Knowing What They Search On The Internet

Do you know what kind of information are your customers looking for in the Internet? While it may not matter so much to an Internet café owner what his customers search  on Google, it pays to know this information so he could assist them in case they need assistance. According to Google Insights for Search,  search terms among Internet users in the Philippines for certain periods vary according to events of recent days. The top two rising search terms among Filipino internet users in the past seven days were the sinking of the SuperFerry 9 in Zamboanga on September 6 and Malacañang’s declaration of a nonworking holiday on September 7.

Student customers doing their assignments, homework, thesis and school reports would research on their specific topics that could vary widely and not register in the Google Insights for Search. Terms used in the searches by these type of Internet users are more or less constant throughout the year. It may vary a little during  long school holidays and vacations.

There are also words or terms that are seasonal in nature. For example, online searches for beaches start in early March and peak in April according to Google’s yearly search query patterns. This is important for resort owners, hotels and even airlines so that they can anticipate demand and make the necessary adjustments to advertising budgets, staffing and even inventory. Business people who use Google Insights for Search can actually gauge the overall sentiment of the Internet-using public at any given time.

Another important search data in the uptrend are political issues about candidates in the running for next year’s presidential election. This early, online interest for a particular political candidate can be gauged through the number of searches tracked by Google Insights. A news report on ABS-CBN News say “A comparison on search trends for Noynoy Aquino, Manny Villar, Joseph Estrada, Mar Roxas and Noli de Castro for the past 90 days showed Villar clearly leading online searches compared to the other four candidates until August. Online interest for Noynoy Aquino, however, has been rising since his mother’s death on August 1 and peaked recently after his announcement that he would run for president next year.”

So you should see here the important role that the Internet café industry play in disseminating information found online. It is along this line that the Internet café owners must build the image of the industry. We must take note that majority (around 70%) of Internet access by Filipinos are done inside Internet cafés.