Google Alerts is a free tool that has long been loved by many people. It allows you to set up alerts for specific keywords or phrases, and get notified when new content is published. Simple, free, and reliable. When Google Alerts first launched in 2003, it was mindblowing. In fact, the creator of Google Alerts - Naga Kataru - had his name on three patents that were required to create Google Alerts.
😆 Fun fact Naga, the creator of Google Alerts, is now an almond farmer.
Fast forward 20 years.. Google Alerts does not work for the scale of modern Internet. With so much new content being published every day, Google Alerts is not able to distinguish noise from gold and irrelevant data from extremely relevant data.
So what now? It's 2024 and you want to keep track of your competitors. Google Alerts is too noisy and not scalable. What's the alternative? In this blog post, we will talk about Campana, the best alternative to Google Alert and why your business should adopt it in order to keep tabs on your competitors.
What does Google Alerts exactly do?
When you set up an alert, Google scans the web for new content that matches the keywords or phrases you’ve specified. It then sends you an email notification with links to the relevant content. The alerts can be customized based on:
- Frequency: You can choose to receive alerts as-it-happens, once a day, or once a week.
- Sources: You can filter alerts to come from automatic sources, news, blogs, web, video, books, discussions, and finance.
- Language and Region: You can specify the language and region from which you want to receive alerts.
- Number of Results: You can opt to receive only the best results or all results.
As you can see, I have tried using the product to monitor Campana. The design is simple and intuitive but let's look at the results it provides.
Inter Miami and FC Cincinnati? As a user, I was expecting new posts and articles about Campana - a competitive intelligence tool. However, I am instead getting results about soccer clubs.
What is Campana?
In the world of content monitoring, Campana stands out as a more accurate and modern alternative to Google Alerts. Why is this the case? While Google Alerts only asks for a keyword or phrase, Campana asks for the company or entity you want to track. Want to track a company named "Square"? Once you provide us with the URL, "https://square.com", Campana looks at available resources online and try to understand what kind of business that is. Once it has done that, Campana looks at all news published to Google and filters articles by relevancy. In addition, it monitors the company's websites for additions, deletions and changes.
Take for example a company named Thematic. Notice how Campana has a desription of Thematic, showcasing how it has understood what kind of company Thematic is.
Let's see what kind of results Campana was able to find
Given Thematic and Campana's entity comprehension, let's see what kind of results Campana was able to find.
OK, great! There are articles that mention the name "Thematic". However, the real power of Campana is showcased via articles that it finds that don't even directly contain the word "Thematic" in the title. Because of entity comprehension, Campana is able to find articles that don't even mention the name "Thematic" in the title.
Campana Reports
Campana not only delivers more accurate and relevant results than Google Alerts, but it also takes competitor tracking to the next level. Its standout feature is a comprehensive weekly report that goes beyond just listing information. This report compiles all the data Campana has gathered about your tracked companies and, crucially, provides insights derived from this information. We call these "Highlights".
By analyzing the collected data, Campana offers you valuable interpretations and conclusions, helping you understand the implications of recent events and trends in your competitive landscape.
Let's click into one of insights and see what it looks like.
Here is a detailed view of the Highlight. This expanded information allows you to:
- Read the full context of the highlight, giving you a comprehensive understanding of the event or trend.
- Access the original sources that Campana analyzed to generate this insight. This transparency allows you to verify the information and dive deeper if needed.
- Save time by quickly grasping the key points without having to sift through multiple articles yourself.
- Make informed decisions based on reliable, AI-curated information about your competitive landscape.
This level of detail and transparency sets Campana apart from traditional alert systems, providing you with not just raw data, but actionable intelligence to inform your business strategy.
Conclusion
Ever since Google Alerts' launch in 2003, it has been a popular tool for many users, from individual bloggers to large corporations. However, as the volume of content on the internet has exploded, Google Alerts has struggled to keep up, often delivering a significant amount of irrelevant content. Campana is a modern alternative that offers more accurate and relevant results with pricing that scales with your needs. If you are interested in trying out Campana, sign up here with a 30 day money-back guarantee.