Center for Media Design

Search volumes from Google have recently become available via their Google Trends application, providing a unique opportunity to comb through public search data. The CMD is seizing this opportunity to explore the use of Google Trends to understand public search behaviors for health-related information.

The first in a series of reports, this white paper, "Understanding Internet Health-Related Search Patterns: How Useful is Google Trends?" reports on public information seeking search behaviors and patterns for health information.

Outputs from this preliminary exploration indicate that although there are limitations to the service, the application may still be useful for exploring trends and correlations between search volumes and events.

Results from the study show two distinct search patterns readily visible through Google Trends. The first, an annual cycle, appeared to be related to seasonal interests and events in search patterns. The second emergent pattern was a weekly cycle, as search volumes for health-related terms tended to be higher during weekdays and lower on the weekends.

Other findings in the report include:
*Correlations between search patterns and illnesses or diseases experienced by some celebrities in the public eye.
*High prevalence cancers were not always associated with the highest cancer search volumes.
*Traditional search terms for health-related information prevailed over newer or trendier terms.
*Search trends and patterns observed in the US were also observed in other countries and for other languages.
*Celebrity influence on search volume appears to be culture specific.