Google Alerts

If I asked you "How many keywords pertain to your business?" I'm sure you could rattle off at least a half a dozen.

Google Alerts is a valuable tool for any small business. Google alerts are an e-mail update sent to you based on your choice or keyword query. For example, if I were a painter in New Jersey I would include "my company name", painters, painting contractors, New Jersey painting contractors, and New Jersey painters as my keywords. Be careful to put put parenthesis around specific words and phrases, i.e., if you don't put them around "New Jersey painters" you would get searches for the word "New" and "Jersey" and "painters" - imagine what your in-box would look like! While you're at it, also tag your competition, it's always important to keep tabs on them to see if they're offering any products or services that you could add to your repertoire.

Google Alerts is like having your own private investigator on staff and a great way to be a leader in your profession.

Get to work immediately. Go to www.google.com/alerts. And while you're there, don't forget to add an alert for us - "BizPizzazz" - so you can get important small business tips as soon as we add them to our blog.