In today’s digital landscape, understanding how your competitors’ brands are performing in the market is critical for staying competitive. One tool that offers invaluable insights into brand engagement and popularity is Google Trends. This free service from Google provides real-time data on search trends, which you can use to monitor how frequently people are searching for your competitors’ brands, where those searches are happening, and what topics or queries are associated with them.
In this article, we’ll explore how you can leverage Google Trends to analyze your competitors’ brand engagement, complete with real-world examples and actionable tips for integrating this data into your competitive strategy.
What Is Google Trends?
Google Trends analyzes the popularity of top search queries across various regions and languages. It provides data on the volume of searches for a specific term relative to the total number of searches made on Google. Unlike static search volume metrics from tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush, Google Trends offers a dynamic view, showing how interest in a particular topic or brand fluctuates over time.
Some key features of Google Trends include:
- Search interest over time: Shows how often people have searched for a specific term over a certain period.
- Interest by region: Provides data on which geographic areas have the most search interest.
- Related queries and topics: Identifies other terms and subjects that are often searched together with the main keyword.
Why Use Google Trends to Analyze Competitors?
Competitor analysis is a fundamental part of business strategy, and Google Trends offers an excellent way to measure public interest in your competitors’ brands. You can use this data to:
- Understand market position: See if your competitors’ brand is gaining or losing traction.
- Identify seasonal trends: Determine whether your competitors experience seasonal spikes in engagement.
- Monitor brand health: Track how your competitors’ search volume changes after key events, like product launches, news stories, or marketing campaigns.
- Find new opportunities: Identify gaps in the market or areas where competitor interest is strong but underserved.
Step-by-Step Guide: Analyzing Competitors’ Brand Engagement with Google Trends
Let’s walk through how you can use Google Trends to evaluate your competitors’ brand engagement effectively.
Step 1: Identify Your Competitors’ Brand Terms
Start by compiling a list of brand terms you want to monitor. This could include:
- Brand name: The main keyword representing their company.
- Product names: If your competitors have well-known products, include these as well.
- Industry-specific keywords: Depending on your industry, monitor any terms that might represent your competitors in the market.
Example:
Suppose you are in the electronics industry, competing with brands like Sony, Samsung, and Apple. Your keywords might include:
- “Sony”
- “Samsung”
- “Apple”
- “Sony PlayStation”
- “Samsung Galaxy”
- “Apple iPhone”
Step 2: Enter the Competitors’ Brand Terms into Google Trends
Go to Google Trends and type in the competitor’s brand name. Let’s start with “Sony” as an example. You can also compare multiple competitors by clicking “Add Comparison” and inputting additional brands like “Samsung” and “Apple.”
Step 3: Set the Time Frame
Google Trends allows you to analyze data over various time frames, from the past hour to the past 15 years. For brand engagement analysis, you might want to look at a 1-year or 5-year period to understand long-term trends and fluctuations.
Example:
When you search for “Sony,” “Samsung,” and “Apple” over the past 5 years, you may notice a sharp increase in searches for “Apple” around September every year—this correlates with the iPhone launches. Samsung might see spikes around the release of their Galaxy devices, while Sony’s engagement might be more sporadic, tied to their PlayStation launches.
Step 4: Analyze Interest Over Time
Once you’ve entered your competitors’ brand terms, Google Trends will show a line graph of search interest over time. Here, you can see how public interest has shifted, whether it’s steady or declining, and how competitors compare to each other.
Example:
If you compare the data for “Sony PlayStation” and “Apple iPhone,” you might find that Apple consistently leads in search interest, indicating higher brand engagement. However, during major gaming events like E3, you might see PlayStation’s search interest spike, showing moments where Sony’s brand is top of mind.
Step 5: Analyze Geographic Data
Google Trends also provides geographic data, allowing you to see which regions have the most interest in a particular competitor’s brand. This can help identify where your competitors are most dominant and where there might be opportunities for you to increase your brand visibility.
Example:
If you’re analyzing “Samsung Galaxy,” you might find that the brand is particularly popular in South Korea (no surprise, as it’s Samsung’s home country), but you might also notice high engagement in India and Brazil—key emerging markets.
This type of data can inform your marketing strategy, helping you focus on regions where your competitors are strong, or capitalize on areas where their presence is weaker.
Step 6: Explore Related Queries
The “Related Queries” and “Related Topics” sections of Google Trends provide insights into the other search terms that people are looking for in conjunction with your competitors’ brands. This can reveal emerging trends, product associations, or even customer concerns.
Example:
If you see a related query like “Samsung Galaxy battery issues,” it may indicate that consumers are concerned about the battery life of Samsung’s phones. If your brand offers better battery performance, this could be an opportunity to emphasize this advantage in your marketing.
Conversely, if you see “Apple iPhone camera review” trending, it might highlight that Apple’s camera capabilities are a major selling point, and you may need to address this feature in your own product comparisons or marketing strategies.
Using Google Trends for Actionable Insights
Now that you understand the basics of analyzing competitors using Google Trends, it’s important to turn this data into actionable insights. Here are a few ways to integrate this information into your competitive strategy:
1. Track Competitor Campaigns
Use Google Trends to monitor the impact of your competitors’ marketing campaigns. Did a new ad campaign or product launch lead to a spike in search interest? By understanding which efforts drive engagement for your competitors, you can learn what resonates with your shared audience.
Example:
Let’s say you see a sharp increase in “Apple” searches after their latest keynote event. You could use this information to plan your own marketing calendar, perhaps avoiding major Apple announcements or offering counter-promotions to capture attention when they’re not dominating the conversation.
2. Identify Seasonal Trends
Some industries experience seasonal spikes in brand engagement. Use Google Trends to identify when your competitors see increased engagement and use this information to plan your own campaigns.
Example:
If you notice that a competitor like “Sony PlayStation” sees a spike every December, likely due to holiday gift shopping, you could launch your own promotional campaigns around that time to capture some of that audience’s attention.
3. Spot Emerging Competitors
By regularly monitoring search trends in your industry, you can identify emerging competitors before they become significant threats. Keep an eye on search terms or related queries that are gaining popularity to stay ahead of the competition.
Example:
You might notice a previously unknown brand suddenly appearing in Google Trends data related to “Samsung” or “Sony.” This could indicate a new competitor is gaining traction, prompting you to investigate and adjust your strategy accordingly.
Conclusion
Google Trends is a powerful tool for analyzing your competitors’ brand engagement. By understanding how often people are searching for your competitors, where those searches are coming from, and what related topics are being explored, you can gain critical insights into their market position. This data can help you refine your marketing strategy, identify new opportunities, and stay ahead of the competition.
Incorporate Google Trends into your competitive analysis routine, and you’ll be better equipped to understand the shifting dynamics of your industry, making data-driven decisions that will enhance your brand’s performance.
