With over half a billion websites on the Internet, how can you possibly keep track of what people are saying about all the topics that interest you?

What if you could keep track of anything being said online about your favourite sport team, a celebrity you love, recipes for strawberry cheesecake, mountain biking or even yourself or your business? Well you can, with a free tool from Google called Google Alerts.

So what are Google Alerts?
Google Alerts is a free service provided by Google that automatically notifies you, via email, when content from news, web, blogs, videos or discussion groups match the set of ‘search terms’ you’ve selected.

And what are search terms?
Search terms are a word or phrase chosen by you, such as ‘pregnant galapagos penguins’, ‘st kilda football club’, or even ‘pizza’. Of course the broader the search term the broader the results. Once your alert is set, every time someone creates content on the Internet and include your chosen search term, Google will send you a link to that content.

How do you set up a Google Alert?
Simply go to www.google.com.au/alerts, fill in the required fields and click ‘Create Alert’. Easy!

Opportunities for business owners…
If you have a business this is the perfect tool for keeping on top of what is being said about your business online, you can even use it to monitor what people are saying about your competition online…

What alerts would you set?