Your brand’s name might be traveling more than you do. From blog posts to social feeds, people drop mentions of it in all sorts of places, sometimes with a link, sometimes without. If you track them, you can figure out who’s talking about you, where your reputation is growing, and how your brand fits into larger conversations. That’s why, among others, we will tell you how to set up Google Alerts that might help you spot new mentions as they appear, and keep your finger on the pulse of your brand’s online journey!
Brand mention, definition
Brand mentions are the online footprints left whenever someone talks about your brand, products, or services. They can appear in various places, such as blog posts, tweets, podcasts, or even comments. Interestingly, such mentions can be with or without a link. If you have ever heard about backlinks, you can think of them as a special type of brand mention, the ones that include a clickable link to your website and give your Search Engine Optimization a boost. In short, every backlink is a brand mention, but not every brand mention is a backlink. But as for now, let’s concentrate on categories of brand mentions:
- Mentions without the link are ones that mention your brand only, with no clickable link;
- Mentions with the link;
- Indirect mentions that are references to your brand that don’t explicitly name it.
What’s natural language processing?
Natural language processing (NLP) refers to the technology that enables computers to understand, analyze, and work with human language. It’s vital when it comes to brand mentions, as it allows Google to actually understand what people are saying about a brand, instead of just spotting the words themselves. Although NLP allows Google to read and understand human language, it’s the combination of entities, E-E-A-T, and the Knowledge Graph that helps it understand context and credibility. Together, they tell Google who’s being mentioned, whether the source is reliable, and how that mention connects to the bigger picture of your brand online.
Brand mentions SEO
Mentions of your brand help search engines see your content as credible and relevant, supporting both rankings and AI-generated answers. They also increase brand visibility, create opportunities for backlinks, and provide valuable insights into how your audience perceives your brand, making them an essential part of any modern SEO strategy.
Is there anything I can do about brand mentions?
1. Managing your brand’s mentions online starts with simply knowing where your name appears. You want to “catch” every conversation, whether it’s on a blog, social media, forum, or news site. Free-of-charge tools, such as Google Alerts (a step-by-step guide is included in the next paragraph), or paid options like Mention, can also be helpful. Remember that it’s important to track not just the exact spelling of your brand, but also common variations, product names, or abbreviations (for instance, consumers of Coca-Cola’s most famous drink might often refer to it as a “Coke”). However, what are the pros for you? In short, keeping track of brand mentions can give you access to honest, unfiltered consumer opinions. It can enable you to react quickly, improve customer satisfaction, and strengthen your brand image, while also revealing the effectiveness of your marketing efforts;
2. Your next step should include taking a closer look at the quality of these mentions. It’s vital to acknowledge that not every shout-out is equally valuable. Mentions using generic anchor text like “click here”, ones without much context, or coming from low-traffic or low-authority sites aren’t doing you a favour – try to identify them;
3. Once you identify those weaker mentions, you can start making them more effective. A friendly outreach to the publisher can really make a difference. You could suggest that they include your brand name next to an existing link, provide additional context, or update any outdated details to ensure the mention accurately represents your brand. It’s also helpful to keep track of which mentions you’ve contacted and how they evolve over time. This way, you can focus your efforts on the places that will have the most significant impact;
4. Lastly, you can actually help your brand appear across a variety of online spaces. You can optimize your Google Business Profile, and for instance, think of partnering with other businesses or organizations that reach similar audiences.
Set up Google Alerts by yourself
- Go to the Google Alerts site;
- Type your brand name inside quotation marks;
- Click “Show options” to personalize your alert settings, including notification timing, types of websites, preferred language, region, number of results, and email address, to which the alerts will be sent. (Below, you might also see an alert preview of the existing results that match your search query);
- Tap “Create Alert”;
- Congratulations! You’ll be emailed whenever matching results appear.
Brand mentions aren’t just words – they show trust, influence, and interest in your brand. By keeping track of them and utilizing the insights, publishers can transform everyday online conversations into opportunities to enhance their reputation, attract more users, and increase ad revenue. And if your content isn’t generating income yet, we’re here to help you get started! At optAd360, we implement modern website monetization solutions that help you turn traffic into money!
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