Internet Marketing Blog

Google Insights for Search is a new tool from Google created to help marketers to better optimise keyword research for their online marketing campaigns.

According to Google Insights for Search, it allows you to ‘compare search volume patterns across specific regions, categories, and time frames’ – and it does just that.

The success of any online marketing or PPC campaign requires key word research and an understanding of your users search behaviour. This is often achieved by running test campaigns, common sense, key word research tools (that don’t come cheap) and the monitoring of Google Analytics.

If you want to benefit from the free keyword research tool that Google have recently rolled out, then you need to take a look at Insights for Search.

Google Insights for Search is another tool related to the popular Google Trends, which helps users to compare the world’s interest on any topic. The important feature of the tool is that it shows how frequently the topics or search terms have appeared in Google News Stories and in which Geographical Regions people have searched the most.

Google Trends later evolved giving us information on the hot trends and a snapshot of what is on the public’s mind by viewing the fastest-rising searches at different points in time and website trends.

Google Insights for Search aims to provide insights into broader search patterns and below is how you could use Google Insights for Search as a keyword research tool for optimising your organic or paid search, even down to your location.

Let’s take our very own site, Juretic Media, as an example to explore Insights for Search from Google.

We at Juretic Media offer Web Design, Search Engine Optimisation, Pay per Click Management, Email Marketing, Social Media, PR & Communications and Web Analysis services to aid our clients with their marketing.

The keywords that we want look at are the services that we offer (please note that each term has several keyword variants, but for the purpose of this, we will look at general terms). Since Google Insights for Search restricts you to a 5 keyword comparison at any given time we will target 5 niche keywords and analyse the trends – ‘search engine optimisation’, ‘pay per click management’, ‘email marketing’, ‘social media’ and ‘web analysis’.

To start with open up Google Insights for Search (http://www.google.com/insights/search) and enter the keywords that you want to analyse and click on the search button.

(Note: Use a keyword selection based on your website profile)

Google Insights for Search will now populate the data and display them in accordance to Total Search Volume, Search by Location and Related Searches.

Firstly the data will show you the volume of search over time, allowing you to see what terms are popular.

When you look at these keyterms over time (2004-2008) more people are interested in ‘email marketing’ over ‘search engine optimisation’ and the term ‘social media’, which came about with Web 2.0 in early 2007 and continues to gain popularity.

Insights for Search also allows you to see where the bulk of traffic is coming from, broken down by country. The image below illustrates how the UK are no.1 based on user keyword search for out specific keyword search terms. (Note: We used ‘search engine optimisation’ which is the term used in the UK, whilst our friend across the pond adopt a ‘z’ instead of an ‘s’ to create ‘search engine optimization’. You might want to experiment with spelling when comparing terms).

Insights also looks at related keywords, giving you the chance to explore terms that you might not have considered as search terms. The image below shows you how you can filter alternative or related keywords, in this instance for ‘search engine optimisation’. You can select other keywords from the drop down and find the most related keyword searched to the one you are viewing.

Whilst the alternative or related keywords can help you focus your keyword research, rising searches can provide you some insight into the recent popular terms that people query for. Adapting new trends should be one of key goals for marketers, which is illustrated by the term ‘social media’ when you look at the graph over time.

Insights for Search show volume index based on country, which could be a vital if your company is expanding to you a new market and you wanted to analyse the usage based on country. The graph below also helps you to analyze the country where the keywords are most queried. If you are trying to optimise your site geographically, this graph provides you every possible insight.

Google Insights for Search also allow you to be more specific about your search terms, breaking them down by several filters i.e.: location, date as well as category. This gives you the chance to pinpoint searches and indentify trends easily. You might want to edit the filter based on your profile of your organisation, website or blog.

If you are keen to know more about your keywords and how you rank in search engines and how you can improve this, then why not get in touch? We can talk you through how your site is currently being used and how you can optimise your website conversions and open your eyes to new possibilities.

Let us know what you think about this post and whether it has been of help to you.