Short answer: Google Alerts emails you when new results for a topic show up in Google Search. Go to Google Alerts and type your business name in the box at the top. Click Show options to choose how often and what kind of results you get, then click Create Alert.
What Google Alerts does for a business
Google says you can get emails when new results for a topic show up in Google Search, for example news, products or mentions of your name. An alert sends you matching search results, so you hear about them without searching every day.
For a business, the useful topics are its own name, the owner’s name, its main products and a competitor or two. A new mention can be a review on another site, a directory listing with an old phone number or an article that names you. Our guide to local citations explains why those listings matter.
How to create an alert
- Sign in to the Google account that should receive the emails and go to Google Alerts.
- In the box at the top, enter the topic you want to follow, such as your business name.
- Click Show options to change the settings.
- Choose how often you get notifications and the types of sites you’ll see.
- Choose the language and the part of the world you want results from.
- Choose how many results you want to see and which account gets the alert.
- Click Create Alert.
From then on, Google emails you whenever it finds matching search results. Create one alert per topic, so each email tells you clearly what it is about.
How to write the topic so it finds the right mentions
A common business name can bring results about other companies, people or words. Google’s search help explains operators that make a search more precise, and they help when you write the topic of an alert. Use double quotes, and don’t put a space between an operator and the word that follows it.
| Operator | What it does | Alert topic example |
|---|---|---|
| Quotes | Finds an exact match of a word or phrase | "Your Business Name" |
| Minus sign | Leaves out a word you don’t want | "Your Business Name" -jobs |
| site: | Shows results from one site or domain | "Your Business Name" site:yelp.com |
Our own summary of the Google Search Help page on refining searches, read on November 6, 2026, applied to an alert’s topic.
Start with the name in quotes and add a minus word only when the same unwanted results keep coming. Our guide to Google search operators covers more of them and how to check your own site.
How to edit or delete an alert
To change an alert, go to Google Alerts and click Edit next to it. If you don’t see any options, click Show options, make your changes and click Update Alert. To change how you get alerts in general, click Settings, check the options you want and click Save.
To remove an alert, click Delete next to it in Google Alerts. You can also delete an alert by clicking Unsubscribe at the bottom of an alert email.
If the emails stop arriving, Google suggests three checks: the account you’re logged into, the alert’s settings and your email settings. When an alert does bring a negative review, our guide to responding to negative reviews helps you answer it calmly.
Before you rely on your alerts
- There’s an alert for your business name, written in quotes.
- There’s an alert for the owner’s name and for your main product or service.
- A competitor or two have their own alerts.
- Each alert has a frequency you’ll actually read.
- The language and region match the market you sell to.
- The emails go to an inbox someone on your team checks.
RememberGoogle Alerts emails you new search results for a topic. Put your business name in quotes, set the options in Show options, and give each alert an inbox that someone reads.
If you’d rather hand this off, our local SEO service publishes your posts, answers your reviews and keeps your name, address and phone the same on every listing. Send us a WhatsApp or fill in the form.
Quick answers about Google Alerts
What can Google Alerts track for a business?
Google says you can get emails when new results for a topic show up in Google Search, for example news, products or mentions of your name. For a business, the useful topics are its name, the owner’s name, its products and its competitors.
How do I change how often Google Alerts emails me?
Go to Google Alerts, click Edit next to the alert and, if you don’t see options, click Show options. Change how often you get notifications, then click Update Alert. Settings changes how you get alerts in general.
How do I stop a Google Alert?
Go to Google Alerts and click Delete next to the alert you want to remove. You can also delete an alert by clicking Unsubscribe at the bottom of any alert email it sends you.
Why am I not getting Google Alerts emails?
Google suggests checking three things in order: which account you’re logged into, the alert’s own settings and your email settings. An alert that goes to another account or lands in a filtered folder looks like no alert at all.
How do I make an alert only match my business name?
Put the name inside quotes, which Google’s search help says finds an exact match of a word or phrase. To leave out results with a word you don’t want, add a minus sign in front of that word.
Sources
Sources from Google Search Help, read on November 6, 2026: Create an alert. Refine Google searches.