Real-Time Updates for Changing Websites: Techniques & Benefits Uncovered

Whether you’re tracking competitors, following industry news, or monitoring resources for research, manually checking each site for changes is a huge time sink. Fortunately, there’s a solution that can shoulder the burden for you, freeing up valuable time and mental energy.

Most people don’t appreciate notifications. In fact, many people prefer to stop websites from sending them notifications . I’m the opposite. As someone who writes on a wide range of topics, I need to stay current on the latest developments from multiple sources. I first discovered VisualPing while searching for a way to streamline my own process of tracking updates across dozens of websites. Since then, it’s been a significant part of keeping my knowledge up-to-date.

What Is VisualPing.io?

VisualPing.io tracks text changes on a website and notifies you through email (if you’re a free user) or other connected integrations like Slack or text. If you use Google’s Chrome browser, the company provides a handy plugin that allows you to track changes on a website with a single click.

Prior to VisualPing, I relied on RSS feeds to my email client to tell me when websites were updated or changed. The downside of this process is that it’s not intuitive and requires a lot of technical know-how. It also doesn’t work for some websites and is terrible at keeping track of some changes.

Why I Started Using VisualPing.io

Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek

I started using VisualPing.io around February 2023 to keep updated with changes on a few websites I followed. I really wanted a notification tool that could help me get ahead of things when jobs were posted that matched my field (writing). However, I quickly realized that I could use this tool to inform me when certain companies updated their job listing sites.

VisualPing.io allows a user to get a ping when a website has text changes, and a new job posting on a company’s careers site is one of those text changes it can track.

I added about ten companies I liked to the monitoring station. The setup for monitoring a site is easy; users can choose whether to check for graphical updates, text updates, or even a specific element change. I set up a simple text update for the websites I was interested in and let it do its thing.

Unfortunately, I underestimated how often job postings on those sites would happen, and before I knew it, the 150 “checks” I had expired. The pings gave me a few leads, but I quickly realized I was doing this wrong. Instead of checking for any changes in the text, I added the criteria that the text change should only ping me if it saw “writer” in the text change. Since then, it’s been working much better, and I never run out of checks for the month.

Setting Up VisualPing.io

Account creation with VisualPing.io is as easy as going to the main website and clicking the sign-up button. The web app will walk you through account creation and password choice and send you a verification email. Once you’ve verified your email, you can sign in to the website and add your first website to check.

Clicking on either “Add a Job” button will open the details panel.

The first tab of the setup allows you to add details such as:

• A name for your job
• The minimum amount of changes that need to be made before it notifies you
• What VisualPing.io will check for (Text, Visual, Element)
• Automated actions you can perform if a change is detected (like an automated click)
• Adjustments like sending an alert if the website has an error or setting up a basic proxy setting

Next to it is the notifications tab. You can’t change anything here if you’re a free personal user. You can set up integrations with other apps like Slack or Discord here if you’re a business user. It’s probably a good idea to set up your Android notifications for important emails in Gmail if you don’t want to miss updates.

The third tab is the schedule setting. If the website isn’t likely to change during the weekend, you can only check if it’s updated on weekdays. For companies that are hiring, that’s how I set up my checking since it allowed me to streamline my check usage.

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Why More People Should Consider Using VisualPing.io

Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek

One of the things I eventually realized was that VisualPing.io could be far more versatile than just job-tracking software. VisualPing.io can be a game-changer in staying ahead of the competition for professionals in a wide range of industries. Whether you’re a marketer keeping tabs on industry trends or a researcher monitoring publications for new findings (like Windows 11 killing a local account workaround ), VisualPing.io ensures you never miss a critical update. Students benefit greatly from this tool, allowing them to track academic resources, course syllabi, and university announcements without constantly refreshing web pages. Some of the use cases I’ve considered include:

• Competitive Intelligence
  • Monitor competitors’ websites for new product releases, pricing changes, or strategic announcements.
  • Stay informed about industry trends and adapt quickly to maintain a competitive edge.
• Academic Research
  • Track academic journals, databases, or preprint servers for new publications in your field of study.
  • Stay up-to-date on the latest research findings without manual searches.
• Job Seekers
  • Monitor job boards, company careers pages, or industry-specific job listings for new opportunities.
  • Be among the first to apply for relevant positions and increase your chances of success.
• Financial Markets
  • Track stock prices, market indices, or economic indicators for real-time updates.
  • Make informed investment decisions based on the latest financial data.
• Brand Monitoring
  • Monitor online mentions of your critical products or key executives across news sites, blogs, or forums.
  • Respond promptly to customer feedback and PR opportunities, avoiding potential crises.
• Government and Policy
  • Track changes in legislation, regulations, or public policy announcements on government websites.
  • Stay informed about developments that may impact your industry or organization.
• Social Media Management
  • Monitor social media profiles, Facebook Groups , hashtags, or competitor accounts for new posts or engagement opportunities.
  • Respond quickly to customer inquiries, comments, or mentions of your brand.

The possibilities are endless, although it would require someone to sign up for a paid account to have larger usage limits on their pings. Even so, it could be valuable and even be considered a business expense.

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Is VisualPing.io Worth It?

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A woman relaxing on a couch browsing titles on a streaming service.

If your internet usage only centers around news websites or social media, VisualPing.io might be overkill. However, if you want to keep track of particular personalities on social media or get updates on competitors’ brands, then it’s more than worth the time to set up a few custom page pings. It comes down to how valuable your time is and whether you want to spend it trawling the internet if you could just set up VisualPing.io to do it for you.