In order for a small business to reach out to its online customers, there is a need to interact with them through the web. This is not just limited to sending out e-newsletters or publishing write ups. It is essential to respond to customers who review your business online. This needs to be a blanket policy—and by that, you have to respond to not just the positive reviews but also the not-so-good ones.

But there’s just a tiny problem—how can you respond to reviews when you’re not even sure that your business is being talked about. That is where the Google Alerts step in. This important tool instantly notifies you whenever your local business is being talked about so you can track the things that are being said about your business. And best of all, Google Alerts is for free. You’ll be able to make use of this tool to give you intelligence which you cannot achieve through conventional means.

When it comes to responding to reviews, time is of the essence especially if you want to turn the tables on a negative review. If you are able to respond straightaway, the dissatisfied customer will be impressed with your eagerness to make things right. You can also specify other keywords aside from your business’s name so that you can keep tabs on other things like the latest industry news.

Setting up your Google Alerts account could not be any simpler.

First of all, go to the alerts home page. In order to do that, you’ll need to sign into your Google account.

Second, specify the type. You might want to select “everything” so that Google Alerts can monitor every kind of conversation which involves you in the internet.

Third, specify how often you would like to receive your alerts. Although you can have Google email you more than once in a day, you might want to limit it to only one so that you do not have to worry about an overflowing inbox.

Fourth, enter your email address.

Lastly, go back to the very top of the page and key in your search terms in the search bar. Click the “preview results” to see what type of information you will more likely receive in case you want to modify your terms. When you’re satisfied, click “create alert”.

You can enter different search terms from your business’ name (and you can even include the city you are in with your business name to filter results), your competitors, top producers to your employees.

Your author, Christopher Marentis, has many successful years of business development and is founder and CEO of Surefire Social a local web marketing services company.