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Whether you want to keep up with the latest news, find out who won that must-see game, or see what new shows are coming to Netflix this week, you’re probably using Google Search.
But what if you didn’t even have to spend time searching because Google was already sending the information you need right to your inbox?
Google Alerts actively searches the web for specific terms you choose and delivers relevant content as often as you like – once a day, once a week, or the moment your search term appears in the description of a new article, blog post, or new video content.
Google launched Google Alerts in 2003 after one of the company’s first engineers, Naga Kataru, took the idea directly to Google’s founders. The first keywords used to test the alerts were “Google” and “Larry Page.”
Google Alerts is still around after more than 20 years, but over time the software has come under fire from users who say the alerts are too specific, inaccurate, or irrelevant. Over the past decade, dozens of media monitoring companies have emerged as alternatives to Google Alerts, including Awari, Meltwater, Talkwalker, Muck Rack, Cision, and Prowly.
However, one of the benefits of Google Alerts is that it’s completely free to use, and while brands and celebrities may need more advanced software to monitor media mentions, Google Alerts works well enough for the average, everyday user.
Here’s how to set up, customize, or delete a Google Alert:
How to set up Google Alerts
To set up a Google Alert, first make sure you’re logged into your Google account and go to the Google Alerts page. Alert.
1. In the bar that says “Create an alert…” enter the search term you want to track and search for. For example, if you’re interested in news about job cuts in the tech industry, you might create an alert for “Google layoffs.”
2. Click on the blue box that says “Create Alert.”
That’s it, your Google Alert has been created. You can access and edit your Alert from the Google Alerts homepage or from the alert that Google sends to your email inbox.
Google Alerts doesn’t have a dedicated app, but you can set up alerts on your iPhone or other smartphone. Just go to the Google Alerts page using your phone’s browser and follow the steps above.
If you think you’ll be in the news soon, consider setting up a Google Alert for your name. While there’s no way to find out if someone specific is searching for you on Google, you can search for your name on Google Trends to see if there’s a lot of search interest.
But once your Google Alerts are all set up, your work isn’t done yet. By default, Google will send you updates about your alerts once a day. If you’d like to be alerted more or less frequently, follow the steps below to set it up.
How to Customize Google Alerts
Go to the Alerts page and find the Google Alert you want to customize.
1. Click the pencil icon to the right of the alert to open its settings.
2. On the next page you can set how often you want to receive alerts, the language of the alerts, the region the alerts will come from (you can geofence to a specific country or “any region”), the source of the alerts (news, blogs, web, etc.), and more.
3. Click on the blue “Update Alert” box.
If you want all your alerts to be delivered at a specific time, click the gear icon to the right of “My Alerts” and select the delivery time. You can also limit your alerts to updates once a day or once a week.
You can also ask Google to send you all your alert updates in one email, instead of sending each one individually.
How to Delete a Google Alert
Deleting a Google Alert is even easier than creating one.
1. Go to the Google Alerts page.
2. Locate and click the trash can icon to the right of the alert you want to delete.
That’s it! The alert is gone. You’ll see a message in the taskbar at the top of the page saying “Alert about ‘Google layoffs’ has been removed” and you can choose to “Undo” the action or “Close” the alert, which will remove the alert permanently. The same can be done by simply closing the Google Alerts page.