Google Trends For Market Research: Yay or Nay?

The easiest way to grow a business is with the right tools, and thanks to the wonders of the world wide web, there’s never been more of them available.

One of the easiest ways to keep an eye on what’s going on in the world is with Google Trends, and this free tool is your key to simple market research.

What is Google Trends and how does it work?

Google Trends is a free tool offered by Google that allows you to see the relative search volume for a particular keyword or term and how it’s performing. You can use this data to see how things are ranking, what’s being discussed and searched for online, and what’s happening in the world.

The good news is, putting Google Trends to work for your online business is easy to do, and it doesn’t cost a thing.

If you’re looking for simple ways to gain some insight into your business and want data that’s relevant to not just Australia, but the world, we can show you how to make the most of this simple tool.

What’s Google Trends?

Google Trends is a free tool created by Google that lets you get some insight into what’s trending in the world right now.

It does this by showing how frequently a specific search term is entered into Google by users around the world and then compares this to the total search volume.

There’s more to Google Trends than just this one function though, as you can also use it to compare keywords and even look at how specific events or dates might have triggered a spike or decline in keyword search volume.

You can dive deeper into keywords and look at how location affected them, as well as getting other information about categories and what’s trending currently.

If you have an e-commerce store or online business, having this type of information gives you an up-to-date idea of what people are interested in, and how you can integrate this into your products or marketing. It’s just one of many helpful resources out there, and whether you want to use it for market research, SEO, or something else, it’s got a lot to give.

How Does It Work?

The best way to see what Google Trends is all about is to jump right in and visit the website.

On the front page, you’ll get a good snapshot of what keywords are trending right now, how much they’ve gone up or down, and the latest stories and insights that Google has.

There are ways to customise what’s shown on Google Trends so it’s more relevant to your needs, or you can enter a specific keyword to see how it’s been performing. Although it’s not as detailed as a keyword tracker used for SEO purposes it’s still beneficial and gives you a good idea of what’s going on right now and the subjects that are currently trending.

If you want a more specific idea of keywords and categories, you can filter the results slightly on Google Trends. These are some options you can change that might give you more detailed results that you can then use for your market research or other business needs.

• Categories: As well as being able to search for a specific keyword, you can also look at different, broader categories. This is easily selected from a drop-down menu and can give you a better idea of what’s popular in areas like Books and Literature, Health, Jobs and Education, or more.
• Location: Google Trends automatically defaults to Australia if that’s where you’re using it from. Otherwise, you can change the location to see what’s trending in other parts of the world if you want to know what other countries are up to.
• Time: On the front page, Google Trends will display data from the last seven days. However, if you have something more specific in mind, you can enter a custom search for a specific date or a range of dates from the past.
• Search Type: If you want to know more than just how a term performed in search results, this feature helps. You’ll be able to look at how your keyword did in things like YouTube searches, images searches, and news.

The Pros and Cons Of Google Trends

As a free tool, it’s hard to turn your nose up to Google Trends, especially if you’re looking for cheap ways to improve your marketing plan. However, there are both good and bad factors to consider before using Google Trends, so make sure you know either side.

Pros on Offer

• It’s free. The most obvious bonus of using this tool is that it doesn’t cost any money, so the only thing you have to give to use it is your time. There’s minimal risk involved because you’re not spending anything and it won’t take away from the rest of your budget.
• There are so many ways to use this tool. People assume that it’s basic and can only show you what terms are trending right now, but there’s a lot more to it than that. For a free resource, it’s even better value, but even if it costs, it’d still be worth using.
• Everything is up to date and current, and if you want to look back in time, you can do that as well. There’s no risk of being fed old data and you know it’ll always be refreshed.
• Google is the master when it comes to internet searches and this is a product that stands up to their reputation. They have nothing to gain by giving you incorrect data so it’s an objective tool that can really pay off for your business.
• You can use this tool for just about anything, whether it’s an ecommerce business or any other industry. There’s no limit to what you can look up and it lets you go broader with categories or more specific with keywords, and everything in between.

