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Brexit vs KFC 1

More search interest in KFC than Brexit: 10 Interesting Google Trends Maps from 2018 so far

March 8, 2018

Let’s start this blog post with a disclaimer.

 

We’re not suggesting that Google search volumes on specific topics reflect public opinion or importance on certain matters, but search volumes are an indication of interest in different topics.

At Venture Stream, we’re always interested in what people are searching for. It’s our job to have our ear to the ground so that we know what terms our clients should rank for, what we should be writing about and to keep an eye on how consumers are using Google to find what they need.

 

Below, we’ve uncovered some interesting Google Trend maps from 2018 so far that show just how interested we are in certain topics compared to others – and how that search interest varies between countries and regions.

Some of the below maps and graphs are live – and will update themselves accordingly so be sure to re-visit this post in a few months to see how the trends have changed!

Once you’ve had a look through the fun stuff, we demonstrate how trends can be used to spot seasonality patterns within industries that can be used to inform digital marketing and ecommerce decision making.

 

  1. US Google search interest in ‘Gun Control’ vs. ‘Gun Shop’ in 2017

  2. UK Google Search interest in ‘Brexit’ vs. ‘KFC’ (last 12 months)

     

  3. Global interest in ‘Bitcoin’ vs. ‘Gold’ (last 12 months)

     

  4. UK search interest: ‘Gemma Collins’ vs ‘Boris Johnson’

     

  5. Global search interest: ‘Kate Middleton’ vs ‘Meghan Markle’ 2018 so far

     

  6. UK search interest in the following football clubs: ‘Manchester City’, ‘Manchester United’, ‘Arsenal’, ‘Chelsea’ and ‘Liverpool FC’

     

  7. Global search interest in top US TV series

     

  8. UK search interest in ‘Labour’ vs. ‘Conservatives’

     

  9. US search volume: ‘Gun control’ vs. ‘Legality of cannabis’

     

  10. UK search volume: ‘Greggs’ vs. ‘Burger King’ 

 

How Google Trends can be used to inform digital marketing:

 

  • Seasonality trends

We work with many retailers and often they use in-store sales, or a combination of in-store and ecommerce trends to inform marketing decisions. However, in some industries, when people shop online varies significantly from when people shop in store and the volumes they take through their online tills may not be enough to inform accurate seasonal trend insights.

 

  • Content topics

Knowing what people search for is key to developing content that adds value. Of course, we don’t mean writing about anything and everything that has a high search volume, but the right things that are relevant to your industry.

For example, you can see what questions people are asking. In finance, ‘what is bitcoin’ and ‘how to buy bitcoin’ were some of the most searched for questions in 2017 – so if it’s relevant to your business, why not create some valuable and insightful content that answers these questions.

 

  • Growing trends

It’s important that retailers know what trends are growing and which are fading. If there’s a new product on the block growing in popularity and peaking the interest of consumers, should you be stocking it? Or, do you already stock it – in which case should you give that product some prominent real estate on your homepage and within your marketing materials.

 

Google Trends is completely free to use. So why not give it a go and see what interesting insights you can learn about your industry.

 

Written by Andy

Andy is Venture Stream’s Chief Operating Officer and has over 15 years’ experience in ecommerce consultancy, design and retail marketing.

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