If you’ve been looking to dip your toe into search engine optimization (SEO), you’ve no doubt heard the term “keyword research” by now. If you don’t know what that is and why it’s so important to your SEO strategy, don’t worry. Misinformation about SEO – including keywords and the research involved in identifying them – is rampant, but we’ve compiled the basic info you need to know to understand and begin researching your own keywords using a free tool from Google itself. Google Trends is an online search tool that allows you to see how often specific keywords, subjects, and phrases have been queried over a set period of time.
What is Google Trends?
If you’ve ever wanted to sift through all of the data Google has access to regarding what people are searching for, Google Trends is the tool for you. Google Trends is an online search tool that allows you to see how often specific keywords, subjects, and phrases have been queried over a set period of time – basically an interface that makes it easy to research keywords. The best part – it’s free! Want to see where and when people search for “solar panels?” Simply go to https://trends.google.com and type it in. This is what you’ll see.
You can see the timeframe (here it is the past year), category, country, and other variables. In the subregion map the results are broken out, in this case by the state. Who would think that wintry Maine was the most popular state for the search term “Solar panels” as a fraction of total searches in that location? Of course, Maine’s total numbers wouldn’t be as high as a larger state such as Arizona, but this shows it as a proportion of all queries. Google trends also shows Related Topics and Related Queries, allowing you to see other topics that might be of interest for you.
So, what’s the point for a medical practice checking out Google Trends? It can serve a variety of purposes. Let’s look at a few practical uses.
Timing for Campaigns
Let’s say you want to know the best time to write a blog about breast augmentation or to run a special. Go to Google Trends and look at searches for “Breast Augmentation.” Here’s what you’ll find for the past five years.
You’ll notice that searches tend to increase at the beginning of the year and fall throughout the year – so the best time to run a special might be mid-winter through spring.
Compare and Research Procedures
Let’s say you’re interested in adding a new procedure to your practice. You’re thinking of SculpSure or Thermage. Why not see what’s being searched for over the past year? In Google Trends, you can compare search terms or topics. You simply add additional terms, comparing up to five different terms or topics. Google Trends will then display search volume (which is the number of people searching for that term) over time, and then by the state.
Here’s what you’d find. Depending on where your practice is, it might make more sense to pick one or the other. Google Trends will let you compare the interest by state and by region – so pick what makes more sense for your practice.
Researching the Popularity of New Procedures
Let’s say you want to add a non-invasive body contouring procedure. Everyone knows about CoolSculpting, but you’ve also heard lots of good things about using laser energy versus controlled freezing of fat cells. That would be SculpSure.
If you compare them in search, you see what years of marketing has done for CoolSculpting. When compared with the relatively new SculpSure, there isn’t much to compare. If you opt to go with SculpSure, you’ll have to be more patient, as you’ll have to build awareness with your patients.
We Can Help
Not sure how to utilize keyword research in your med spa marketing? MyAdvice has been helping practices like yours grow for more than 20 years. Schedule a consultation with one of our marketing experts today.
