If you are a marketer, you have undoubtedly picked up a number of Google beta projects. You might have used the Google search bar, the Google browser accelerator, or some other project which has not yet made it into widespread public bin of Google products. If you have not seen this one yet, you will be stunned. The new Google Trends lab service is an answer (and a different approach) to the Overture aggregate demand inventory search.



Google Trends is a relatively new service which looks into the searches made and gives you the answers on the popularity of whatever subject you are trying to research. For example, say you want to know if you should start a site based on roses or violets. You know from performing a simple search on Google there are roughly ten times as many sites based on roses as there are violets, but you do not know how many people are searching for either of the terms. Now you can find it out, too. Simply go to Google Trends and input in the word roses, followed by a comma, and the word violets. Instantly, Google Trends will display a graph showing you the word roses has been requested in searches more than violets. This graph reflects searches from the last two years. It will also show you a comparison among the top ten countries. As well, Google Trends will have by the side of your graph a selection of news stories relating to the topic.

You do not actually have to make a comparative study when you use Google Trends. Any single word may be entered to get the same basic information. You will still see a graph that will show you search trends, a bar graph displaying country interests, and the news item list at the side. But, at the same time, if you are using comparative data to feel out the market, you can compare up to five items. You can even look up Google and compare its use to the other search engines. You might even be surprised at the results.

One excellent way in which you can use this tool is to determine the actual search volume for plural words and word arrangements. Currently, the Overture Inventory tool does not allow you to differentiate between word arrangements and singular and plural versions, which is a significant problem (especially for marketers who do not know it is a problem). The search volume for a plural word might be ten times higher than that of a singular word. But if you only optimize for the singular, then you are missing out on all that traffic; and you will not even know why.

Another great application of Google Trends is to use it for word arrangements, as mentioned above. With the Overture Inventory tool, some of the word arrangements will look pretty strange. Luckily, Google Trends will allow you to determine whether or not they are the correct search times or just the way in which Overture decided to display them.

Furthermore, you can be more specific if you want; and instead, get information about the searches from the top ten countries. Google Trends will narrow it down to the top ten cities that are searching on the subject that you are interested in. This could be useful if you are trying to determine where the traffic for a potential niche site would be coming from. Currently the service is only available in English, but over time this will change, as they expand the service and make it more useful worldwide.

If you are tired of using Overture Inventory for aggregate demand statistics, you should consider using Google Trends. Not only will it give you the chance to make easier, faster comparisons, but it will also help you in properly geo-targeting your niche site to the correct audience; however, with that being said, you will still want to continue using the Overture Inventory tool, if only to get ideas. It is still one of the simplest means through which to collect and compare aggregate search data for a given term. Perhaps you can start with the Overture Inventory tool and then branch off to Google Trends to create a more precise, better researched word list.