Google Merges Insights For Search With Google Trends

Sep 27, 2012 at 1:47pm ET by Matt McGee

Google has merged two of its popular search/keyword research tools. Google Insights for Search has been absorbed by Google Trends; the combined tool keeps the Google Trends name and exists at the www.google.com/trends address, too.

If you try to access the Insights for Search address (www.google.com/insights/search), Google redirects you to the new Google Trends.

When Google launched Insights for Search in 2008, I remember one of the first really helpful uses that I had for it was to help a client figure out if he should be using the term “lawyer” or “attorney” more frequently. As I use the new, combined Google Trends, it’s still able to help with keyword research questions like that.

new-google-trends

That image is the default showing all web searches worldwide from 2004 to the present. The filters that were available in Insights for Search are still there — in the left column — letting me choose specific regions, timeframes, etc.

The merge does make sense since both tools provide a look at the popularity of keywords and searches. Google Trends has been the somewhat more mainstream, less marketer-driven of the two, but now the combined tool may appeal to all users. (At least Google hopes it does.)

Related Topics: Channel: SEO | Google: SEO | Google: Trends | SEM Tools: Keyword Research

About The Author: Matt McGee is Editor-In-Chief of Search Engine Land. His news career includes time spent in TV, radio, and print journalism. His web career continues to include a small number of SEO and social media consulting clients, as well as regular speaking engagements at marketing events around the U.S. He blogs at Small Business Search Marketing and can be found on Twitter at @MattMcGee and/or on Google Plus. You can read Matt's disclosures on his personal blog. See more articles by Matt McGee

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http://twitter.com/IMVermont IM Vermont

Thanks for the update Matt! I’d love to know your own opinion – after playing with the combined toolset, do you like it?

For myself, and it may be that I’m overly-familiar with Insights For Search, I find the left-side controls cumbersome and difficult. For instance, I have to keep scrolling the page up and down to compensate as the Worldwide menu expands over and over in multiple drop-downs.

I think some user interface improvements would help, but I like the idea of the combo.
http://localsearchforum.catalystemarketing.com/ Linda Buquet

Darn! Was working on a blog post about using “Insights” for Local keyword research.
All the city based features are gone now that I was going to blog
about. All the features for LOCAL I thought were so helpful on many levels are gone now.

Or at least on my initial couple trial runs. Maybe I’m missing something?

What I liked before is that you could GEO locate your search. So for instance if you compared “Personal Injury Attorney” and “Personal Injury Lawyer” and set your location to LA, you’d see the former gets more searches. BUT if you set location to New York, you’d see that more people there search for “Personal Injury Lawyer”.

I don’t see a way to do that now. Does anyone else? Am I missing something?
Matt McGee

Still there for me. Just click the “Worldwide” button on the left, then drill down to whatever geo area you want.
Matt McGee

I would agree with that assessment on the usability.
http://localsearchforum.catalystemarketing.com/ Linda Buquet

Matt that only lets me select country. Can’t get to city >> state. Here is screen shot of the old one drilling all the way down to city. http://img1.uploadscreenshot.com/images/orig/9/24617174967-orig.png
http://twitter.com/AmazingAngelaD Angela Davis

Haha, thought I was losing my mind this morning! Thanks for the post!
Matt McGee

I’m familiar with the old one, Linda — used it regularly. The new one offers the same drilldowns, at least for me. Can get down to city levels just like before. You have to keep clicking. The UI isn’t all that great, but it’s there.
http://localsearchforum.catalystemarketing.com/ Linda Buquet

Thanks Matt, finally got there. Poor UI and don’t like the layout for city KW data as much as the way it displayed in that screenshot. But it works. Thanks.
tech2012

Someone pls help me.

I understood the URL tagging part.
But how to view the reports in GA. I mean how to read events reports in GA.

Many thanks

Take Care
http://www.facebook.com/youcantryreachingme Chris Rehberg

I have the same problem at the other end of the scale – I want to compare all countries in one table. Can’t do that now – have to click on each country one after another, is that right?