Having our photography website appear organically at the top of Google is something we are all try to achieve for our chosen keywords. Given that that our sites are often image heavy, rather than text heavy, then we rely even more on inward link buildingas a way of achieving those higher positions.
Google, has many tools to help us with this including Google webmaster tools and Google analytics, however, a great, and often under-used tool that we can use is the simple Google Alerts.
What are Google Alerts?
Basically, Google Alerts will deliver you emails when new pages appear on the web that match a criteria you have stipulated. As Google puts it – “monitor the web for interesting new content”.
How to setup Google Alerts:
You will need a Google account (most of you probably already have one) – and you will need to head over to http://www.google.com/alerts to start using the very intuitive interface.
Using Google Alerts as a Link Building Tool
I’ll quickly run through the options – which should be pretty self explanatory:
Search Terms: This is where you tell google the term, phrase or search you want to monitor. It works exactly the same way as the google search works, so can include quoted searches, domain searches, keyword searches etc. The thing to remember is that the Google Alerts search terms support advanced search operators.
Type: Here, you can choose what type of content you want the alert to monitor.
Your choices are:
- Everything
- News
- Blogs
- Video
- Discussions
How often: How regularly you’d like the alerts delivered.
Email length: How many results you want per e-mail.
Deliver to: You can have alerts delivered either to an e-mail address, or an RSS feed.
Right, so how do I use it to help me build links to my wedding photography website?
Monitoring for core keywords: I keep a constant email alert track on keywords that are specific to my website and business – “Wedding Photography”, “Wedding Photographer in Gloucestershire” & “Documentary Wedding Photography”.
Every-time a web page is created *anywhere* on the web with those keywords in I get an email telling me about it. How powerful is that?
I can immediately go to that website, forum, news article and if relevant I can join in the discussion and leave a link back to my website.
The uses and benefits of Google Alerts for back-link aiding virtually endless. Some other ideas you could use it for:
- Monitoring links to other wedding photographers websites – using the simple search phrase: kevinmullinsphotography.co.uk -site:www.kevinmullinsphotography.co.uk will give you an email everytime a website links to my website.
- Keeping an eye on Twitter conversations and then following new (and relevant) people/potential clients
I’ve just dipped my virtual toe into the whole Goolge Alerts system here – your task is to go out and set them up and really start using Google Alerts as very powerful SEO tool for your photography site.
-kev (Listening to: Sigh No More (Mumford and Sons)
PS: I know I haven’t updated this blog as often as I promised. I’ve been incredibly busy but hopefully I’ll have more time to spend on here in the future. For those of you in the SWPP, I’d love to see you at my masterclass at the convention in January next year.
Great article. I have been told recently that Google is now ranking content and links into your website as its main way of deciding where websites should be placed so this is a really good tool. Thanks!
Really helpful article, thanks for sharing I am going to sign straight into Google and get started. Thanks!
Excellent iea, i’d got to a bit of an impass with my SEO, until i read this…
An excellent use of Google Alerts, I’m going to revisit the alerts I currently have set up.
Wow, I didn’t realise how powerful Google Alerts can be. This is a really great idea and could prove to be a really useful tool. Thanks for the tip!
IGoogle is really an amazing company and tool, I’m calling my web developer as I read this.
Tasha
SEO is my area of working progress so thank you for this piece of insight.
great advice as usual Kev – thank you – signing up now!
Great idea, just activated mine
http://www.cooperhotos.co.uk
Hey, I used Alerts before, but didn’t think about it that way, thanks for this
http://panoramastreetline.com/news
Never used alerts in that way before thats probably why you have the 96/100 rating.
Love reading your blogs . http://www.robertnewmanphotography.com