*This is an updated version of a post originally published on 12/1/20
Using Google Trends can help you more effectively plan your keyword usage for book marketing strategy and save you time on your social media campaigns and blog content creation. And Google Trends is still relevant! I’ve talked about keywords before, and they’re still significant too. They probably will be for the foreseeable future. Keywords are important on all your online platforms because they help drive traffic to your website and increase your search engine ranking. Which means it’s easier for your audience to find you. So, I want to show you how Google Trends can help you with marketing your book and building your personal brand.
What is Google Trends?
Basically, Google Trends is a web based tool for in depth keyword research. Because keywords are so important in digital marketing—and Google is the top search engine— they have a wealth of data on keywords, how and when they’re used, and which are trending at any given time. Google Trends allows you access to this data, lets you search keywords to see which are relevant (and which aren’t),and use that information to your advantage in your marketing strategy.
And Google Trends isn’t just a tool for business based marketing. Authors, bloggers, and content creators can get a ton of value out of it too.
How Google Trends Helps Your Book Marketing Strategy
When you visit Google Trends you can type a topic or term into the search bar. Let’s say you’re a Fantasy author. If you search for, “Fantasy Novel”, you’ll notice that you can just search the term, or you can choose from specific categories in the drop down menu to narrow your search. This is a way of making your search more relevant. For instance, “Fantasy Fiction”, was an option in the drop down menu when I searched this term.
Once you click on your choice or hit enter on your original search term you’ll have access to graphs noting popularity over time, maps of regions where it is most popular, and statistics on which related terms are rising in usage. All this and more! You’ll have to use it a bit and do some exploring. But it can do amazing things for your keyword usage strategy, help you find your target audience, and more importantly, see what it is your target audience is interested in. And because Google is always trying to make their search results smarter, and with more relevant results this can really help you in the long run.
So, How Can You Use Google Trends?
Because Google Trends offers so much data about trending keywords and topics like I mentioned above, you can use all of that to your advantage. It’s not all boring either. Using Google Trends can be especially helpful if you’re writing is related to a topical subject, and you’re social media savvy or like to be creative and stay on top of what people are talking about. Below are some suggestions.
In Your Blog Posts
With access to what might be trending at any given moment, you can use that momentum to boost your own content. Not every trending topic or keyword is going to be relevant to you. But many of them will be. If you find creative ways to use them in your content writing, you can increase your ranking, making it easier for your audience to find your content.
On Social Media
This is where you can share your blog on the topic or even related third-party content. This works best with timely topics and can be used in conjunction with trending topics and hashtags. Incorporate those same trending and perennial keywords into your caption for the biggest benefit. Remember, these won’t always align with weekly, or daily social media trending topics, but when they do, you’ll want to be ready. Just a side note: Don’t use hashtags or trending topic keywords on social media just to get noticed if they aren’t relevant. That looks too much like spam. And nobody likes spam.
On Your Website
There are a lot of search terms, keywords and topics that are seasonal in nature, and even regional. This is where all the data Google Trends has to offer comes in really handy. You can update your website copy and blog content based on these seasonal trends. Every little bit helps.
In Your Book Promos and Ads
Knowing what keywords, terms, and topics are trending and when and where is super valuable to planning your book marketing, promos, and ads. You can use the relevant keywords to create your ads, and strategize when and where to launch them to get the most bang for your buck.
The More You Use it, The More You’ll Learn
In conclusion, Google Trends keeps you up on timely keywords, helps you know your audience, and even allows you to compare search terms so you can adapt and adjust your keyword strategy. It’s a wealth of information and a valuable tool. You can search by time blocks from hours to 12 months so you keep on top of how trends rise and fall. And the visual tools like graphs and maps make it so easy to understand. Also, it’s free! Here’s a little tutorial on using Google Trends to get you started!
So give a try. I suggest you do an audit on your current keywords. That will give you some real insight. Then you can start doing the research and refreshing your content based on what you find.
I’d love to hear about your Google Trends research. You can let me know in a comment on the original post!
Thank you for your help. I need information about marking my book that will be published by the end of October and I need to get a webpage but I do not how to do it. Hopefully, your information will fix my situation!