Announcing Google Trends for Websites! Save gas! NEW Google Trends reduces your need to drive around spying to gain competitive intelligence data. Get FREE access to your competition’s website traffic, geographic information and keywords people use to visit these sites.
Google Trends: Get 5 gallons for the price of 1!
Google Trends for Websites give you valuable data on five competitive sites during each visit.
1. Visit www.google.com/trends.
Look toward the bottom to “Explore…Trends for Websites” as shown:
2. Determine your top competitors.
Suggestion: Choose 4 competitors and your website. That’s 5 gallons of gas for the price of 1, all for free!
3. Determine the “leader” in your niche or your closest competitor. Enter this domain name first in the Search Trends box. The data displayed will be shown based on the first website listed. Vary data by changing the order of domains listed. Imagine your site provides news about cycling…
Example shown above compares trends for cyclingnews.com, velonews.com, pezcyclingnews.com, dailypeloton.com.
4. Feast your eyes on the graphical display of your competitiors’ traffic that shows historical popularity! Graph below indicates CyclingNews is the leader for “Daily Unique Visitors” - cycling fans who are looking to know the latest news about cycling. Velo News ranks a close 2nd for this audience. (NOTE the spike in traffic during the Tour de France last year. Another trend to note is that traffic began rising in May and June of this year. It’s race season!)
5. How are cycling fans thinking, talking and getting to these cycling-news-related websites? Google has their “ear to the ground” to help you “listen in” on their search-related activities and conversation.
Shown below are the keywords these visitors “Googled” to reach cyclingnews.com.
TIP: Rearrange the order in the Search Trends box to see what they typed in Google’s search engine to reach your competitors’ sites.
For those in charge of Search Engine Marketing for cycling news, this trendy information is obviously valuable as you strategically plan your SEO efforts, PPC campaigns, Social Media participation, etc. You have easy access to how your target audience and our competitors’ audience think, what they type to access these sites. You can also spy on the other sites visited by these cycling fans. Importantly, you now have some good inside information for link building. All this is FREE without paying at the pump.
Your new Google Trends gas-saving tool gives you the following data:
- Site traffic per region;
- Other related sites users visited
- Other search terms users search on and directed them to the sites
- Google Trends for Websites Lowers Price of Gas
More competitive data is now at your fingertips for FREE. You get better fuel economy and save on gas by not having to drive around and pay for competitive intelligence information. Hitwise and comScore have been the big players with paid options gather competitive intelligence. Google Trends for Websites offers a complimentary alternative.
There are other players in the market. Alexa, Compete and Quantcast offer website data for FREE. Is the basis for their data as broad as Google’s?
There are other “keyword tools” to help you “spy” and get keyword information for organically-rated sites and those active in the PPC space. (To be discussed later.)
Are Competitive Intelligence numbers accurate?
Not 100%! Just like keyword research tools, no service represents 100% of the Internet. Think about the Nielsen Ratings, which are only a representative sample. Google Trends numbers do, however, represent their source. Google as a search engine is the major oil, I mean, search refinery, known around the world.
From where does Google Trends data come?
Google Labs has been at work digging to aggregate keyword and data refineries. They dugg and opened up new oil reserves when they opened Google Analytics, a free analytics tool used by many sites.
- Use Google Analytics?
Months ago, they launched benchmarking options to allow site users to share their data. - Use the Goolge Toolbar?
Web browsers who use the Google Analytics tool bar have the option to share their data. - Do you “Google?”
You share your interests and desires every time you search on any search engine.
Only sites with high traffic, and possibly those who opted-in to “share” their vital statistics, are shown in Google Trends. Did Yahoo! and MSN Live Search opt in?
Shown below are the Google Trends for Websites results for google.com, yahoo.com, live.com:
Google.com does not have data available for ranking. Interesting…
Does anyone know the total oil field from where this data comes?
Did you opt in to Google Analytics?
You can opt-out from sharing data, or you can modify your robots.txt file to tell Googlbot to not index your site. OUCH!
Check your Google Analytics account to find out. What are your options?
Did you agree to provide information about traffic and geographic visitation patterns?
Did the lure of benchmarking and advanced features entice you to share data?
Want to opt out?
Consider the ramifications. Make sure you know the trade-offs and have a full understanding of what is being shared and what you want to share. Keep in mind that a lot of information about your company is already on the Internet and available via other resources.
Here’s one way to opt out.
- Login to your Google Analytics Account
- Look above your Website Profiles chart for:
Analytics Settings - www.yourdomain.com (Edit Account and Data Sharing Settings). - Click on Edit Account and Data Sharing Settings.
- Under Google Analytics Data Sharing Settings, click on
[ ] Do not share my Google Analytics data - Sites that are “opted in” will get the following, “Are you sure…? message:
IMPORTANT: Read Google Analytics data sharing options before you do anything. Their site says,
“When you opt in to data sharing, we will include data from up to a month before your opt-in date to enable features such as benchmarking. When you opt out, data sharing stops on that day.
The data collected while you were opted in will not be removed when you opt out.
If I opt in then opt back out, will my data be removed?
If you select “do not share my Google Analytics data” in your data sharing settings, you will not be able to use benchmarking and may not have access to specific ads-related features such as Conversion Optimizer.How will it affect me if I choose not to share my data but other companies do?
