Where’s Waldo? You know him, the goofy-looking guy in the red and white striped shirt and cap.  Even though he’s often lost in the crowd you know exactly what to look for to find him. But what if, unbeknownst to us, Waldo got a makeover in every new puzzle? What if the red and white stripes were traded for blue and gold? Sure, after some hunting we might still be able to pick him out of the crowd, but would we be sure it was him? Would we recognize that signature Waldo style?

Those red and white stripes are looking pretty important now, aren’t they?  The same principle comes into play when we search for things on the web. If your potential clients are searching for a specific term, you want to make sure you’ve used it on your site!  But how do you know what those terms are that people are looking for?

Now there is a way to connect the dots between what you can offer and what the client is really searching for. Google Trends gives a behind the scenes peek into how your potential clients are using the web.

That helps you in two ways:

1. “Hot Searches” provide an overview of the most popular searches in the country for any given date. This can be helpful in staying up to date on current new and events and allows you to capitalize on the opportunity when something related to your field is being discussed. Is there a surge in searches for life coaching for success because of a special report on the news? Take advantage of that by writing on article on the topic and putting your expertise out there.

2. “Explore Trends” – with this tool, you are able to test keyword popularity and cross-test synonyms. For example, if you knew that the term “life coach” was 29% more commonly searched in your area than the term “career coach,” you could use the word “life coach” to theoretically generate 29% more leads than if you chose to use the word “career coach.”  Do searches in your town usually search for “Group Coaching” or “Coaching for Groups?” You can use this tool to find out:

But be careful! Sometimes the most popular search term isn’t always the best. Why?  One word – Competition.

If you have two search terms where one is more popular but has lots of competition for the front page, and another which is not quite as popular but will be easier to lock up a top result – you want to grab that top result!

But if all things are equal, and you think you can get that top spot – go for the term with more traffic!

So what are your red and white stripes? Check out this free tool today to find out!

For more tips on Search Engine Optimization, and to optimize your site for the new keywords you’ve identified with Google Trends, check out our other SEO articles, or contact the SEO team today!

The CoachingWebsites SEO team
Email any questions to [email protected]