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In this article:\nHow to tell if a review is fake\nHow to respond to fake reviews\nHow to remove fake reviews\nGet more positive reviews\nGetting regular online reviews is an important part of keeping up with your online reputation. Often times these will come naturally, and sometimes you have to do a little more work to maintain a good supply of fresh reviews. But sometimes, people who weren’t ever your customers take it upon themselves to try to badmouth your company with fake Google reviews. \nFake reviews are frustrating. They sometimes come from a disgruntled former employee or a competitor and they are loaded with false claims. But occasionally people mistake your business for another and leave a negative review in the wrong place.\nAs part of your small business's review management strategy, you need to know how to handle a fake review if you ever receive one. \nWe’ll walk you through the best course of action in handling fake Google reviews. \nHow to tell if a negative Google review is fake\nFirst, you need to determine if the review is indeed fake. Sometimes this is guesswork, but more often than not you’ll be able to tell.\nWatch out for these top identifiers of fake reviews on Google:\nThe person who left the review doesn’t match up with anyone in your customer list or a current customer/patient that you have record of\nThe profile of the reviewer is anonymous\nThe timing of the review is suspicious (after an employee was let go or a new competitor enters the market)\nThe profile of the reviewer is suspicious (only leaves negative reviews for specific types of companies or uses repetition in their reviews across different companies)\nThe comments of the review are generic or full of keyword spam\nGo deeper: \nHow to spot fake online reviews\nPay attention to the review and do a little deeper dive to determine if the review is fake. When you have made that discovery, take the next steps to handle the fake review. \nHow to respond to a fake negative review on Google\nEven though you know the review is fake, that doesn’t mean that potential customers who read your reviews will catch on. That’s why it is important to respond in a professional manner to fake reviews (even though you may not want to give them the time of day). \nIt’s important to respond to \nall\n reviews that come across your Google Business listing, including those that are negative or fake. \nThe best way to respond to a fake review is to point out that it is fake in a subtle and professional way. This will help others who read the reviews to recognize the spammy review and discredit it. \nwoman with paper bag over her head with frowny face for fake reviews\n\nHere’s an example of a response you might use on an anonymous review or a review from someone you don’t recognize:\n“Hello, we are sorry you had a negative experience with our company. However, we are unable to identify you as a customer in our records. If we are mistaken, please reach out so we can improve this situation.”\nCheck out our complete guide: \nHow to respond to negative reviews\n\nReporting fake reviews on Google\nThe next step is to report the review. Google will only remove reviews if they are in clear violation of their review content policies:\nNo fake or spammy content \nNo off-topic content\nNo restricted content\nNo illegal or sexually explicit content\nNo offensive, dangerous, or derogatory content\nNo impersonating\nNo conflicts of interest (reviewing your own company or a competitor’s listing)\nIf you are certain the review is fake, then it goes against Google’s policies and has a high chance of being removed. \nThis doesn’t guarantee that Google will remove the review, though, because they do need to be convinced that the review is fake. So it’s good to provide as much insight as possible into the report of a fake review (or at least as much as Google will allow you to). \nTo report a Google review, you simply need to navigate to the review on the Google My Business listing, or within your Google My Business dashboard, and click the three-dot icon in the right corner of the review. Click “flag as inappropriate” and then follow the prompts to report the review to Google. \nRead our comprehensive guide: \nThe complete guide to removing fake reviews\nWork to get more positive reviews\nThe best course of action after dealing with a negative review on Google, especially a fake one that you can’t remove, is to consistently be working to get more positive reviews. \nDon’t let fake reviews ruin your online reputation. Instead, continue to improve it with a good review management strategy. \nHappy customers generally aren’t as motivated to leave reviews as unhappy customers (or, unfortunately, as ill-advised competitors). That’s why you need to have a strategy in place to encourage satisfied customers to leave your business online reviews. \nReminding happy customers that you appreciate their honest feedback can encourage them to leave reviews, and will help you drown out the noise of any fake and negative reviews you’ve acquired, and show potential customers the awesome things that your company is doing well. \nThe best way to invite a customer to leave a review is to make it as easy for them as possible. Simply reminding your customers that their feedback is important to you, or sending a text or email link to your Google My Business page, makes this process much easier. 

