Google Alerts

If you haven't tried Google Alerts yet, we suggest you do this now. Visit http://www.google.com/alerts?hl=en and put in a few keywords and sign up for a daily email. Visit the sites. You will soon get a feel for what kind of sites are associated with what keywords. Then consider posting thoughtful replies when and where appropriate. Do NOT overtly sell your work. Typically just putting your book selling URL with your signature is acceptable.

To set up your Google Alerts, go to www.google.com/alerts

When you arrive at this page (below) you’ll see that you have a few options for the type of search you can perform. I suggest choosing the “comprehensive” search so you can get the most alerts sent to you.

Common search terms to use are:

1. Your own URL(s) (to your blog, website, book sales page, etc.)
2. Your full name (usually in quotes)
3. Keywords you’re targeting (such as the subject and genre of your book)

Those are the alerts that every author should have set up, but let me go over this in more depth:

1. What’s A Blog? A blog is sort of like an online journal where people write about their opinions, passions, or products. It's more intimate and less formal than a website. Some of the most popular blog sites are Blogger.com and Wordpress.org.

2. What Keywords Should You Choose? Say you wrote a book on zombies. Add some keywords to your Google Alerts like "zombies" "undead" "brain eaters" and what have you. Be sure to put quotes around your phrases so you don’t get unrelated results. Any time someone posts something new about these subjects, you'll get a Google Alert right to your email. You can choose to have alerts sent daily or weekly. As you read over the Google Alert email there will be links that you click on to go to the site that mentioned your keywords.

3. How Many Keywords Should You Use? Choose at least 5-10 keywords that describe your book, not just your name and the book title. Like, what type of book is it? Is there a main message? Is there a theme? Is there a certain state, city, country where it takes place? Choosing good keywords is really hit and miss. Again, think about the subject of your book, the careers your main characters have, the time period or city/country it takes place in, etc. These can all be good keywords.

4. How Popular Are Your Keywords? Say you wrote a book on "handmade box kites.” When you type it into Google Alerts, you can immediately see the value in a search like this because it will let you know who else is writing about that particular phrase. The more people are writing about this subject, the more Google Alerts you’ll get, and the more you’ll be able to comment on other peoples’ websites and blogs! (Which means more links back to your book page!)

5. Another tip--most popular bloggers have Google alerts set up for their website and name. If you start linking out to some famous bloggers (in other words, add their URL to your blog or web page) you can get good traffic back to your site. In most cases you will see that the person you linked to will check out your blog within 24 hours. It’s a great way to introduce yourself to people you want to connect with. You can build a solid reputation for yourself in a short amount of time by linking out to other blogs that interest you.

6. What To Do When You Get An Alert? When you get alerts back you can click on the link and look them over to see if they actually pertain to your book and if you can leave a comment (some blogs don’t allow this.) Make your comment short but thoughtful and try not to make it look like a hard sell. At the end of your entry, include your name and the link to your blog, website, or book sales page.

7. Sound Confusing? Trust me, it gets easier and faster over time. You'll meet interesting people, get the word out about your book, and it will feel more like socializing rather than work! Google Alerts isn’t for everyone, but if you dedicate yourself to commenting on 100 blogs, over time this means your name and book title are listed 100 times on the major search engines.
Best of all, this is free!

8. Online Promotion Not For You? Even if online promotional tactics may not be your cup of tea, give it a shot. I’ve had many emails from authors who never thought Google Alerts would be right for them, but they soon discover that they actually enjoy it and have met many interesting people, made new contacts, and attracted new fans.

9. Another Tip: If you haven't read this book yet, you may want to: "1001 Ways To Market Your Book." You can probably find it on Amazon pretty cheap. The book is huge! There are so many ideas that you're sure to find some things in there that are right up your alley!

For more information, please email us.

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