If you select “do not share my Google Analytics data” in your data sharing settings, you will not be able to use benchmarking and may not have access to specific ads-related features such as Conversion Optimizer.”
FAQ - Repeated Theme
Reading Google Analytics Frequently Asked Questions about “”data sharing options revealed a repeated theme:
“Google will use the data to improve the products and services we provide you.”
Apparently, access to data (yours and your competitors’) is one of the improvements.
Google Trends Terms of Use
Lower gas prices comes with a catch. You are bound on how you use this gas-saving device. Google Trends’ Terms of Use states how you can use this competitive intelligence:
“You may use Google Trends for your own internal purposes and for educational and research purposes. You may also use Google Trends as an aide when managing your own Google AdWords accounts and Google AdWords accounts that you manage on behalf of others. If you wish to use Google Trends for other purposes, you must obtain the prior approval of Google.”
How can you use Google Trends data?
Do you interpret this to mean…
You cannot use the information for SEO efforts and online marketing campaigns to rank higher on Yahoo! or MSN? (But, Yahoo!, as of this past week, now carries Google AdWords, so I guess that’s okay?)
If you are a marketer and developing an overall online and print strategy, do you need to obtain Google’s permission to use this data?
Are you happy that these keyword and competitive intelligence reserves have been opened for exploration?
Remember, you’re saving gas!
Tags: Competitive Intelligence, Cycling News, Google, Google Analytics, Humor, Keyword Research, Link Building
Josh Maxwell (1 comments.) wrote,
I finally decided to write a comment on your blog. I just wanted to say good job. I really enjoy reading your posts.
Link | June 23rd, 2008 at
Critic wrote,
Smart to leverage google trends on this blog by using “gas”. But still spammy and on the verge of ridiculous reading.
Link | June 23rd, 2008 at
admin (2 comments.) wrote,
@ Josh Thanks for visiting and your support!
@Critic Thanks for your critical review. This Google Trends post is tongue-in-cheek humor to make a point. Competitive Intelligence data takes time and a lot of “driving around” the Net. The goal is to help readers understand their options and possible exposure for what can appear to be a “good deal.”
Link | June 23rd, 2008 at
Wild Dingo (8 comments.) wrote,
Hi Pixel Bella! Love your blog. been reading it since you started. Gotta say, I’m a privacy nazi. Yes i am. Hence why it took a few years to get my own blog going because i was insistant of software i use to sit on my own server (or at least one i pay rent on), not on a free server. Ensures my content is MINE.
I love/hate Google. I have Google Analytics and read about Benchmarking, but did NOT opt into it… Google crosses the line constantly with bait and hook. Information is power. It’s power for “us”, the users, but in the end MUCH MORE powerful for Google. I love information, but i’m a little against an information monopoly hog. Whenever i see the bait and hook, i run the other way. but i do like the analytics!
Wild Dingos last blog post..First Annual Wild Dingo Social Ride
Link | June 24th, 2008 at
Wild Dingo (8 comments.) wrote,
One more thing, personally i feel their policy on opting out of sharing data and then pulling specific “ads” away is a bit scummy. I mean, as a user, i’m offering ads on my site via my content. yet, they pull ads away if i don’t want my competitive data shared. that seems borderline bribery to me. People ususally “pay” to have their ads on a billboard or site. yet google ads are freely offered. instead the user is paying for the privaledge of having a google ad sponsor. That boggles my mind of business today. i may opt into benchmarking, but i leave on my data sharing to keep my ad content variety open.
Wild Dingos last blog post..First Annual Wild Dingo Social Ride
Link | June 24th, 2008 at
Wild Dingo (8 comments.) wrote,
i meant “opt out” of benchmarking. and by “paying for the privaledge” I meant, we pay by letting them share our competitive data. (sorry, nutty dog is keeping me from stringing logical thoughts and words together at the moment.)
Wild Dingos last blog post..First Annual Wild Dingo Social Ride
Link | June 24th, 2008 at
Dana Lookadoo wrote,
@Wild Dingo Thanks for the support and for adding to the conversation. Your points are valid and worth a post of their own. Maybe it will be titled, “Google goes Fishing: Bait and Hook!”
You’re right. Information is power! It’s our job as marketers to understand how the information is used and to retain control of that power where we deem best. Bottom line: Knowledge is power.
Great hearing from you, and enjoy your new Tasmanian devil.
Link | June 24th, 2008 at
Wild Dingo (8 comments.) wrote,
“Google.com does not have data available for ranking. Interesting…”
dictatorship anyone? A company that makes the laws but doesn’t follow the laws? hmmm…
sorry, this kind of stuff bugs me! :)
Wild Dingos last blog post..First Annual Wild Dingo Social Ride
Link | June 25th, 2008 at
Dana Lookadoo wrote,
@Wild Dingo Yes, as shown Google DOES provide data for Yahoo!, MSN Live. Digging deeper, they even show Dog Pile. (Who uses that anymore?) Other Google properties, Blogger & YouTube, do not display data either.
Danny Sullivan of Search Engine Land authored a great post about this yesterday:
Mr. Google, Tear Down This Google Trends Wall!
http://searchengineland.com/080624-121440.php
Danny makes an important point:
“Still, there are plenty of other sources for traffic data. These will get interpreted regardless of what Google puts out there.” But why are they withholding easy, free access to their own data?
Link | June 25th, 2008 at