Common Causes
If you've set up a keyword and RSS feed but aren't seeing any mentions, work through these in order:
1. The Alert Is Brand New
Google takes time to start producing results for a fresh alert. Wait 1–24 hours before assuming something's wrong — especially for niche keywords (specific business names, regional brands).
2. Check the RSS Feed Directly
Open the RSS URL you pasted in a browser. You should see an XML page with <feed> at the top.
- If you see
<entry>blocks — the feed has content. Mentions should appear within an hour at the next poll. - If the page is empty or shows just
<feed>with no entries — Google hasn't found any matches yet. Wait longer. - If the URL gives a 404 or login screen — the alert was deleted or the URL is wrong. Recreate the alert and paste the new URL.
3. Your Keyword Is Too Narrow
Exact-phrase matches with no online activity in the past week return nothing. Try broader variations — e.g. just "your brand" instead of "your brand pty ltd". You can have multiple keywords per business.
4. Your Plan Doesn't Include Social Listening
Mentions are available on the Growth plan and above. If you're on Free or Starter, you'll see an upgrade prompt instead of the Mentions UI. Upgrade in Settings > Billing.
5. AI Couldn't Classify the Mentions
If mentions land in the system but all show as "Maybe / Neutral" with no real labels, the AI classifier is failing or hasn't been deployed. Contact support and we'll check our end.