Harnessing The Power Of Google's Zeitgeist
If you thought no one was paying attention to what you plug into your Internet search engine, you were wrong.
Over the last few weeks, all the major search engines like Yahoo and Google, along with some non-search engines like Twitter, have released their “top searched” lists. Not surprisingly, Michael Jackson made the top of almost every one.
On the surface, these lists don’t really seem that helpful. After all, who couldn’t guess that the late, great Michael Jackson was top of mind for many Americans in 2009? But if you dig into the information, you can actually find out a lot of interesting information and get a jump on what your community might be thinking before it even knows what it’s thinking it.
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Take Google for example. It issues an annual Zeitgeist report, which details all sorts of trends spotted through analyzing search results over the course of a year.
While Michael Jackson was the overall winner, Google also reported that Twitter was the fastest-rising search term for the year. One-time presidential hopeful John McCain fell the fastest.
The fastest-rising news story was swine flu, followed by Susan Boyle, the breakout contestant from the British version of American Idol.
Google actually breaks out search results for a handful of large cities. According to that report, the number one phrase plugged into Google by people in the Boston area was “bu student link” a reference to the Boston University site that provides students with access to their records (I know this because I Googled it). Other top search terms for Beantown include “restaurant week,” “mbta commuter rail” and “wbz tv.”
College-related search terms seem to be a trend for most cities, reinforcing the fact that the Generation Y amongst us are increasingly reliant on the Internet for almost everything.
Google didn’t think Worcester significant enough to break out in its report, but there are ways to find city-specific search trends through Google. Just visit Google.com/Insights/Search and you can find out what people are searching for in various regions and what terms are increasing in popularity.
I decided to take a look at what searches people are doing in Massachusetts related to Worcester. The results showed that “Worcester Telegram” is one of the most popular phrases with the word Worcester in it, while “Worcester tornadoes” is a rising search, meaning it’s gaining in popularity.
Using the same Google report, I plugged in Framingham and found that “Framingham State” is a popular phrase, while “melting pot Framingham,” (in reference to a restaurant on Route 9) is gaining in popularity. That’s good news for the owners of that eatery.
So, what’s to be gained with all this Google knowledge? Well, we now know that people in our region can’t remember the web address for the Telegram & Gazette (or are too lazy to bookmark it) and we suspect that people in Framingham are itching for some fondue. And we also know that the Worcester Tornadoes have some rabid fans, even in the off season.
I could spend all day (and probably have) playing around with Google Insights. And it can be little distracting. But I also think it can be a great place for business owners looking to get a handle on what people in Massachusetts are thinking. As we all turn more and more to the Internet for nearly everything in our lives (I for one have done most of my Christmas shopping online), search engines are becoming a greater source for tapping into the pulse of the culture. Over time, I’d expect Google and competing search engines to get even better at providing detailed local trend information. And at that point, they’ll probably start charging for it. So, get it for free while you can!
Got news for our Digital Diva column? E-mail Christina H. Davis at cdavis@wbjournal.com.
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