How Can Law Firms Use Google Trends to Newsjack (and Improve Traffic)?

Search engine optimization experts have used Google Trends since at least 2012, and now there’s even more buzz – and for good reason.

What is Google Trends?

Google Trends chases real-time updates across the entire Internet to offer viewers instant access to what’s trending. By using Google Trends, you can explore up-to-the-minute trends and comb through everything that’s been trending over the last week.

The search giant added Google News and YouTube to Google Trends on June 17, which means it gives you an in-depth look at what people are searching for across a variety of mediums – and that can put you at a distinct advantage if you’re able to dive in and strike while the iron is hot.

Newsjacking and Google Trends

Many SEOs use Google Trends to “newsjack,” which means that they find out what’s trending and create even more buzz while tying in their own positions, ideas and statements – and at the same time, generating large-scale interest by newsjacking at just the right time.

“You can make this happen, too. Your challenge is to newsjack when reporters are looking for more information… before that window of opportunity falls away,” said David Meerman Scott, marketing and sales strategist, at the 2014 SXSW conference.

“Do you remember when Sir Richard Branson’s house caught on fire and Kate Winslet carries Sir Richard Branson’s mother to safety? In comes the London Fire Brigade with a classic newsjack. On their website, they offered Kate Winslet firefighter training, and this generated a staggering 1,787 media hits,” said Scott.

So what does this mean for law firms?

If you can find a story that relates to your practice and inject your opinion or personal statements while the story is fresh and journalists are still looking for information, you can newsjack and get your website in front of all the right people.

How Does Google Trends Help Law Firms?

[Use “How to Use Google Trends to Newsjack picture here]

Let’s say you’re a personal injury attorney and you want to newsjack what’s trending in health, such as necrotizing fasciitis in Florida. Google Trends says the best time to have done so was between June 11 and about June 16, although the topic continues to trend on a large scale.

By sharing your opinion – perhaps officials haven’t done enough to warn people, or maybe it’s possible to contract it from a saltwater pool (it is) and you have prevention tips – you can jump on the news bandwagon while promoting your firm at the same time.

If people are going to be talking about something, it makes sense to write about it so your firm can get in on the action.In many cases, it’s better to stick with local stories. A city that’s installing controversial new traffic lights, for example, could benefit from a personal injury lawyer’s take on the possible ramifications; a town that sees dozens of snow- and ice-related accidents during the winter could pounce on a story that has significant local impact.

Here’s the catch, though: you have to stay on top of what’s trending in order to take advantage of this proven SEO tactic.

Do you have the time to keep up with what’s hot and then inject your firm’s brand into searches with the right keywords and search engine formulas?

Further, do you have time to watch how your audience interacts with your newsjacking efforts and measure the results? That’s essential so you can make improvements and increase your reach.For these reasons, most firms that successfully dominate their markets choose to work with experts who know how to exploit trending searches. You can do it yourself, but if you don’t have time to keep up, you’re leaving your efforts up to chance – and your mileage may vary.

Want to Learn More About How We Use Google Trends to Help Law Firms?

Call us at 212-202-3214 or claim your free website audit to find out how ApricotLaw can help you dominate the SERPs and put your website in front of all the right people.