How to Use Google Alerts

In its seemingly infinite wisdom, Google offers a service that can be invaluable to anyone regularly using the web for news, personal information, weather information or to keep up with favorite blogs, web sites and newspapers. With Google Alerts, you can receive email alerts based on any search terms you choose and save yourself valuable time normally spent searching.

Things You'll Need

• Free Google account
• <br>Internet access

Instructions

1. Go to the Google Alerts website. If you have a Google account, go to the “Manage Your Alerts” page. If you don’t have a Google Account, stay on the Google Alerts home page. Creating a Google account is free and permits you to take advantage of many online services offered by Google.

2. If you don’t have a Google account, simply fill in the information required to create your alerts in a box you’ll see on the home page. You’ll be asked for your search terms, your email address and the frequency with which you’d like to receive alerts. You will also be prompted to enter new search terms, based on your topics of interest.

3. Go to the “Manage Your Alerts” page if you have a Google account. You’ll be prompted to fill in your search terms, the frequency of each alert, and you can continue to add as many alerts as you’d like. The "Manage" page also permits you to change you search terms at any time, or to delete or add new alerts.

4. Choose one of six categories for your alerts: news, blogs, web, videos, groups or comprehensive. Obviously, “Comprehensive” means all categories will be searched. The other five categories direct Google to news sites only, blogs only and so on.

5. Choose your search terms carefully and be as specific as possible. For example, if you have a blog about New York fashion, use New York fashion as a search term. If you prefer to read other blogs about fashion, choose that category. If you want to see everything on the web about fashion, choose the comprehensive category.

6. Don’t be shy about choosing many different search terms. Google allows you to receive alerts on an endless number of topics, from any of the six categories. As a freelance writer who specializes in New York, I receive alerts from many sources about the city. But as a mother, I also receive alerts from my two kids’ colleges.

7. Go back to Google Alerts at any time to change your search terms or categories, add to your alerts, or delete any alerts that aren’t working for you. Don’t waste your time receiving alerts that simply clutter up your email inbox, but try more specific search terms if that’s the case.