Increase blog traffic with Google

If you’ve got a blog, this is a MUST SEE site; The Hottest keyword list on Google trends. Hot Trends, launched around mid may this year gives a listing of the hottest searches on Google on any given day, or in the last hour!

Plus it maintains a daily history! So you can change the date and see what were the hottest searches on a given date. Although, understandably, you cant search for a date before 15th May 2007. (Given thats when this kewl tool was launched!)

Now I don’t need to spell it out, but I will. If your blog or web site had a targeted audience (unlike this blog ), say web developers.

 

Google trends: Good not great…

Google trends, is a cool tool that maps the trends in items/keywords searches on Google search engine.  The search engine has one of the biggest shares in the market. So the kind of trends it can come up with are undoubtedly going to be amazing, and closer to reality.

The tool offers trend analysis of items being searched on Google a’la graphs and bar charts. However, that is about it. If one wanted to use this information to fuel a marketing campaign, one would be hard pressed for details.

 

Would you buy insurance online?

Researchers are coming up with answers that I always knew. Even web-savvy customers will NOT buy insurance online.

One keeps getting flooded with mailers and offers to log online and buy insurance from insurers. Although like any other tech-savvy consumer, I use these websites to gather information and do my home-work, but I would NEVER BUY it online from these websites. The mere nature of this product requires long term investment. The promises made by the insurer need to be maintained for a long time after the purchase has been made.

So if I need a long term product like insurance I will still pick up the phone and put a face on the insurer. Although these days insurance agents in India are also not that reliable. But that’s a subject for another blog.

Meanwhile, if you are interested, read the full report on this topic in the article by Bill Keneally.

Insurance Technology: Then and Now

 

Google’s Silent World Domination

I had recently been discussing with a friend, how Gmail has taken over the world of E-Mail just like Google had taken over the world of web searches.

But the beauty of this Internet Giant is not just it’s innovations. Google has mastered the art of introducing its innovations very quietly to the world, ensuring very little pickup by competitors.

Here is the latest in the innovation launched by the Giant. Behavioral targetting in their search ads.

Read more about this in a great article by Gord Hotchkiss, first published in Mediapost’s Search Insider, on August 9, 2007 .

Google: Inching Towards a more More Targeted World