Trends and Keyword Research

by Melissa
19th July 2010

Keywords define your website and business goals and are a vital part of conversion optimisation. Using keyword tools is a major part of keyword research that you cannot do without.

Online search trending tools are proving to be critical to this part of search engine optimisation. By analysing search, social media and general interest trends these tools providing assistance with keyword ideas and combinations.

Here are some free tools and tips on using trends for keyword research.

Google Trends

Google Trends shows how many times a search term is entered relative to the total number of searches for a particular region. This free tool allows you to compare 5 search terms, evaluate singular and plural versions of keywords and view related searches. Take a look at Google Trends Hot Searches for daily content ideas for and article marketing keywords.

Although Google Trends does not tell you how competitive your chosen keywords are, you can still go back to check them on the Google Adwords Keyword Tool.

Google Insights for Search

Google Insights presents more detailed information than Google Trends. Search keywords can be filtered by web, image, product or news searches. The site offers a wealth of free data including:

Worldwide top rising searches
An animated map showing the changes in regional interest over time
Top search terms
Rising searches statistics
Regional interest

Trends Buzz

Use this resource to keep up with hot topics and search trends across Google, Yahoo Buzz, Bing, Twitter and even Wordtracker. This valuable tool has the ability to view searched words for an exact moment as well as top searches for the entire day.

Trend Hunter

Loaded with information from fashion, art, news and pop culture, to social media and search trends, Trend Hunter can be a bit overwhelming due its huge amount of information. However, it is a worthwhile research tool for websites that focus on viral news, social media, design, fashion, culture and technology.

Twitter Trends

Trending Now can be used for getting an idea of real-time search and online discussion trends. A simple search on Twitter Search for your keywords or related phrases can also give you an idea of how many people are actively discussing your topic, product, or even your company name. Check out Trendistic for more Twitter statistics and trending topics over 24 hours, 7 days or 30 days.

Competitor Sites

Don’t forget the valuable information you can pull from keeping an eye on what your competitors are up to online, what keywords they use and social media strategies they implement. Arming yourself with this information will be crucial when conducting keyword research as it provides an insight into successful (and sometimes unsuccessful) keywords and phrases.