Yelp has just released a new tool for local search marketers, Yelp Trends, which contains a full ten years’ worth of review content – more than 57 million local reviews in all. Yelp Trends is basically a search engine which will search through words contained in Yelp’s reviews database to uncover trend data as well as the geographic location where the trends are most popular. Yelp Trends data is currently available for 98 cities in 20 countries across the globe.

Yelp Trends is similar to Google Trends but has a much narrower focus. Up to three keywords can be compared for their relative popularity over a time graph in a given city; keyword terms can include brand or product names.

Using Yelp Trends Data
You have the ability to examine the “life cycle” of a given trend over time and determine whether its popularity is growing, stagnant, or declining. You can also look at how your own products have fared over time, as well as see how your competitors measure up.

Introducing Google Trends

Another great source for trend data is Google Trends. Armed with current knowledge about what is currently “hot” and what is “cooling off” you can

• Create highly targeted content based on a search term that is currently trending. This will allow you to reach a more targeted audience, resulting in improved click-through and conversion rates.
• Anticipate and plan ahead for drops in search volume.
• Anticipate and gear up for surges in search volume.
• Get ideas for timely blog post topics that can help drive more traffic to your business website.

Using Google Trends Data in Keyword Research
Because Google Trends does not provide search volume data, you will need to supplement Google Trends with data from Google’s Keyword Planner tool. What Google Trends can provide you with is information about interest over time for a particular keyword.

If you owned an auto repair shop, for example, you could determine when interest in auto repair peaks as well as whether “auto repair” or “car repair” has the greater potential for driving traffic. The geo targeting feature allows you to break down your data all the way to the city level.

Newsjack Your Way to More Traffic
Another creative way to use Google Trends data to promote your business is through newsjacking. The idea is to inject your angle into a breaking news story to generate press coverage of your business or product.

Say you’re an air conditioning contractor and a massive heat wave is predicted for your local area. You write a story that summarizes the coming record high temperatures, and tell readers about the extra staff you’ve just hired to handle the increased repair calls you’re expecting to receive as well as your program to perform a free air conditioning inspection for low income residents of your community.

• Pick a hot and trending news story; be sure steer clear of tragedies or stories with unhappy endings.
• Create an angle that inserts your business or product into the news story.
• Write a newsy blog or press release.
• Post your article across your social media channels.