Let’s look at a new application from Google Labs where you can do trend analysis for free. Why? It’s a great way to analyze hot trends in sustainable design internationally, in the US, and even in major cities. The app is Google Trends. It’s based on Internet searches using Google, is quantifiable and reports up-to-the-hour trend results.
Here’s how it works. Try entering “green building” at www.google.com/trends, click on search, and results will pop up for the last five years. Refine your search for a specific date range (years, months, days) and geographic location to dig deeper. You can create trend lines for multiple search words simultaneously and the app overlays the results for easy comparison. For example, add “green remodeling”, “green products” and “green design” to your trend search and see what pops up. Now let’s analyze the chart we just created.
Google Trends looks back as far as 2004, exactly when “green building” met their minimum threshold for reporting. The term peaked in 2nd quarter of 2008. Since that time its search popularity has declined slightly. Is interest in the green movement waning? Not likely. Perhaps search for “green building” has reached a saturation point because it’s gone mainstream. It’s hard to determine the exact casual relationships without further research. But note that in 2005, “green design” became a popular and consistent search using Google. By 2006, “green products” became widely searched and continues to be popular. In contrast to the economic downturn, this increase in Internet search activity bodes well for the future of green design + building professionals. Note too that “green remodeling” hasn’t shown up yet in Google Trends. Maybe 2009 will be the year for “green remodeling” to emerge. “Remodel” and “remodeling” are already huge search terms.
There’s not much to report in GreenDesignGuide from watching hourly Google Trends. But it works great if you care about the career prospects of American Idol contestants. Just ask a “tweenager”.
Come back next week for another conversation, and share GreenDesignGuide with a friend. Thanks for reading, watching, and commenting… it’s all good.
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