Keeping Ahead of your Competition with Google Keyword Trends

What are Google Keyword Trends?

Google Keyword Trends allow you to see how your selected keyword or keywords (separated by commas) performed over a period of time. Currently, you can view keyword trends both on the Search Volume and the News Reference Volume. However, Google Keyword Trends does not provide you with actual numbers for the scale, it’s all relative.

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In addition, it will also show you the top Country, City, and Language used to find the keyword(s) you entered.

You can also use Google Keyword Trends to find the top 100 most-searched keywords for any day. Go to Google Keyword Trends and click on “More Hot Trends”. Use this to help spot up and coming trends or find a “hot trend” related to your product or service, and get a step ahead of your competition.

Starting September 2007, Google Keyword Trends will be updated daily.

How does Google Keyword Trends help me as a business?

Google Keyword Trends will help you answer the following questions:

Is this a keyword trend I should be following?
You may find out that a product or service you are offering is in decline. Use the tool to find related products or services that are on an upswing.

Is there are subject that gives me better chances for a successful press release?
If you compare the keyword trends for a few of your top keywords, you will easily start to see what keywords are popular, but don’t have a lot of news coverage. This might be the perfect time for you to drop a press release on that specific subject.

Am I marketing at the right time?
If this is a seasonal keyword trend, you will want to build your marketing plan around the peak season. Why market when there is least amount of people searching for what you offer? Your marketing dollars would be best spent in the peak times.

Am I marketing in the right locations?
Look at the keyword trends of the top cities for your most valuable keywords. Are you marketing in those locations? If you have direct mail campaigns, make sure you send your mailings to the cities that are searching for your product or service the most. If you are doing PPC Advertising online, you could limit your geographical region to the most popular to get the biggest return for your dollars spent. If you have a blog, are you tagging it to get picked up in the correct local markets?

How can I expand my business?
Using trends, you can easily see what is up and coming, and what is fading away. Be sure to try a variety of your top keywords to find out which ones will be the big winners for you. Find out which products, categories, and services will be the big money makers in the upcoming season. Determine which cities would be good for your next store or office location.

Is there a foreign market?
Have you thought about offering your products or services in a different language? Review your keyword trends, and you might find out there is a larger market then expected.

Do you have some more ideas? What other ways have you used Google Keyword Trends in your business?