What to do when you get a fake Google review of your business

In this article:\nIs selling online right for your business?\nHow to start selling online\nUpdate your customers\nBest practices for selling online\nSetting up an online store can help maximize profits and customer reach. In this guide, we’ll walk you through some of the best e-commerce solutions for your business and what best practices you should be keeping as you get set up. \nIs selling online right for your business?\nYour business doesn’t have to be a retail store to benefit from selling online. Even service industry businesses can often reap the rewards of online sales. \nIf you don’t have physical products to sell, as a service business, you can still market and sell your services, and even schedule appointments online. \nThink about what your business can offer and sell online and consider whether the potential cashflow you’ll receive from it will outweigh the costs to get it started. \nHow to set up an e-commerce store\nSetting up an e-commerce store and selling online take a lot more than just uploading your products to a website. There are several aspects of online sales that you need to consider as you move into this sales venue. \nWhat will you be selling?\nAre you going to offer all of your products online? Or are there a specific few that are popular that you want to focus on?\nConsider what you can viably sell online and what items will bring you the most profits. It’s important to try to keep costs to a minimum so only sell items that are easy and quick to fulfill orders on or that bring in good profits. \nDropshipping or selling from your inventory\nYou’ll need to determine if you’ll keep your store stocked up (if you’re in retail) or if you’ll ship directly from your manufacturer. Some businesses may not have the option to do the latter, but it’s something to think about. \nIf you have a physical location, you may have a large enough inventory on-hand right now to start selling products that you have in-store, in which case you’ll need to determine how best to ship your products from your store (see below for more info). \nfemale business owner shipping and warehousing\n\nWith dropshipping, you can have products shipped directly from the manufacturer, so if this is an option for you, it might be a good one to take since it takes less people to fulfill the order. \nE-commerce website builders and platforms\nIf you’ve never sold online before, you’re going to need to find a platform that will allow you to do so. \nIf you have your own website that your customers regularly visit, then you might consider one of the following options which you can integrate into your current website:\nEcwid is a subscription-based ecommerce platform that can integrate seamlessly with most content management systems. You just set up your account and online store and have your web developer drop the code into your website. If you only have 10 products or less, you can use their free plan. \nShopify works similarly where you’ll need to create an account, upload your products, and then you can integrate them onto your website. Their lowest plan starts at $29/month for unlimited products. \nIf you don’t have a website or you prefer to sell through third-party platforms, you might look into Amazon or Etsy, depending on the type of items you sell. \nShipping and order fulfillment\nThe point of having an online store is to maximize profits and increase customer reach. Most of your orders will likely be shipped directly to your customer’s home or mailbox. You’ll need to determine how you will fulfill those orders. \nMany businesses offer free shipping to encourage customers to make more online purchases. If you choose this route, just make sure that you are still making a profit and that shipping costs aren’t going to pull you under. Raise the prices of your products to cover the cost of shipping if needed. \nChoose the shipping service that you will use to get your orders to your customers: USPS, FedEX, UPS. \nGo deeper: \nComplete guide to fulfilling and shipping orders for your online store\nTest your store to make sure everything works\nBefore launching your online store and advertising it, make sure everything works like it should so you aren’t missing orders.\nLearn more: \nHow to set up an eCommerce store for your small business\nInform your customers that you are selling online\nCustomer communication is critical, so make sure you inform them of any changes you make to your business—including selling online. \nCreate a bold call-to-action on the home page of your website that links to your online store or products. \nShare the news on your \nsocial media channels\n and \nonline business listings\n, and create \nonline advertising\n that targets new customers who are looking to shop online. \nBest practices for selling online\nKeep these best practices in mind as you are setting up your online store. They will help draw in more customers and convert more sales. \nOnline promotions\nCreate enticing promotions like BOGO deals and free shipping that encourage customers to spend more in one transaction. \nQuality photos\nTake appealing photos of your products. Spend a little time to make your photos look professional. Not sure you can do this on your own? There are likely plenty of local photographers looking for work right now that can help you. \nRead our