3 Reasons the Updated Google Trends Tool Will Benefit Journalists

This week, Google announced that it is merging its Google Trends and Insights for Search into one Google Trends tool. From Google’s blog post announcing the move: Now we are merging Insights for Search into Google Trends, wrapping it all up in a clean new interface to give you a clearer view of what’s on the world’s mind. The new Google Trends now includes features from both products and makes it easier and more intuitive to dig into the data. Both Google Trends and Insights for Search have been useful tools in the industry for years, offering journalists a way to see popular search terms and compare keywords, respectively. While each tool has separate and distinct functions, there are benefits to packaging them into one super tool. Here are three reasons journalists will benefit from this update: 1. Two products are now one: Plain and simple, you have two of Google’s best free information tools all in one place. It’s not only going to cut down on research time, but it will also make your research time more efficient. What I really like about this update is that I can now compare multiple keywords, see how they’ve trended over the years and alter search options, while also seeing popular related search terms. Here’s a look at the new interface, where I’ve compared Myspace and Facebook stats in the United States from 2004 to now: 2. New Google Trends are now more mobile friendly: As Google noted in its blog post, the line chart and map found in the Trends tool have been updated using HTML5-based Google Chart Tools, which is good news for journalists who are heavy mobile users. Basically what this means is that the image you see above will now load correctly on your mobile device--maps, charts and all. For journalists who are doing research or posting stories from mobile devices, Google Trends will now be a great resource for you. 3. Hot Searches have broader geographical reach: When Google updated Hot Searches (which is a list of the fastest rising search terms updated on an hourly basis) in June, it created a more visual tool that grouped together highly searched terms and provided more information and background on each trending topic. The only problem at the time was that it only displayed search terms for the United States. Within the updated Google Trends tool, Hot Searches now offers more geographical options for journalists who have to consider a worldwide audience, expanding its service to include India, Japan and Singapore. Do you think grouping these tools together is beneficial for journalists? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

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3 Reasons the Updated Google Trends Tool Will Benefit Journalists

Ryan Lytle

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Ryan Lytle