you monitor the internet for specific words or phrases. It sends you an email anytime that phrase shows up in new online content, whether it is your name, your company, a competitor, or an industry trend.

If you are in leadership, communications, public relations, or running your own business, this is one of the simplest tools you can set up to protect and promote your brand.

Why Google Alerts Matter

Reputation management
Whether it is a great review or a blog post that misstates a fact, you will want to know as soon as your name or business is mentioned so you can respond quickly.

Media monitoring
Sometimes a news outlet will mention your brand without reaching out to you first. You might miss that exposure unless you are actively tracking it.

Customer engagement
When your audience talks about your business online, it is a great chance to thank them, answer a question, or just be part of the conversation.

Crisis prevention
The earlier you hear about a negative mention, the better chance you have to get ahead of it and manage the story.

Competitive insights
You can also set alerts for competitor names or key industry phrases so you can keep an eye on what is trending in your space.

How to Set Up Google Alerts (Step by Step)

Creating an alert takes less than five minutes. Here is how to do it:

1. Go to google.com/alerts
   You will need to be logged into your Google account.

2. Type in what you want to track
   This could be:

   • Your full name in quotes: "Jeromee Scot"

   • Your business name: Scot Media Tulsa

   • A product or service you offer

   • A topic like "fundraising events" or "video production"

   • Your competitors' names

3. Click “Show options” to fine tune the alert
   You can choose:

   • How often you want notifications

   • What sources to include (news, blogs, websites, video)

   • The region or language

   • Whether to get all results or only the top ones

   • Which email address should receive the alerts

4. Click “Create Alert”
   That is it. You will start getting emails whenever your selected keyword shows up in online content.

Tips for Better Results

• Use quotes for exact matches. "Scot Media Tulsa" brings more accurate results than just typing the phrase without quotes.

• Set up more than one alert. Track variations of your name or brand, common misspellings, and product names.

• Start simple. You can always add more alerts later, but starting with three to five key terms keeps it manageable.

Google Alerts is one of the most underused tools for media monitoring, especially among small business owners and nonprofit leaders. It is free, fast to set up, and works in the background to make sure you never miss a mention that could impact your reputation.

Whether it is a positive spotlight or something you need to correct, knowing about it in real time puts you in control.

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