Google Trends launches

Published on: May 11, 2006 by Paul Boag

If you are a keyword addict or a stats junky then Google has just released your latest fix; Google Trends. This interesting little tool allows you to track the searches on a particular keyword.

Although still in development, Google Trends has the potential to be a useful application for marketers, especially those that track online trends or run Adword campaigns.

How it works

Fundamentally the idea is very simple. You go along to Google Trends and carry out a search in the same way as you would on the Google homepage. However instead of being returned a set of results you get a graph showing the search volume on your phrase. It is also possible to compare multiple search phases on the same graph by separating them with a comma when searching.

Why the service is useful

This is obviously a useful tool for those wishing to track online interest in a particular set of keywords. The graph produced shows the peaks and troughs of search activity and this can be compared with site stats to explain fluctuation in traffic to your site. Google even overlay related news stories in an attempt to explain what may have caused the peak in interest on a particular search term.

However, what is more interesting to me is that this service plugs a gap in Google Adwords. Google Adwords provides information on the number of times your ad is displayed (impressions) and the number of click throughs, but it doesn't provide any information on the number of searches being carried out. Google Trends allows you to explain fluctuations in your Adword campaigns as well as potentially identify times when you might wish to increase (or decrease) your daily spend.

Not without its problems

Unfortunately this is still very much a work in progress and of only limited use at the moment.

The most significant problem is with the available data. There currently only seems to be data for the broader search terms. For example a search on "web design" returns information while a search on "web design podcasts" does not. It is the trends on these specific keywords that can make or break a successful Adword campaign and so the absence of data here is disappointing.

A second problem is the limited ability to filter by region. For example it is impossible to see only searches done in the United Kingdom or the States. Obviously this will make the results almost meaningless if you are focused on a specific regional market.

My final problem is that it doesn't offer any concrete numbers. So although you can get an impression of overall trends it doesn't give you an indication of the specific numbers of searches done.

My verdict

My overall impression is that although Google Trends has potential to be a useful tool for the hardcore marketer it has yet to fulfil that potential. If you fall into that category then you are better off sticking with Wordtracker that provides much more specific information on search terms.

Comments

Comments are for the discussion of this post. If you have other questions / comments then post them to the forum or send me an email

Post by ronalfy on May 11, 2006 5:40 PM

I see a huge potential in this tool. It can be useful for choosing keywords for a website, as well as trying to predict what the next popular keyword "might" be.
Post by Laura F. on May 11, 2006 9:14 PM

FIrst, if you visit my site, please don't laugh or barf. I am so busy on other peoples projects that I don't have time for my own. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. The reason I am writing is because I use Google Fights quite a bit to pit two search terms against each other and see which one comes out with more results. Plus the little stick figures are a crack up.
Post by Ross Johnson on May 12, 2006 4:40 AM

All the keywords I looked for didn't have enough traffic for google trends - however I work with many companies that are very area specific/local.

I will stick to other methods for now :)
Post by Ludvig Jernqvist on May 12, 2006 4:58 AM

I find trends to be interesting and with time it will be very useful when defining your site on search engines.
Post by SEM Philippines on May 12, 2006 10:12 AM

I think that Google AdWords does show you how many searches are being made for a particular keyword, especially if that keyword is on exact match. The number of impressions for a keyword is an accurate statistic that shows you how many searches are being made for each keyword. :)
Post by Paul Boag on May 12, 2006 12:35 PM

Sorry to disagree with you SEM. But I am reliably informed that the impressions are the number of time your ad is displayed NOT the number of searches on that keyword.
Post by SEM Philippines on May 12, 2006 1:30 PM

But how else would your ad show up unless your targeted keyword is searched? Are you saying that there would be times when your ad is positioned on the first page but does not show up when somebody does search for your keyword?

I think though, that what I am saying only applies to ads that show up on the first page of results. If an ad shows up on the 2nd page of results, there would be people who do a search but never click to the 2nd page and therefore, would not show up as an impression for your targeted keywords. But if your ads are on the 1st page, I don't think Google would miss the chance of making money by not showing ads that are supposed to show for any particular search.
Post by Paul Boag on May 12, 2006 4:21 PM

Even then your logic is not right. Lets say you set your limit to Â£10 spend per day and you paid Â£1 per click through to ensure you would be number one and therefore on the first page. After ten clicks on your ad the ad would be removed for the rest of the day (its a bit more complicated than that but for the purposes of this example). That means your ad might not be displayed on every search even if it appeared on the first page.
Post by SEM Philippines on May 12, 2006 4:39 PM

Hmmm... That is true! :) But what if I now ensure that my ad is on the first page and that I do not put a cap on the ad spend? Can we then say that the impressions would be an accurate representation of searches made for that keyword?
Post by SEM Philippines on May 12, 2006 4:46 PM

Ohh and of course we also have to worry about other factors such as the language and country settings used for targetting. :) But if we're "suicidal" enough in our PPC campaign to set all these variables in a manner that it would not hinder the showing of our ad for every search made, then technically, Google AdWords can show us an accurate number of searches made across any given time for whatever keyword we're targeting?
Post by Paul Boag on May 12, 2006 5:22 PM

Possibly, but then I have never had a client with unlimited budget!
Post by SEO Facility on April 16, 2007 9:59 AM

I have been using Google trends for a while and find it pretty useful in some cases. Combining it with Overture inventory you have a rough idea of the search volume.

Working out PPC campaigns I use it frequently because it shows the seasonal search variations. Rough charts yes – but still useful. I agree it’s the search terms should be narrower, but Google has always been reluctant with giving out numbers – even in Adwords. But if you look at the search terms as groups, it says something about what to expect for the searches belonging to this group. Explained; Marketing your website on the Internet will probably follow the same trend as Internet marketing.

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