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.

We have just launched two websites for two very different clients. Both websites demanded clean professional looks, in keeping with their parent companies branding whilst being fully optimised for search engines.

Higginson Associates

Higginson Associates’ website showcases their services in providing training, advice and information to companies or individuals who are contracted to work in high risk areas such as war zones.

The site is built on our content management system and is easily updateable by the Higginson Associates in house.

www.higginsonassociates.com

Prospect Recruitment

Prospect Recruitment required a static website to represent their work in the financial recruitment sector, the site demanded some striking imagery and exact information architecture to ensure that the correct message was delivered upon each page.

www.prospect-recruitment.co.uk

Let us know what you think!

Mediacomm, a supplier of communications goods and services needed a site which could both reflect their position as a market leader in innovative VoIP solutions and act as a resource for both existing and potential customers.

We designed the site with a fresh look, inkeeping with Mediacomm’s online portfolio yet indicative of the modern and highly technical market sector.

The site has been fully optimised prior to launch for all the major search engines. It is a beautiful blend of creative design and online marketing.

Best4IP Home Page

Best4IP Product Page

The site can be viewed here : www.best4ip.co.uk

We are delighted to introduce, the new and drastically improved ‘The Stag Company’ website.

We have improved the websites information architecture and usability making the site easy to navigate and more engaging for the user. We have increased the websites conversion rate too with improved calls to action and a more refined quote process. The underlining code of the site has also been improved and made SEO friendly in order to boost its search engine ranking positions

We think that the site speaks for itself, so check out the before and then the after below and then go to the site and have a look around for yourselves.

BEFORE

AFTER

Visit The Stag Company site and let us know what you think.

We are often asked what magic it is that we do to move people’s sites up the search engine ranking positions for specific key terms.

There is no magic exactly, but two areas where we work and wave our wands – on site and off site.

Our client Click n Go Mortgages, whose site we had already achieved a number 1 ranking for the key terms such as ‘100% mortgage’, came to us wanting to add Shared Ownership Mortgages to the wide range of mortgage products that they offer. We set about re-organising the home page and added a Shared Ownership area to the site, complete with resources and valuable information regarding shared ownership schemes and how to get one.

At first the site did not rank at all in search engines for Shared Ownership Mortgages but slowly as work was done on site and off site, Click n Go Mortgages moved up the SERPs and is currently on page 2, after a little over 2 months later.

The way in which we have achieved this is by developing additional content for the site on shared ownership mortgages and syndicating press releases and articles. The site is now rich with all of the answers to questions and is good resource for anyone looking for a shared ownership mortgage. The shared ownership page, also only had 4 links from other sites pointing to it, which we have now boosted to around 50 from article and PR syndication and so Google now sees the importance of the Click n Go site for Shared Ownership Mortgages.

These two simple SEO methods have moved the Click n Go Shared Ownership page further up in the SERPs. This has in turn increased the site traffic for shared ownership mortgages and is most importantly is making our client very happy.

Today we have launched our new site!

After 6 months of research, designing, writing and photo-taking (you will see what we mean on our ‘Who we are’ page) we are there!

Our new site has been designed to reflect our company and where we are going in the next few years. We’ve been expanding and have a whole host of new clients and internet marketing solutions on offer to you and your business.

Why not let us know what you think of it?