Google Insights hits the streets…

Now here's an interesting development! Google launched a new service (yes, yes, another one) last week that could change the way we adapt SEO marketing strategies, certainly in terms of the Google Search Engine. But it has an added and unexpected bonus - it's fun!

Just like the first time you ever sat down in front of the Internet and started putting random search terms in - just for fun - Google Insights for Search gives you that same feeling of adventure!

Basically it shows you graphically:

• How popular your search term is
• How its popularity has varied over time
• How it competes with other terms on the same graph
• Where your searchers are based in the world and what cities

Which means you can get very curious about why Batman appears to be most popular in Turkey; why the French are more keen on Ikea than anyone else and why George Bush is more popular in Tanzania than he is the US…

How does it work? According to Google: ‘It analyses a portion of worldwide Google web searches from all Google domains to compute how many searches have been done for the terms you've entered, relative to the total number of searches done on Google over time. It then shows you a graph with the results, indicating interest over time, plotted on a scale from 0 to 100; the totals are indicated next to bars by the search terms.’

Why is it good? Well, now you have the data to back up your decisions on what terms to use where and that's just for starters. You can also drill down in preset categories such as home and garden; industries and health and look at seasonal variations too. Take a look and have a play here.