helpful guides:\nDo-it-yourself photography guide for small business\nTop 3 ways to get (and use) professional quality photos for your business\nProduct names and descriptions\nCreate well-written product names and descriptions. Keep the names simple and descriptive of what the product actually is. Add any additional and essential details (color, size, weight, etc.) in the description of the product. \nAutomate as many processes as possible\nSuper-small businesses typically have limited time and resources, so it's important to find ways to be as efficient as possible. Your e-commerce platform should be able to do a lot of this for you, like automatically creating packing slips and determining sales tax. \nSet up online newsletters\nAs you are creating your e-commerce platform, add an online newsletter/email campaign to your website and social media platforms to allow customers to stay up to date on new deals and changes that your business may be facing right now. \nRead more: \nBest practices for small business email marketing\n

How to get your business started selling online

In this article:\nWhy use Facebook advertising\nCreate a Facebook account for your business\nHow to set up Facebook Ads Manager for your small business\nHow to create your first ad campaign\nSocial media is a prominent source of entertainment and information in this digital age, and Facebook is king. It’s no wonder there is so much emphasis to get your business on Facebook and start advertising there. \nIn this guide, we’ll walk you through how to set up Facebook Ads Manager for your small business, and even get you started with your first ad campaign! \nWhy use Facebook advertising for your small business\nFacebook advertising holds three main purposes or goals for the businesses that use it:\nBrand awareness \nIncreased consideration\nIncreased conversions\nWith enhanced targeting capabilities and low costs, advertising your business on Facebook can help you with each of these goals.\nImportant note: If you want to advertise your business on Instagram, you’ll need to have a Facebook Ads Manager because it is integrated with this platform. \nCreate a Facebook account for your business\nBefore you can start advertising your small business on Facebook, you’ll need to set up a Facebook business page. Whether you choose to advertise your business on Facebook or not, this is still an important step for any business’s marketing strategy. \nCheck out our guide: \nHow to create and claim your Facebook business page\nHow to set up Facebook Ads Manager for your small business\nLet’s get started. \nStep 1: Set up your Business Manager account\nFacebook Ads Manager is a feature of Facebook’s Business Manager, so you’ll first need to set up an account there. \nGo to \nbusiness.facebook.com\n and sign in to your Facebook account. Once you’re signed in, click “Create Business.” \n(Image)\n\nA modal will then pop up where you’ll need to enter your Business Name, Your Name, and Your Business Email. Click “Next.”\n\n\nNext, enter your business details:\nCountry\nStreet address\nCity\nState\nZip\nBusiness phone number\nWebsite\nBusiness use\nClick “Submit.”\n(Image)\n\nNow, confirm your email address and your Business Manager account will be set up. \n(Image)\n\nIt can sometimes take a little time to receive this email, so if you don’t have it right away, don’t worry. You can still continue setting up your account. \nStep 2: Add an ad account to your Business Manager\nNow that your Business Manager is set up, you can add an ad account. After you confirm your email or click “Done” on the pop-up, you’ll be brought to your Business Manager dashboard. Click “Add Ad Account.”\n(Image)\n\nYou’ll then be brought to a pop-up modal with three options: add an ad account you own, request access to an ad account, or create an ad account. \nWe’re going to show you how to create a new ad account, so select “Create Ad Account.”\n(Image)\n\nGive your ad account a name (your business name works best here), select your time zone, and select your currency. Click “Next.”\n(Image)\n\nNext, select who your ad account will be used for–your business or another business. This will likely be your business unless you are a marketing agency setting this up for a customer. Click “Create.”\n(Image)\n\nThe next window you are brought to will prompt you to add yourself to the ad account so you have full access to it. Click the circle by your name, click the toggle option next to “Manage Ad Account,” and click “Assign.”\n(Image)\n\nNice work! You’ll see the following message and your ad account is official.\n(Image)\n\nStep 3: Add a payment method to your ad account\nBefore you can start creating Facebook and Instagram ads, you’ll need to add a payment method to your Ads Manager account. \nYou can select “Payment Methods” in the window that pops up after you finish creating your ad account or follow the next steps. \nFrom your Business Manager dashboard, click “Ad Account Settings” on the left menu bar. If you don’t see this option yet, refresh your page. It may take a minute to appear since you just created your Ad Account. \n(Image)\n\nGo to “Payment Settings.”\n(Image)\n\nClick “Add Payment Method.”\n(Image)\n\nEnter the payment method of your choice. You have the option to add a credit or debit card, your Paypal information, your bank account, or a Facebook Ad coupon. Click “Continue.”