Starting a new website or deciding what to write about on your blog or website can be hard sometimes. No writer wants to spend quality time putting together an article that no one will read. Google has a great tool that helps you see what keywords are hot and allow you to compare them against other keywords. It’s called Google Trends and it can be a bloggers best friend when trying to figure out a keyword to target for Google. Chances are if it is hot in Google it is hot in Yahoo and other search engines!

The great thing about Google Trends is that it is not only one of the best tools out there to find the hottest key words, it is also 100% free to use. Simple go to www.google.com/trends and try it out.

Let’s take a look at the keyword ‘Zune’. I watch this keyword because of my Zune Info blog. I simply typed in Zune in the search field.

The results I got showed me several things. First, you will notice a line graph that details the time-frame and the search volume. Additionally, Google matches up hot news with some of the peaks in search volume.

To the right of the search volume graph you will see the top news that likely resulted in the hot keyword being searched in Google. You can click on the link and it will bring you to the news item.

To the bottom of the results you will see the top regions, cities and languages for the keyword.

Five Main uses for Google Trends

1. Find out what annual trends or cycles for the main keyword of your blog/site. For example, Zune gets hot when Microsoft releases a new Zune, typically around the holiday seasons (November through January). You should expect a spike in traffic around those areas and you should plan to maximize the returns on that traffic.
2. Not sure what to write about? Use Google Trend to show you the current top search results. If you can find some keywords that may match an worthy topic then write about that topic keeping those keywords in mind.
3. Want to start a new blog/website but not sure what it should be about? Finding out hot keywords is a great starting point. If it is all the buzz in Google then you should consider the long-term prospects of that keyword.
4. Google Trends is useful in seeing if your site is trending down or up.
5. If you are selling your website Google Trends might help you find a good time to sell. You can sell your site after you get the peak season for your site’s targeted keyword or you can use the upcoming spike as a selling point. You will likely get a premium if you can show a potential buyer that the best is yet to come.

Good luck with using this fantastic keyword trend tool. Post a comment with some of your results!

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