If you’re one of the millions of marketers who rely on Google Alerts to notify them of news or other information related to your niche, you’ve likely noticed that there has been a change recently. As of Friday, Google has been sending out the email based alerts using a new format.
The update helps these alerts to have a look and feel that is similar to the way other Google information is shared. The ‘card-style’ layout that is used in search results, mobile apps, Google Now, and other locations, has been implemented into the alerts system as well.
With the change you will have larger headlines, which can be very beneficial to those who get lots of alerts and just want to browse through them to find the ones that they want to view. You’ll also be notified of how frequently the alert that prompted that notification is sent out (hourly, daily, ect). One of the biggest changes is the fact that there are social sharing buttons right in the alert for Google+, Facebook and Twitter.
Another interesting change is that you’ll now have a link with each alert to ‘flag as irrelevant.’ How this feature works is not entirely clear from what I’ve seen, but presumably it will help you to further customize which alerts are sent. In the past, alerts would be strictly based on the keywords you set up for that alert. With this new link, the alerts should become more tailored to your specific interests, which could save a lot of time.
The one thing that has been removed from the alerts is the ‘see all stories on this topic’ button, which from my experience was rarely used anyway.
If you’re not already using Google Alerts, it is an excellent tool for marketers. It can provide you with rapid notifications of news related to your niche, which will allow you to take steps to position yourself properly. It is extremely easy to set up.
Have you noticed the change over the past couple days? If so, what do you think about it? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