\n(Image)\n\nThis last step of setting up your ad account is optional, but super handy if you have a max budget that you can spend on Facebook ads. You can set a spending limit for your Facebook ads, so as soon as your ads reach that limit, they will shut off. This is good if you forget to put an end date on your ads or if you have someone else managing them for you. \nYou can always update or remove this limit when you run another ad campaign as well. \nClick “Set Your Account Spending Limit.” Then type in the amount that you want to set it to and click “Set Limit.”\n(Image)\n\n(Image)\n\nYour Ads Manager Account is officially set up!\nStep 4: Create an ad\nYour ad account isn’t complete without getting a new ad set up. There are tons of ways to configure your ads, so we won’t walk you through every option in this guide, but we’ll give you some of the basics to get started. \nGo to your Business Manager dashboard and click “Create Ad.”\n(Image)\n\n(Image)\n\nFirst, select the goal for this new ad campaign. \n(Image)\n\nName your campaign and click “Continue.”\n(Image)\n\nThen you’ll be taken to create your “Ad Set.” This is your ad audience, placements, and budget. Here you’ll need to complete the following steps:\nName your Ad Set\nChoose where you want to drive traffic to (website, app, or Messenger)\nCreate your audience (click “Create New” to change your audience’s location, age, gender, and detailed targeting information) and save it\nChoose your placements (Automatic Placements is recommended)\nSet your daily budget and schedule\nClick “Continue.”\n(Image)\n\n(Image)\n\n(Image)\n\n(Image)\n\nOkay, now your audience and budget are set, so it’s time to create your ad. \nName your ad and choose the Facebook page that it is associated with (this will be your business Facebook page). \n(Image)\n\nNext, you can create an ad by using media from your Facebook page, uploading new content, or using an existing post on your Facebook page. \n(Image)\n\nMake sure to add the following items to your ad:\nPrimary text (tell people what your ad is about)\nHeadline\nDescription (any additional details)\nLink to your website or a Facebook Event\nChoose your Call to Action\n(Image)\n\nClick “Confirm” and watch as your ad starts getting traffic and engagement!

How to set up Facebook Ads Manager for your small business

In this article:\nWhat is an independent contractor agreement?\nWhat is the purpose of an independent contractor agreement?\nDo you need an independent contractor agreement, and w\nhat should be included?\nCan you negotiate the terms of an agreement?\nHow often should an independent contractor agreement be renewed?\nWhere can I find a sample independent contractor agreement?\nFree independent contractor agreement template\nBecoming an independent contractor can be a liberating thing. It allows you the chance to work for yourself, set your own schedules, and spend more time doing the kind of work that you really enjoy. As the gig economy thrives and more people try their hand at \nfreelance or independent contractor\n work, businesses across the country are hiring independent contractors to help supplement areas where they don’t have full-time employees. \nAs an independent contractor, you may be asked to sign an independent contractor agreement by a company that hires you. You may even want to request that each of your clients signs an agreement with you. Throughout this article we’ll discuss the importance of independent contractor agreements, whether or not you need one, and how to get started.  \nWhat is an independent contractor agreement?\nAn independent contractor agreement, also known as a 1099 agreement, is a written agreement between an independent contractor and a client. It generally outlines the terms of the tasks that you’ll perform, including rates, duration of time, and basically the scope of the work that you’ll be doing throughout your time working for your client.\nWhat is the purpose of an independent contractor agreement?\nThe purpose of the agreement is often to have a legal backing for any terms of work that you and your client have agreed upon. This written agreement can help clear confusion over worker classification, your payment terms, taxes, how to resolve disputes, and more. It sets the ground rules for your work with your client. \nIndependent contractor agreements are generally requested by a company that you may work for. This is often to help them cover their responsibilities for taxes and benefits, to protect their intellectual property, and to set other guidelines they feel are necessary for the security of their company. \nAs an independent contractor, you may want to have an agreement ready for your clients that don’t require one—for your own protection. Setting terms in a written agreement holds your clients accountable to those terms and gives you some legal protection if they don’t hold up their end of the deal. \nWho can use a freelancer, gig-worker or contractor agreement?\nAn independent contractor agreement can be used by any contractor, freelancer, consultant, or other type of independent contractor who wants to have a written agreement with their clients. On the other side of that, any company wishing to hire an independent contractor may outline an agreement that must be signed before starting their services. \nDo you need an independent contractor agreement?