Alertbase docs
Use Alertbase to monitor important web pages, understand what changed, and get alerts when a change needs your attention.
- Create an account and open the monitor setup flow.
- Add the URL for the page you want Alertbase to watch.
- Choose the full page or the specific area that matters.
- Describe the change you care about in plain language.
- Pick a schedule, keep email enabled by default, select any configured Slack or Discord channels, then save the monitor.
Best first monitor
Start with a page you already check by hand. If a change on that page would affect a decision, it is a strong candidate for monitoring.
Create a monitor
A monitor tells Alertbase which page to load, which part to evaluate, how often to check it, and where to send alerts.
- Use a stable page URL that opens without manual navigation when possible.
- Name monitors after the decision they support, not just the page source.
- Use notes to capture why the monitor exists, especially for team accounts.
- Keep the first version simple. You can tune target areas, wording, and schedule later.
| Setup field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| URL | The public or accessible page Alertbase should check. |
| Target | The full page, a visible section, or a specific element. |
| Intent | A short sentence describing the meaningful change. |
| Schedule | How often the page should be checked. |
| Alerts | Email is enabled by default. Configured Slack or Discord channels can also receive alerts. Webhook URLs can be added from job settings or Webhooks after creation. |
Choose what to watch
Targeting the right part of a page keeps alerts focused. Alertbase can watch an entire page, but selected areas usually produce clearer evidence and calmer notifications.
Full page
Use this when the page is short, stable, and almost every change matters.
Selected section
Use this for pricing tables, status blocks, product details, policy text, search results, or any repeated area on a larger page.
Specific element
Use this when one label, number, button, date, or paragraph is the signal you care about.
When pages are noisy
Avoid headers, footers, cookie banners, ads, and recommendation widgets unless those areas are the thing you intentionally want to monitor.
Write a good monitoring intent
The intent is the plain-language rule that separates meaningful changes from noise. Write it like a request to a careful teammate.
| Better intent | Why it works |
|---|---|
| Tell me when this product becomes available. | Names the exact state that matters. |
| Alert me if the application deadline changes. | Focuses on one field instead of the whole page. |
| Only notify me when the policy text changes meaningfully. | Filters layout and wording noise. |
| Tell me when the canonical URL, title, or meta description changes. | Defines the SEO fields to compare. |
- Prefer one clear condition per monitor.
- Name the thing, status, number, or phrase that matters.
- Say when not to alert if small cosmetic edits are expected.
- Create separate monitors for separate decisions.
Understand change evidence
Alerts should explain what happened, not just that a page changed. Alertbase keeps the evidence you need to decide whether to act.
Summary
A short explanation of the detected change and why it matched the monitor intent.
Before and after
Saved page evidence helps you compare the previous state with the current one.
Run history
Recent checks show whether the monitor is healthy, paused, failing, or detecting changes.
Accuracy first
If a page changes often but the meaning stays the same, tune the target or intent before increasing the check frequency.
Send alerts where work happens
Email is the fastest way to start. Webhooks help teams send Alertbase notifications into shared workflows when they need more routing control.
- Use email for personal alerts and low-volume team monitors.
- Use webhooks or webhook subscriptions when another tool should receive change events automatically.
- Keep alert destinations current when teammates change roles.
- Pause noisy monitors instead of ignoring them. Then tune the target or intent.
Example change webhook shape event: change_detected or change.detected timestamp: time the event was sent job: id, url, nickname, and watch type change: percent changed, text changes, screenshot URL, and summary fields when available
Schedules and credits
Most monitor runs use credits, and some monitor types can use more than one credit per check. Choose a schedule that matches how quickly the page can affect your work.
| Page type | Typical schedule |
|---|---|
| Status or availability page | More frequent checks when timing matters. |
| Policy, documentation, or legal page | Daily or weekly checks are often enough. |
| SEO metadata | Daily checks catch most unexpected edits without creating noise. |
| Pricing or product details | Match the schedule to how quickly your team can respond. |
Trial accounts
New users can start with a 14-day free trial. Trial capacity and intervals are shown in the app before you save monitors, and no credit card is required.
Monitor SEO-critical page changes
Alertbase can help teams notice search-sensitive edits that are easy to miss during site updates.
- Watch title tags and meta descriptions for unexpected rewrites.
- Track canonical URLs, robots directives, and Open Graph metadata.
- Monitor key landing-page copy after releases or campaigns.
- Keep an eye on competitor or partner pages without making that the whole product story.
Good SEO alert
Alert me when the title, meta description, canonical URL, or robots instructions change on this page.
Teams, sharing, and API access
Use teams when multiple people need visibility into the same monitors. Use API keys for authenticated job, cron, and uptime automation. Use webhooks or webhook subscriptions for event delivery.
- Share monitor context through names, notes, and consistent notification destinations.
- Review active monitors before adding many new ones to avoid duplicate alerts.
- Find API keys, webhooks, and integrations from Dashboard > Connect.
- Dashboard users can send feedback from the avatar menu with Give feedback.
- Use webhook payloads for downstream routing, ticket creation, or audit trails.
- Keep secrets out of monitor names, notes, webhook URLs, and plain-language intents.
Privacy and cookie choices
Alertbase keeps required cookies separate from optional product and marketing cookies, so you can choose what works for you.
| Category | What it does |
|---|---|
| Necessary | Keeps sign-in, security, saved settings, and core site features working. |
| Product | Helps us understand which pages and flows are useful so we can improve Alertbase, without collecting monitor input values or page snapshots. |
| Marketing | Helps measure campaigns and keep ads relevant when you allow it. |
Browser privacy signals
If your browser sends Global Privacy Control or Do Not Track, Alertbase keeps marketing cookies off even if you choose to allow all cookies.
- You can choose necessary only, product only, or accept all optional categories from the cookie banner.
- Older cookie choices continue to work and are updated to the current category format automatically.
- If account sync is temporarily unavailable, your choice stays saved in this browser and can be retried later.
Troubleshooting
Most monitor issues come from an unstable page target, a vague intent, or a page that blocks automated checks.
| Symptom | What to try |
|---|---|
| Too many alerts | Narrow the target area and make the intent more specific. |
| No alert for a real change | Confirm the changed text is inside the selected target and update the intent. |
| Checks fail | Open the page in a private browser window and confirm it loads without extra steps. |
| Evidence looks unrelated | Select a smaller area near the signal you care about. |
FAQ
Short answers for common launch questions.
Can Alertbase monitor any website?
Alertbase is designed for broad website change detection. Some sites may block automated checks or require setup adjustments.
Do I need code?
No. Most monitors can be created with a URL, a selected target, and a plain-language intent.
Will every page edit trigger an alert?
Not if the monitor is tuned well. The goal is to alert on meaningful changes, not cosmetic page movement.
What should I monitor first?
Start with pages you already refresh manually: availability, deadlines, pricing, policies, SEO metadata, public notices, and status pages.