A few days ago I wrote about the top 10 searches of 2012. Right after that, Google released Zeitgeist 2012. It shows top trending searches of 2012. The lists I shared in my article and the list in Google Zeitgeist are not the same. So what's the difference? Was the top search on Google in 2012 Facebook, or Whitney Houston? (Hint: It was Facebook.) Google Zeitgeist shows the top trending ... read more

Search engines are the largest focus group in the world. When we analyze search data, we see what is truly on the minds of people all across America—no hiding, everything is exposed. People perform searches for what is really on their minds—from buying gifts for friends, to finding an old flame from high school. Keywords expose what a person is really thinking and what they really care ... read more

In October, Google announced a new tool to help fight web spam called the Disavow Tool. The disavow tool allows you to let Google know that certain links coming into your site are not legitimate links (spam) and should not be considered (ignored) when they assess the PageRank of your site. Why would there be spam links pointed toward your site? There are a couple of reasons: You (or your ... read more

All keywords trend during a year. Keywords are hot during some parts of the year and not during others. Understanding these trends is vital to having a healthy search campaign. This can be easily illustrated by a search I performed recently. As a Jeep Wrangler JK owner, I get excited at this time of year. After a long grey Ohio winter, I greatly look forward to folding down the soft top and ... read more