Cons to Consider

• It’s not the most in-depth tool out there and can’t compete with some keyword research tools and programs. You won’t be able to do a deep dive into analytics or figure out why people are searching the way they are. This is merely a basic tool to show you how keywords are trending, and nothing else.
• Getting usable data out of Google Trends requires some work. Unlike keyword research tools that do a lot of this for you, you have to be prepared to put in the effort to be rewarded with something you can really use.

Market Research Made Easy

One of the coolest ways to use Google Trends for your ecommerce store is with market research.

Traditionally, market research was done by looking at how a specific group reacted to a product or idea, and it was a costly process.

Today, you can use tools like Google Trends to perform your own market research without the cost or effort, with these tips:

• Consumer demand: With an idea of what customers are looking for now, you can deliver it yourself. Try comparing search terms to do with products you sell and see what is more popular at the moment. Otherwise, you can look up popular brands who make similar goods to you and see what their most coveted products are at the moment so you can offer them while the market is hot.
• Product features: Determining what product features customers find important means you can start creating products that have them. To find this info on Google Trends, look in the specific category that your product falls into and see what people are searching for. You might see specific features or products that are gaining popularity and be able to incorporate this into your own range.
• Competitor brands: To get an idea of what the market is doing, why not look at your biggest competitor to see what the buzz is? If a large brand or company is offering what you want for your business, do a search for them on Google Trends and see what related searches pop up. This can show you what customers are looking for, and it may be something that your ecommerce brand can deliver.

Other Ways to Use Google Trends For Your Business

There’s more to Google Trends than just seeing what’s hot right now, and you should have a number of ways to utilise it at your disposal.

Here are some other ideas for putting the free tool to work that aren’t necessarily about market research.

Seasonal Trends

If you sell a specific product, there’s a good chance it could be part of a seasonal trend. This means something that tends to sell better at certain times, whether it’s a holiday or a specific season.

Look up the keywords relating to your product and look back in time to see how it performed over a full year. If you notice spikes and dips within certain months or weeks, that’s when it should be marketed for.

Seed Keywords

Rather than dishing out for expensive SEO and keyword research software, you can start basic with Google Trends by looking for ideas for seed keywords.

This means words that are related to a keyword, which you then use in your content to draw more like-minded viewers in. Plug the keyword into Trends and it’ll show you a list of related keywords for free.

Related Topics

Look wider for ways to bring customers in by using the Related Topics function of Google Trends. If you’re selling t-shirts, put this keyword into the search bar and then scroll down to see the Related Topics.

From there, you can figure out appropriate content to put on your website and get some other ideas for trending products that you might not have considered selling.

Google Trends to Keep You in the Know

Not all marketing tools have to be flashy or confusing just to deliver results, and Google Trends has proven that in spades.

This is a free tool you can use to perform market research and keep your ecommerce store up with the times, so consider making it a part of your marketing and business plan.

Questions Related To Google Trends for Business

Market research is a great way to understand your customers and their needs, and Google Trends is just one way you can look into it.

If you’re trying to reach more people with your ecommerce store and need some tips, we’ve got the answers to a few commonly asked questions that can give you a push in the right direction.

How Can I Promote My Ecommerce Store?

To get more visitors to your ecommerce store, you can try methods like social media marketing, giveaways and promotions, capturing email subscribers, and integrations with other apps and websites.

The best marketing strategy will depend on your store, so it needs a personalised approach that suits your goals and customers.

How Do You Market for Dropshipping?

If you want to market your business that uses dropshipping services to manufacture and sends its products, you’ll need to market it as any other ecommerce store does.

This includes creating a user-friendly website, offering unique content, quality products, and utilising other marketing tools like emails, social media, and search engine optimisation.

How Do I Choose Keywords?

Having the right keywords in the content of your ecommerce site can lead to more visitors but it takes a specialised approach to find them.

This can be done with keyword research tools, but also by figuring out the searcher’s intent and what people might be looking for when they search for a comparable brand.