360DigitalInfluence

Neatly six months after the feds officially dropped the “Swine Flu” term in favor of the scientifically-grounded “H1N1″, web users are finally showing signs of following suit as evidenced by recent shifts in keyword searches.

According to Google’s Insights for Search tool, worldwide searchers for the first time since the outbreak have searched for “H1N1″ in greater numbers than “Swine Flu.”

The data shows that while “H1N1″ never received the surge of search queries earned by “Swine Flu” during the height of outbreak, the science-based strain term has slowly climbed atop the level of swine searches.



So what does this mean for brands?

People change. And so do their search habits. Keeping tabs on search data gives online WOM marketers a peak into the minds and changing behavior of millions of customers. We use a variety of search intent modeling services here in the 360 Digital influence Group, though free (or free trial) tools like Google trends, Yahoo Keyword Tool, Facebook Lexicon, and Wordtracker can help shoulder much of the load.

Here’s a quick look at a few other keyword battles with recently shifting top earners:

(Not sure what these numbers mean? Check out Google’s helpful description of its Keyword Insight data.)