I promise you, after using Google Alerts, it will change your life – Google Alerts are a simple and free alert that will update you  about something that interests you. Google will send you an email any time a new web page appears in the top 20 web results or top 10 news results for the terms you specify.

Here’s some good things to keep track of:

1. Track your business – I have Google Alerts running for “Blue Deer Designs” and my name. It seems to pop up tweets, ads, and content associated with them.

2. Want to see who is coming to your blog? You can track incoming links to your site.

3. Track your products – this way you can see if there are reviews or tweets about your products and are able to respond to them, if needed.

4. Advanced Searches are a great way to track topics you want to keep your pulse on.

5. Watch your competition. It’s important to see who is writing about them and what kind of news they are sharing.

The following blogs go into more depth and can be handy for setting up your alerts

http://foodblogalliance.com/2009/04/how-to-use-google-alerts—5-quick-ways-to-get-news-about-you-your-blog.php

http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/4203/How-to-Use-Google-Alerts-to-Monitor-Your-Company-s-Online-Presence.aspx