Google 快讯是(Google Alerts)互联网(Internet)上最强大的工具之一，而且完全免费。这是实际上是(is)真实的那些好得令人难以置信的事情之一。如果您想掌握特定行业(industry –)的脉搏——或者如果您是一个小企业主(business owner)，想要在线关注您公司的提及，那么(company online) Google 快讯(– Google Alerts)是最简单的方法之一。
要充分利用Google 快讯(Google Alerts)，您需要确切了解使用该工具的原因。无缘无故地注册警报会让您超负荷 - 从字面上看。谷歌(Google)每天、每周一次或“当它们发生时”发送提醒。选择最后一个选项可能会导致每天收到数十封电子邮件，特别是如果您感兴趣的主题是趋势并且许多网点都在报道它。
本文将教您成为Google 快讯专家(Google Alerts expert)所需了解的一切，并且只从快讯中接收您想要的信息。
学习运算符并使用它们
您可以使用Google快讯中的(Google Alerts)Google 搜索(Google search)运算符来优化和缩小您收到的结果。如果您发现自己获得了很多不相关的点击，请添加一些运算符来缩小和细化结果。
以下是一些最常见的运算符，尽管可以在此处找到(can be found here)更详尽的运算符：
- 通过在单词前添加 @ 来搜索(Search)社交媒体。
- 通过将关键字放在引号内来搜索确切的短语。
- (Combine)通过在单词之间放置OR来(OR)组合单独的搜索。
- 使用site:keyword(site:keyword)搜索特定网站。
- 使用site:name + intitle:keyword在站点内搜索。
- 使用filetype:type(filetype:type)搜索特定的文件类型。
将Google 快讯(Google Alerts)视为始终发生的自动Google 搜索。(Google Search)搜索运算符的工作方式与您手动执行搜索时的工作方式相同。搜索越精确，您就越有可能找到所需的结果。
组合运算符以进一步细化搜索(refine search)结果。例如，如果您想在Online Tech Tips上为有关智能(Online Tech Tips)家居技术或视频游戏(home technology or video games)的文章创建提醒，您可以使用以下术语：
利用Google 快讯(Google Alerts)为您提供的不同工具来创建精确、有效的快讯。
不要害怕试错
如果某个特定警报没有提供任何有效的结果，请不要害怕从您的帐户中删除该警报并尝试另一个。可能需要几次尝试才能找到产生结果的关键字，尤其是在您不确定要使用哪些关键字的情况下。
例如，想要了解与Google Home 系列设备相关的最新趋势的人可能会通过使用(Google Home series)“Google Assistant”作为关键字找到更好的结果。如果他们需要两种搜索，他们可以为“Google Home 或 Google Assistant”(“Google Home OR Google Assistant”)设置警报，如下面的屏幕截图所示。
了解警报的不同(Different) 选项(Options)
谷歌(Google)为用户设置的警报提供了许多不同的选项。
- 您可以选择每天一次、每周一次或当它们发生(once per day, once per week, or as they happen)时接收警报。选择最后一个选项意味着每次结果符合您的搜索条件(search criteria)时，您都会收到一封电子邮件。除非您正在关注对时间敏感的事情，否则每天一次通常是您最需要的。
- 下一个选项是来源。(sources.)您可以选择接收来自新闻、博客或网络的结果。您还可以根据视频、书籍、讨论或金融主题缩小结果范围。如果您对结果的来源不挑剔(t picky)，请将其设置为“自动(Automatic)” 。
- 语言(language)选项是不言自明的。将其设置为English将仅返回English的结果，但如果您是双语并寻找另一种语言的关键字结果，则有很多选择。
- 区域(Region)可让您根据国家/地区缩小结果范围。不幸的是，它不允许您按状态过滤结果，尽管这将是一个非常强大的选项。
- How many是一种自动排序工具，可根据相关性过滤关键字。您可以选择只接收最好的结果，也可以选择接收所有结果。
- 最后，发送至(deliver to)选项让您选择是将Google 快讯(Alerts)发送到您的电子邮件地址(email address)（正如我在上面所做的）还是发送到RSS 提要(RSS feed)。
搜索相关的特定关键字(Relevant Specific Keywords)以获得最佳(Best)结果
虽然用户之间的关键字需求差异很大（没有人能真正告诉您要搜索什么，因为需求会根据上下文而变化），但所有Google 快讯(Google Alerts)用户都应该关注一些关键字。
首先，监控你的名字。如果您有一个通用名称，这可能不会那么有效 - 但如果您有一个不常见的名称，将其用作警报关键字(Alerts keyword)将帮助您监控在线出现的任何提及。这是关注您的在线声誉的绝佳方式。如果您是内容创建者(content creator)，则查看提及您的姓名有助于跟踪您的内容的覆盖面。
如果您是企业主(business owner)，请搜索提及您的品牌。您的SEO 工具(SEO tools)可能会帮助您跟踪反向链接，但未链接的提及代表了更多链接返回您网站的机会。
控制您的电子邮件
结束前的最后一点提示 - 您将收到大量来自Google 快讯(Google Alerts)的电子邮件。这是其中的一部分。即使使用每天一次的电子邮件设置(email setting)，您设置的每个警报都会收到一封电子邮件。即使是最勤奋的人，这也会很快让他们不知所措。
为了解决这个问题，请在您的电子邮件客户端中设置一个过滤器。过滤(Filter)掉所有来自Google 快讯(Google Alerts)的电子邮件，并将它们定向到自己的文件夹中。这将使您的收件箱远离不必要的混乱（至少来自您的警报），以便您可以快速找到重要的电子邮件。只是不要(Just don)忘记检查您的Google 快讯文件夹(Google Alerts folder)。
谷歌快讯(Google Alerts)只有在你做的时候才有用。有了正确的理解和专业知识(understanding and know-how)，它可以极大地改变您关注信息的方式，改善您的业务等等。
How To Become An Expert At Using Google Alerts
Google Alerts is one of the most powerful tools on the Internet, and it’s completely free. It’s one of those too-good-to-be-true things that actually is true. If you want to keep your finger on the pulse of a given industry – or if you’re a small business owner that wants to watch for mentions of your company online – Google Alerts is one of the easiest ways to do so.
