Use Google Alerts to hear what's being said about you behind your back

No matter what sort of business you run or the size of your profile, chances are that at some point it will be mentioned on the web.

When it is, will it be good or bad? Wouldn't it be great if you knew what people were saying immediately so that you could respond either way?

Google Alerts lets you monitor specific keywords in the Google search engine, and it will send you an email every day (or however often you choose) with links to new pages that match your search phrases.

This can be useful for people doing research, following a breaking news story or who are simply interested in a particular topic. But another key reason to set up an alert is to monitor your brand.

Try it now: type your business name or your domain name into Google. Ignore the pages that you made yourself and read what other people are saying about you. You'll be surprised by the sort of things that get people talking.

Engaging with these customers who are already writing about your brand or product is an excellent idea, even if they are talking negatively. There are many case studies that show the importance of authentic communication with clients, and if your responses are fair you can often negate or even turn around negative commentary.

Google Alerts won't help you interact with your customers. But it can help you to know where they're talking about you and when, so that you can jump in immediately. It's also very easy to set up once you've got a Google account.

Head to www.google.com/alerts and set up an alert today.