\nIt is not a legal requirement in most places for independent contractors to have an independent contractor agreement. That being said, it is smart to have some form of written proof of the terms of your work with any of your clients. \nEven if you don’t require your clients to fill out an agreement with you, you may have clients who require you to fill out an agreement to work for them. \nNot having a written agreement can open up grounds for misunderstanding (whether innocent or intentional), and it can save you a lot of time, money, and stress just to have your work outlined in an agreement from the beginning. \nWhat should be included in an independent contractor agreement?\nYour independent contractor agreement may vary from client to client (in fact it probably should if the scope of work varies between each client or project). Whether you are signing an agreement prepared by a client or creating your own agreement, these are some terms that you should include and/or be prepared to sign off on:\nA description of the independent contractor and the client, including legal names, addresses, contact information, and the relationship between the client and contractor (it’s important to state the fact that this will be independent contractor work so that your employment status is properly classified)\nA description of the work that you will be performing—this could be a list of services that you will provide\nThe terms of payment, including your rates (whether hourly, by project, or other terms that apply to your field) and when and how you will be paid\nAn explanation of who will be responsible for expenses (independent contractors generally cover their own expenses, but depending on the project, you may get resources from your client as well)\nA statement that indicates you have all necessary permits, certifications, or licenses to perform the work for which you are being hired\nA statement that you will be responsible for your own state and federal income taxes\nAcknowledgement that as an independent contractor you are not entitled to benefits that your client offers their full-time employees\nA statement that you have liability insurance (if applicable)\nA description of the duration of the agreement (if applicable)\nA description of the circumstances under which the agreement can be terminated\nAn explanation of how disputes will be resolved (mediation, etc.)\nSome agreements may be much more in-depth than this and others may be much simpler depending on the work you are doing and the client it is for. \nHow do you start or request a contractor agreement?\nWhen you are in the interviewing process, applying for a project, or about to start work for a client, you should discuss an independent contractor agreement. This is something that should be completed before you begin the job. \nIf your client hasn’t brought up any kind of agreement of your work for them, then you should ask them about it. Make sure that when you discuss the terms of your work, you get everything approved in a written format. Even having an email agreement is better than just having verbal communication, and can be helpful in the case of a misunderstanding or dispute. \nIf you have a written agreement prepared, send that over to your client to review before agreeing to begin work for them. Likewise, if they send you an agreement, review it and make sure you are comfortable with the terms before signing anything. \nCan you negotiate the terms?\nYou can absolutely negotiate your independent contractor agreement with your client. It’s important to note that some clients, especially larger companies with corporate rules, may not be willing to negotiate or change their terms, though. \nBut you are your own advocate in the job game when you start working for yourself as a contracted hire. Set the terms that you are willing to work for and negotiate your agreements until they are in a place that you are comfortable with. In some cases, it might even mean that you give up some work because you aren’t satisfied with the terms of the agreement. Just know what you are willing to work for and be ready to set those terms with your clients.  \nHow often should an agreement be renewed?\nAn independent contractor agreement can last for a long time, if the terms are set for a longer duration. But even when you are in an agreement for a longer period of time, it can be good to review and renew it periodically. Cases when you might want to renew or change the agreement include:\nWhen your or your client’s information has changed (business name or address)\nWhen you’ve made a change to the scope of work, like adding new services or deliverables that weren’t previously discussed in your agreement\nWhen your terms of payment have changed, like if you’ve updated your rates to stay competitive or changed the method of payment you are receiving\nFree independent contractor agreement template\nAre you ready to get your own independent contractor agreement in place for your next client? There are tons of free templates and sample agreements out there that you can use so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel.\nCheck out these sample independent contractor agreements from eForms:\nSimple Independent Contractor Agreement\nComprehensive Independent Contractor Agreement\n \nFor more in-depth agreement templates by state, profession, or type, visit \neforms.com\n. 

