Everyone from tech geeks to marketing professionals is monitoring websites for changes. But why? What exactly is the purpose of web monitoring, and how can you do it? Let’s break down what website monitoring is, different ways to monitor websites, and why it can be beneficial for your business.
What is Website Monitoring?
Website monitoring is the process of regularly tracking a website or certain elements within a website for changes. This can include tracking a website’s performance, availability, and content. The goals of website monitoring can be very broad depending on your business, industry, or personal needs.
Some use cases include detecting potential issues with a site as soon as possible so they can be fixed quickly, staying on top of competitors to uncover important decisions, tracking job opportunities, new consoles and games releases, and getting availability notifications of products in short supply.
With the right tools, anyone can effectively monitor websites for changes, even if they don’t have an advanced technical background. This article will discuss why everyone should monitor websites for changes and how to do it effectively.
How to monitor a website for changes
To monitor websites for changes, you can use a website monitoring service like Visualping. These tools typically work by checking the website periodically for changes and alerting you when a change is detected. You receive a notification via email, SMS, or Slack where you can see the before and after versions, with what has been removed often highlighted in red and what’s been added in green.
Visualping can be used for both real-time monitoring and scheduling monitoring. You can adjust the frequency of checks as often as every 5 minutes. This type of tracking allows you to react immediately to important changes.
With scheduled monitoring, you can set the software to check a certain website at a certain time. This can be helpful if you want to track a specific website once a week but don’t want to check every other site more frequently.
You can also set up event-based monitoring. This is when you set up a rule to let you know when a certain event occurs. Or you can track if a specific keyword has been added or removed from the content.
Types of websites that can be monitored for changes
The type of websites that can be monitored are virtually limitless! Any website can be monitored for changes, from e-commerce sites to blogs to social media networks. However, some websites require more complex methods than others to monitor them properly.
Products back-in-stock
Similarly, suppose you want to track product availability on an e-commerce site, such as the PS5 console being back-in-stock or new game releases. In that case, you adjust the tracking setup specifically for this purpose and get an alert when the product is back-in-stock.
Social media platforms
Social media networks are also great web monitoring targets because they constantly change and update their content. For example, let’s say you’re trying to keep track of a competitor’s Instagram presence. You could use web monitoring software specifically designed for Instagram that allows you to track posts, comments, followings, likes, and dislikes all in one place. This way, you can get an overview of their account’s performance without manually checking each post every day.
Job opportunities
Website change detection tools also track job openings at specific companies. If, for instance, you have a dream company you would love to work for, you can track their careers page on their website or their job opportunities on Linkedin or other career platforms.
News and blogs
Website monitoring is a great way to stay up-to-date with current events and get a notification as they happen. This can help you remain informed about everything you are interested in, from new tech developments to scientific discoveries or the latest Twitter news.
Other sites to monitor for changes
If you work in a specific industry, you may want to keep track of developments in that area of knowledge as they happen. If your industry is heavily regulated, you may also want to track governmental sites and other official websites to get to know as soon as the regulations change.
If you run a blog or want to create new content, website monitoring can help you find inspiration. Tracking sites can help you find content ideas and spark new ideas for your own content. Or, if you’re worried that someone might plagiarise your content, you can use website monitoring to keep track of other websites. This can help you spot any potential plagiarism before it hurts your business.
Monitoring websites for changes can also help you create better strategies. If you work in marketing or public relations, you may want to monitor important websites. This can help you stay informed about the latest developments in the industry, identify important events, and create better strategies.
Conclusion
Keeping up with digital trends has become increasingly important in today’s world, which makes web monitoring essential for businesses who want to stay ahead of their competition and individuals who want to be in the know. Using specialized tools like login monitors or product availability trackers, anyone can easily monitor websites for changes and gain valuable insights into their target market’s behavior or preferences. Web monitoring may seem complicated at first, but once you understand how it works and what types of websites can be tracked, it’s actually quite simple. So take advantage today and start tracking your favorite sites.