To get the most out of Google Alerts, you need to know exactly why you’re using the tool. Signing up for alerts for no specific reason can overload you – literally. Google sends out alerts once a day, once a week, or “as they happen”. Choosing that last option can result in dozens of emails per day, especially if the topic you’re interested in is trending and many outlets are covering it.
This article will teach you everything you need to know to become a Google Alerts expert – and to receive only what you want from your alerts.
Learn The Operators & Use Them
You can use Google search operators inside Google Alerts to refine and narrow down the results you receive. If you find yourself getting a lot of irrelevant hits, add a few operators to narrow and refine the results.
Here are a few of the most common operators, although a more exhaustive can be found here:
- Search social media by adding @ in front of a word.
- Search for an exact phrase by putting the keyword inside quotation marks.
- Combine separate searches by putting OR between words.
- Search a specific site by using site:keyword.
- Search within sites by using site:name + intitle:keyword.
- Search for a specific filetype by using filetype:type.
Think of Google Alerts as an automatic Google Search that takes place at all times. The search operators work just like they would if you manually performed the search. The more precise the search, the more likely you are to find results you’re looking for.
Combine operators to further refine search results. For example, if you want to create an alert for articles about smart home technology or video games on Online Tech Tips, you’d use these terms:
Take
advantage of the different tools Google Alerts gives you to create
precise, effective alerts.
Don’t Be Afraid Of Trial & Error
If a specific alert does not provide any fruitful results, don’t be afraid to remove the alert from your account and try a different one. It can take a few attempts to find keywords that yield results, especially if you aren’t completely sure which ones to use.
For example, someone that wanted to stay up to date on trends relating to the Google Home series of devices might find better results by using “Google Assistant” as a keyword. If they needed both searches, they could set an alert for “Google Home OR Google Assistant” like in the screenshot below.
Learn The Different Options For Your Alerts
Google gives users a number of different options for the alerts they set up.
- You can choose to receive alerts once per day, once per week, or as they happen. Choosing the last option means you will receive an email every time a result matches your search criteria. Unless you are watching for something time-sensitive, once per day is usually the most you need.
- The next option is sources. You can choose to receive results from news, blogs, or web. You can also narrow results based on videos, books, discussions, or financial topics. If you aren’t picky about where your results come from, leave it set to Automatic.
- The language option is self-explanatory. Leaving it set on English will return only results in English, but if you are bilingual and looking for keyword results in another language, there are a lot of options.
- Region lets you narrow results down based on country. Unfortunately, it doesn’t let you filter results by state, although that would be an incredibly powerful option.
- How many is an auto-sorting tool that filters keywords based on relevance. You can choose to receive only the best results or you can receive all results.
- Finally, the deliver to option lets you choose whether to receive your Google Alerts to your email address (as I have done above) or to an RSS feed.
Search Relevant Specific Keywords For Best Results
While keyword needs vary wildly between users (and no one can really tell you what to search, as needs change based on context) there are a few keywords all Google Alerts users should keep an eye on.
First and foremost, monitor your name. If you have a common name, this might not be as effective – but if you have an uncommon name, using it as an Alerts keyword will help you monitor any mentions that appear online. This is a fantastic way to keep an eye on your online reputation. If you’re a content creator, watching for mentions of your name helps track the reach of your content.
If you’re a business owner, search for mentions of your brand. Your SEO tools might help you track backlinks, but unlinked mentions represent an opportunity for more links back to your site.
Control Your Emails
A final note before closing – you will receive a lot of emails from Google Alerts. That’s part of it. Even with a once-per-day email setting, you will receive one email per alert you have set up. That can quickly overwhelm even the most diligent person.
To combat this, set up a filter in your email client. Filter out all emails originating from Google Alerts and direct them into their own folder. This will keep your inbox clear of unnecessary clutter (at least from your Alerts) so you can find important emails quickly. Just don’t forget to check your Google Alerts folder.
Google Alerts is only as useful as you make it. With the right understanding and know-how, it can dramatically transform the way you keep an eye on information, improve your business, and much more.
