Google Alerts emails you whenever new web pages match a topic you care about, like your name, a brand, or a news subject. It is a free way to monitor mentions without checking manually. Setup takes just a minute and you can fine-tune how often and where results come from.
What you'll need
- A Google account
- The email address where you want alerts
Step by step
- Open the Google Alerts pageGo to google.com/alerts in any browser. Sign in to your Google account so alerts can be sent to your email.
- Type your search termEnter the word or phrase you want to track in the box at the top. A preview of recent matching results appears below so you can judge if it is too broad.
- Use quotes for exact phrasesWrap a multi-word term in quotation marks, like a full name, so Google only alerts on that exact phrase rather than the separate words.
- Open 'Show options'Click 'Show options' to set how often you get alerts (as it happens, daily, or weekly), the language, the region, and how many results to include.
- Pick your delivery addressChoose the email address to receive alerts, or select RSS feed if you prefer to read them in a feed reader.
- Create the alertClick 'Create Alert'. It appears in your list, where you can edit or delete it anytime with the pencil and trash icons.
Handy tips
- Set frequency to 'At most once a day' to avoid a flood of separate emails for popular topics.
- Add a minus sign before a word to exclude it, which helps filter out unrelated matches.
FAQ
Do Google Alerts cost anything?
No, the service is completely free with a Google account.
Why am I not getting any alerts?
Your term may be too specific, or nothing new has been published. Check the frequency setting and try a broader phrase to confirm it works.
Can I track something without a Google account?
You can create an alert as an RSS feed without signing in, but email delivery requires a Google account.