We Are What We Search.

So let’s say we’re both spies. You and me. And I come to you and ask, “How many WMDs do you have?”

WMDs = weapons of mass destruction.

By asking that question, I have indirectly revealed a few things about me. For example, you now know:

1. I am interested in WMDs.
2. I think you know something about WMDs.
3. I believe you’ve got them.
4. And I am not certain how many you have.

Well, now imagine 10 million people, online and in the privacy of their homes and offices, searching for things…a variety of things…all the time.

Those searches are not lost to the wind. They are databased. And over time, that data will reveal trend and clues about truly what’s important to us.

For example, from studying key term searches, we can actually discern flu patterns across the population. How? People searching on ‘flu’. In fact, Google has constructed a web site based of flu related searches: http://www.google.org/flutrends/. The purpose of the site is to detect higher than usual searches on ‘flu’ and related terms and alert the public accordingly.

Want to know which day of the week is most popular for adult sites? How about which day of the year is least popular for searches relating to dieting?

(The answers: Friday, and Thanksgiving.)

Not surprisingly, Thanksgiving is also the least popular day of the year for adult sites, probably because the house is full of family!

It’s called collective intelligence. Basically, we can learn a lot from the behavior of the masses. Search engines like Google, MSN and Yahoo are sitting on a treasure trove of data.

Are there privacy concerns? Yes. Most people, for example, don’t intend their internet searches to be public info.

Is the data useful? Yes, especially on a group basis.  Did you know, for example, most searches related to ‘prom dress’ are in the months of January and April? And that the January shoppers are more interested in the fashion of the prom dresses, while the April shoppers are more interested in cost? This info is especially valuable to companies that sell prom dresses. Their website, for example, and all related marketing collateral, should reflect what the people want.

For a good read: Click: What Millions of People Are Doing Online and Why it Matters by Bill Tancer

For some afternoon fun: http://weblogs.hitwise.com/

For anytime fun: http://www.google.com/insights/search/#

Do you need us to help you mine data for your business?

Call us (808) 942-0773 or email us now.