Google Trends – A bigger picture for SEO

In search engine optimization there is a lot of attention to the little details. Keyword relevancy, buying stages, competition, and more. But, just as with life, it’s always important to get a bigger picture. Google Trends is a great tool for getting this bigger picture.

Search Engine Optimization - Trends Example

I used the example of “Video Games” here because I used to run a gaming website and this was a trend that was important. Notice that video game sales raise right around christmas and new years. This is important because, depending on your client, it can change your marketing strategy completely. For example, when I ran this video game website I had a fairly tight budget and, although the site was making money, I wasn’t willing to spend that money frivolously with Adwords. So, for the majority of the year I worked on the essentials of good SEO and continued to create content that was relevant to the site. Come mid December, I put everything I had tucked away into Adwords and pinpointed last-stage buyers while the market was hot with enthusiasm.

Now, if I had had a larger budget for the site, I would have run adwords continuously throughout the campaign (probably using much broader search terms in the slower parts of the year). It’s always a gamble, and knowing the trend of your particular niche will allow you to shift your strategy accordingly and make the most of your campaign budget.