Moving beyond Google Alerts – it may be time

Back in the days when search engines were a sparkly new Internet feature, much was made of “vanity searches,” or typing in your name to see how important you really were. Remember the thrill of discovering information in the public domain, which back then was largely positive?
That was then; this is now. For businesses, or anyone with branding needs, searching for information on yourself is a necessity —not only to validate your good reputation, but to patch things up if it’s not so hot.
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Google, the granddaddy of All Things Internet, offers its own tracking function through “Google Alerts,” a feature many use on a daily basis. It’s free, and it’s simple. It can detect mentions of you and your brand merely by entering your business name. And while it’s a decent tool, it may not be sufficient. If you’re serious about monitoring your reputation, brand awareness, or anything related to your operation, consider these alternatives that come highly recommended:

• Brandwatch
  
  A veritable cyber spy that combs social networks from A to Z, Brandwatch delivers in-depth coverage without missing many beats. Its fine-tuned algorithms track mentions, data, and reputational scores, mining from articles, merchant and other comment sections, and any other venue that may be applicable. With customizing features, it allows each user to track specific websites; and with a unique image recognition capacity, it can help track malicious activity that infringes on intellectual property. There is a cost, but set up a free trial and see if it works for you.
  
  

• Talkwalker
  
  Somewhat similar to Google Alerts, Talkwalker turns up functions a notch to reach blogs, forums, and other corners of the web to find mentions of you or your brand. Boolean operators create a more sophisticated delivery of information, and returns are customizable to represent the most important data, or all data. Truly an international phenomenon, Talkwater alerts monitor the web in 22 languages— a big plus for ecommerce merchants serving multiple countries.
  

• Brand24
  
  An ingenious development from Poland, Brand24 ratchets up the fun part of monitoring with references to relevant social media influencers. It’s designed for small- to mid-sized businesses, which may be more in your comfort zone. Multiple-user access is free for up to five additional watchers, and mentions are updated twice daily. Better yet, you may set up email notifications of mentions, a helpful feature for busy, multi-tasking types.
  

These are just three of the many alternatives to Google Alerts that might be more suitable for your needs. Google may be thought of a jack of all trades, but a master of just one. Competition and commerce have led to developing more tailored programs for keeping track of how your name is faring out there in cyberspace, and it’s worthwhile to give as many as possible the chance to simplify your business operations.