Get started with website monitoring in 60 seconds
This step-by-step guide walks you through everything you need to know. From creating your first monitor to setting up advanced notifications.
Jump to the StepsWhat you'll learn
Everything you need to go from zero to fully configured website monitoring.
Create Your First Monitor
Learn how to set up monitoring for any website in just a few clicks. No technical skills required.
Choose Check Frequency
Understand the different check intervals and pick the right one for your use case.
Set Up Notifications
Configure email, Slack, Discord, or webhook alerts so you never miss a change.
Use CSS Selectors
Monitor specific sections of a page instead of the whole thing. Reduce noise, get better results.
Understand Change Detection
Learn how PageDrifter detects changes, displays diffs, and tracks your complete change history.
Reduce False Positives
Best practices for filtering out noise like ads, timestamps, and session tokens.
Step-by-step setup guide
Follow these five steps and you'll have a fully configured monitor running in no time.
Sign up and create your first monitor
The fastest way to get started is right from the homepage. Paste the URL you want to monitor, enter your email address, and click the button. That's it. PageDrifter creates your account and your first monitor in one step.
Verify your email
Check your inbox for a verification email from PageDrifter. Click the link to activate your account. This also starts your first monitor right away. If you don't see the email, check your spam folder or request a new one.
Configure your first monitor
Your monitor is already running with sensible defaults. But you can fine-tune it from your dashboard. Set the check frequency, choose the monitoring type, and decide how sensitive the change detection should be.
From hourly to weekly. Pick based on how time-sensitive the content is. Free plans check daily.
Choose text content, visual screenshot, or full HTML source monitoring depending on what matters to you.
Customize monitoring settings
Take your monitoring to the next level. Use CSS selectors to watch specific parts of a page. Enable JavaScript rendering for dynamic sites. Set change thresholds to ignore tiny, irrelevant updates.
Target specific elements like #price, .product-stock, or main article. Only changes within that element trigger alerts.
Some websites load content dynamically with JavaScript. Enable JS rendering to see the page exactly as your browser does.
Set a minimum change percentage. If the change is smaller than your threshold, it won't trigger a notification.
Set up notifications
Choose how you want to be notified when changes are detected. You can set up multiple channels and configure different ones for different monitors.
Instant email alerts or a daily digest summarizing all changes. Available on all plans including free.
Slack & Discord
Get change alerts directly in your team channels. Set up with a simple webhook URL.
Microsoft Teams
Receive notifications in your Teams channels via incoming webhook connectors.
Custom Webhooks
Send change data to any URL. Perfect for custom integrations, automation tools, and workflows.
Tips & best practices
Get the most out of your monitoring with these proven strategies.
Be specific with selectors
Instead of monitoring an entire page, use CSS selectors to target the exact content you care about. This dramatically reduces false positives from ads, banners, and other dynamic elements.
Match frequency to urgency
Not everything needs minute-by-minute checks. Price changes might need frequent monitoring. Legal page updates? Daily is fine. Save your check quota for what matters most.
Use change thresholds
Set a minimum change percentage to ignore tiny updates. A 1% threshold filters out minor text tweaks while still catching meaningful content changes.
Test your selectors first
Before saving a monitor with CSS selectors, use your browser's developer tools to verify the selector matches the right element. Right-click the element and choose "Inspect" to find the selector.
Route notifications wisely
Use email for low-priority monitors and Slack or Discord for urgent ones. You can configure different channels per monitor, so each alert goes where it's most useful.
Enable JS rendering when needed
If a page loads content with JavaScript (like single-page apps or dynamic pricing), enable JS rendering. It uses more resources but ensures you see the real content.
Common questions
Quick answers to the questions we hear most often.
Do I need technical skills to use PageDrifter?
Not at all. PageDrifter is designed for everyone. Just paste a URL, enter your email, and you're monitoring. No coding or technical knowledge required. Advanced features like CSS selectors are available if you want them, but they're completely optional.
What's the best check frequency for my use case?
It depends on how time-sensitive the changes are. For competitor pricing or stock availability, check every few hours. For blog posts or news pages, every 12 hours works well. For legal pages or terms of service, daily checks are usually sufficient. You can always adjust the frequency later.
Can I monitor specific sections of a page instead of the whole page?
Yes. Use CSS selectors to target specific elements. For example, use '#price' to monitor only a price element, or '.product-stock' to watch inventory status. This reduces false positives from unrelated page changes like ads or timestamps.
How do I reduce false positives from dynamic content?
There are several strategies. Use CSS selectors to focus on the content you care about. Set a change threshold percentage so tiny changes are ignored. Enable content filters to exclude dynamic elements like timestamps, ads, or session tokens. You can configure all of these from your monitor settings.
What notification options are available?
PageDrifter supports email notifications (instant and daily digest), Slack, Discord, Microsoft Teams, and custom webhooks. You can configure different notification channels for different monitors. Free accounts get email notifications, while paid plans unlock all channels.
Is there a free plan available?
Yes. The free plan includes 3 monitors with 100 checks per month and email notifications. No credit card required. You can upgrade anytime if you need more monitors, higher check frequencies, or additional notification channels.
Ready to start monitoring?
You're 60 seconds away from your first website monitor. No credit card required.