One of the least talked-about challenges for maintaining a business website is coming up with unique blog post ideas. When you’re mired in the nuts and bolts of your industry, it’s easy to lose sight of the big picture. You might not truly understand what people want to read, and your idea of compelling content might not match that of the audience. It’s always a good idea to check your ideas against reality to make sure you’re not wasting your time writing a blog that nobody will read. That’s where Google Trends comes in.

What is Google Trends?

When we think about something trending, it’s usually in relation to Twitter. However, Google has its own service that’s even more robust than Twitter’s list of trends. Google Trends tracks Google searches, which are far more commonly used than tweets. Additionally, Google Trends gives you the ability to track a search term over time, giving you years of data to determine the viability of a word or phrase.

Why it Matters

Content is the cornerstone of inbound marketing. Without the consistent addition of quality, relevant content, you’ll have no material with which to entice potential customers. Your use of inbound marketing implies that you intend to hold up your end of the bargain, which means you should always be able to provide something of value to someone interested in your company. And you can’t meet that requirement if you’re merely guessing what people want to see.

Google Trends eliminates this guesswork from the equation. All you have to do is query a potential content idea and see if it’s worth your while to produce something on the subject. If you see consistent searches in recent months, you know you’ve got a chance to gain some new leads. This is a great way to understand what customers really want in terms of blog post ideas and newsletter topics. It’ll also help you to identify niches that aren’t being met; after all, if there was a definitive resource for a given topic, people wouldn’t search for it so often.

Reading Between the Lines

Inbound marketing is all about distributing timely and important content to those who want more information. Once again, Google Trends can help you out, and it can do this in ways you might not expect. Just because a term isn’t widely searched for doesn’t mean it has no value. Look for trends in the search data, which might contain some interesting tidbits you can use. For instance, certain phrases are widely searched for on a seasonal or annual basis. Take note of these trends, and be sure to produce something that capitalizes on the trends at the appropriate time of year.

Moderation

Google Trends is a very powerful tool that can bridge the gap between your view of your company and the general perception of what people care about. But Google Trends isn’t everything. As an inbound marketer, your duty is to educate, inform and give potential customers something they can’t find anywhere else. That is to say, if there’s something you want to share with the world, or if you want to expose them to new ideas, you should follow your gut. Every great idea has to start somewhere, and you may be ahead of the rest of the world. Don’t shy away from creating great content just because it’s not trending well on Google Trends. In fact, this may simply show that you’re well ahead of the curve.

The Bottom Line

You can learn a lot about what's buzzing in the world by using Google Trends and learning what people are searching for. You’ll gain access to a historical archive of search results, giving you an idea of how your content may age over time. You’ll have better blog post ideas, more relevant white papers and compelling topics for social media content. Combine the power of Google Trends with your own intuition and insights, and your inbound marketing success will soar.