Do you need an independent contractor agreement? (includes free sample template)

In this article:\nBest features for your pet services business site\nWhat you should include on your pet business website\nAs you dive into the process of building your pet services website, there’s a little bit of planning that you should do first. Before starting any website, you should have a plan for your content, the basic layout, and any features that you want on your website. \nIf you already have a website, have a look at the content and features/functionality below and consider how you can improve your site.\nThroughout this article, we’ll share the best features that your pet services website should have and provide some examples of great websites that can help give your creative inspiration. \nBest features and content for an effective pet services website\nWith all the many different pet services out there (grooming, veterinary medicine, pet care, pet stores, etc.) the features of one pet service website to another may vary a lot. We’ll go over the best features that any of these pet services should have on their website. \nWell-written content\nProfessional-quality photos\nCall-to-action\nContact information\nBrand representation\nWell-written content\nEvery website needs to have well-written content. This is the foundation for helping you show up well in search engines. But it also needs to be helpful for your clients and written in a way that they can easily understand and get a feel for your business. \nA few tips for writing good content:\nWrite the way that you would talk to a client or customer. Keep it natural and friendly\nKeep your sentences and paragraphs short and easy to consume\nBreak up long pages of text with headings, images, and bulleted lists\nTypes of content that you should include on your pet services website:\nAbout us page—share your story, how you got started, and any other information to help build trust with your clients\nServices—what services do you offer? Share what clients can expect from these services and your experience with them\nContact us page\nThese are the very least that you should include on your website, but to take it the extra mile, keep a regular blog or share additional resources that can help your clients. \nThis is a great way to leverage any of \nyour business’s social media\n content, “pet profiles,” how-to instructional posts, or similar content.\nGo deeper: \nThe do’s and don’ts of writing an effective small business blog\nProfessional-quality photos\nThe photos on your website can make or break it for you. For a pet services business, people expect to see photos of the pets you serve, your facility, and/or your products. \nPhotos are a great way to send trust signals to your customers. You can show them how their pets will be treated in your care. \nMake sure any photos you use are professional-quality. This doesn’t mean you need to hire a photographer (though if you can swing it, that’s not a bad route). You can take your own photos on a camera or phone. With the right composition and lighting, you can get great pictures for your website the DIY way. \nCheck out this guide: \nTop 3 ways to get (and use) professional photos for your small business\n \nA clear call-to-action\nA call-to-action is going to help your website achieve its entire purpose: to get you more customers. Make sure that you have a call-to-action that is always present. This can be “schedule appointment” or “contact us,” or “call now” button in the header of your website or a relevant CTA on each page of your site. \nContact information\nBeyond just having a contact page with your phone number and address, you should have multiple ways for your customers to get in contact with you. Sometimes customers have preliminary questions that they don’t want to pick up the phone for. \nAdditional avenues for contact that you can consider:\nContact form or email address\nFacebook Messenger\nOnline chat\nBrand representation\nYour brand should be well-represented throughout your website. This means that it should be easy to tell the website belongs to your business if someone has been in your facility before. \nSome ways to do this:\nIncorporate your logo and elements from it throughout the site\nUse the fonts and colors from your logo (but keep it simple)\nAdd photos of your facility and staff \nHow to build your pet services website\nThere are many different ways to build a website, but for truly small, one-person businesses, we prefer a DIY website builder. \nA DIY website builder is a platform like Squarespace or Wix that allows you to start from a prebuilt template (or from a blank slate if you really wanted to) and build your site without needing to know how to code. \nHere is a few guides to help with your decision:\n\nHow to build your own business website (step-by-step walkthrough)\n \nTake the next step to improve your online visibility\nCreating a website for your pet services business is a great first step to helping your business show up online, but there’s a little more to it than that. \nThe next step that we encourage businesses to take is claiming all of their \nonline business listings\n and work to get regular reviews on their \nGoogle My Business\n, \nYelp\n, and \nTripAdvisor\n profiles. Online reviews help convert new customers to your business because this is often the first place they look when they are shopping for a new service. 

Pet services business website design: what features should you include?

