• On CHOW: Sexy vampire party
August 6, 2008 7:06 AM PDT

Google offers 'Insights for Search'

by Caroline McCarthy

Google has taken its popular Google Trends and launched a spin-off product called Google Insights for Search. Geared toward advertisers, it's a tool to track a particular search term's popularity across the Web and geographic regions of the world.

For Google, this can help boost advertiser confidence and potentially win its program some new converts who would've otherwise been skeptical regarding how effectively they could target an online ad campaign.

With Google Insights for Search, you can search for a term to track how much it's been googled over time, where on a "heat map" it's most popular, and what the top "related" and "rising" searches for the term are.

Results can also be filtered by geographic region, time frame, or category. Let's say you search for "spears," and most of the results on Google Insights for Search deal with some trashy pop star. But you happen to be the owner of a small business that creates replica medieval weapons, so that's not the sort of spears you're looking for. You can narrow your search down to a single field--"industries," say, or "recreation," and hope you see fewer instances of Britney and Jamie Lynn.

Here's another one: search for "spaghetti," and you'll get a lot of results about people seeking recipes. But narrow it down to the "lifestyles" category, and you'll see that most of the search results that Google Insights provides involve the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

Originally posted at Digital Media
Caroline McCarthy, a CNET News staff writer, is a downtown Manhattanite happily addicted to social-media tools and restaurant blogs. Her pre-CNET resume includes interning at an IT security firm and brewing cappuccinos. E-mail Caroline.
Recent posts from Webware
Google Friend Connect adds profiles, ads
MySpace changes terms of use to combat app scams
Twitter translates into Spanish
Flickr betters its apps, developer showcase
Your best 'worst' Google Voice transcription errors
Backblaze unveils online backup for businesses
Report: PayPal to unveil in-app payment service
Dedicated tweeting gadget TwitterPeek launches
Add a Comment (Log in or register)
by jamalystic August 6, 2008 7:28 AM PDT
What kind of a church is that?? God being a sopagheti sound ridiculous!! Are these the next phase of internet religions?In Search of Online Gods & Spaghetti Monsters(http://www.internetevolution.com/author.asp?section_id=544&doc_id=151193&F_src=flftwo)
Reply to this comment
advertisement

About Webware

Say No to boxed software! The future of applications is online delivery and access. Software is passé. Webware is the new way to get things done.

Add this feed to your online news reader

Webware topics

FAQ: Should I buy that extended warranty?

As the annual holiday shopping season approaches, we look at when it makes sense--or doesn't--to buy extra coverage for gadget repairs.

Inside one of the world's largest data centers

CNET gets a tour of Microsoft's 700,000-square-foot Chicago facility--a data center the company says just might be the biggest on the planet.

Inside CNET News

Scroll Left Scroll Right