In this article:\nWhat are Google Alerts?\nHow to set up Google Alerts for your business\nReasons why you should be using Google Alerts\nGoogle Alerts can be a powerful tool to help you grow your business and online visibility. It may not be the most effective tool out there, but it’s a surprisingly useful, free tool to get you started in tracking brand mentions, competitor reputations, (some) reviews, and keywords.\nThroughout this article, we’ll guide you through the best uses of Google Alerts for your small business, how to get it set up, and how to create specific alerts for your business needs. \nWhat are Google Alerts?\nGoogle created a free system, Google Alerts, that allows you to set up notifications for specific mentions of phrases online. When Google Alerts find a mention of the phrases you set up, you’ll receive an email notification to let you know where that mention was found. \nGoogle Alerts can help your business in several different capacities, from tracking competitor activity online, to notifying you of negative reviews, to finding more link opportunities for your business. \nWe’ll guide you through these applications in a little more detail below. But first let’s go over how to get set up to use Google Alerts. \nHow to set up Google Alerts for your business\nFirst, we want to show you how to set up Google Alerts. As long as you have a Google account, you can sign in and use Google Alerts. \nIf you don’t already have an account, simply go to Google.com and click “Sign in” to create a new account. \nStep 1: Sign in to Google Alerts\nGo to google.com/alerts and click “Sign in.” If you already have a Google account, it may already have you signed in. If that’s the case, move on to Step 2. \n(Image)\n\nStep 2: Create an Alert\nOnce you’re signed in, you can easily start creating Alerts for your business. On the main page, Google will provide you with several suggestions, including “Me on the web.” These will be your personal or business name and email (depending on which Google account you are logged in with).\nIt’s always a good idea to see where your business is showing up on the web, so feel free to click the + icon next to your business name if it shows up. \nTo create your own alert, simply type something into the search bar that says “Create an alert about…”\nSeveral of the most recent search results with your phrase will be displayed below the search box, similar to a normal Google search. \nClick “Show options” to select the following options:\nHow often to receive notifications\nSources\nLanguage\nRegion\nHow many results\nWhich email to deliver to\nOnce you’ve filled all of that out, click “‘Create Alert.” And you’re done!\n(Image)\n\n(Image)\n\nReasons why you should be using Google Alerts\nNow that you know how to set up Google Alerts for your business, let’s talk about some of the reasons why you should and how Google Alerts can benefit your online growth. \nMonitor new content\nIf you are involved with content marketing (which you should be), then you are likely producing new content on your website on a regular basis. This could be blog articles, infographics, videos, etc. \nAs you create new content, set up a Google Alert with the name of your new page or article to see when other websites share or republish your content. \nCheck to see that these websites are giving you proper credit as the originator of the content and linking back to you. If not, you can ask them to properly credit you and insert valuable links to your site.\nTrack mentions and reviews of your brand and get more links\nBeyond new content that you post, you can track mentions of your brand/company name and specific branded services or products. Check these mentions regularly and see if they are being linked back to relevant pages on your website. \nexcited african american male getting google alerts on cell phone\n\nThis will help provide more value to the places that are mentioning your brand so that their readers can follow the link to learn more about you. It also helps increase your search engine visibility. \nYou can also create a search string like “[your brand or product] + review” to get alerts when blogs or websites post articles containing your company or product and “review” in the title or content.\nTrack your competitors to find new citation opportunities\nSee where your competitors are showing up online. You can create alerts for your competitors’ name, phone number, and address to find new opportunities for ideas for citations and listings to help improve your local SEO. \nQuick guide: \nLocal SEO: 15 free tips for better search rankings\nYou may also like: \n25 free business listings for your business\nSearching for your competitors could also help you find other link opportunities. Chances are if someone is linking to a related competitor they’d be willing to link to your website as well. \nFind new guest post opportunities\nGoogle Alerts can help you find new guest-posting opportunities for your business. \nGuest posting is a great link-building and content-marketing strategy that can help improve your online reputation. \nCreate an alert for phrases like “[insert topic] + write for us” or “[insert topic] + become a contributor.” Most websites that accept guest posts will have some kind of “write for us” page, so keep an eye out for those kinds of opportunities within your industry. \nMonitor your keywords\nAnd finally, you can and should be monitoring your own keywords that you want to be showing up for on Google. This will show you the places that are likely showing up well for these phrases and what kind of content they are producing. \nUse that to guide your content strategy and help your website rank better for specific phrases. 

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