This week, Google announced that it is merging its Google Trends and Insights for Search into one Google Trends tool.

From Google’s blog post announcing the move:

Now we are merging Insights for Search into Google Trends, wrapping it all up in a clean new interface to give you a clearer view of what’s on the world’s mind. The new Google Trends now includes features from both products and makes it easier and more intuitive to dig into the data.

Both Google Trends and Insights for Search have been useful tools in the industry for years, offering journalists a way to see popular search terms and compare keywords, respectively.

While each tool has separate and distinct functions, there are benefits to packaging them into one super tool. Here are three reasons journalists will benefit from this update:

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At times, it seems like an outright mystery what will make the Google gods happy. What keywords are really going to make your article jump to the top of a search page? How much does spelling matter? What elements make up the secret sauce?

That is all about to change. Google is making a concerted effort to pull back the curtain and has started releasing videos of its internal weekly search meeting, “Quality Launch Review.” The move, says the YouTube video description, is part of the company’s “continued effort to be more transparent about how search works.” Read more

Today’s viewers aren’t just watching TV as a solitary experience. Whether it’s the iPad, an Android tablet, or even the new Kindle Fire, tablet devices are quickly becoming an integral part of television viewing. Or as Nielsen puts it, cross platform is the new norm. 40% of tablet (and smartphone) owners in the U.S. used their devices daily while watching television, which creates a prime opportunity for news stations and news programs to reach a captive audience.

We’ve talked before about a few tips to define your newsroom’s mobile presence, but let’s look a little closer at a few more ways news organizations can help reach news junkies on that second screen.

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With the first caucuses and primaries just months away, Google is turning to the crowd to find neat election trends using the Internet giant’s myriad of tools.

In a post yesterday on the company’s Politics & Elections blog, Jake Parrillo sent out a call for help.

Search trends could help explain poll fluctuations, he wrote, using an example of how Herman Cain (who is surging in the polls) is widely being searched for in Texas cities, where Rick Perry (whose poll numbers are declining) is governor. Read more

Despite its reputation as a search giant, it’s no secret that Google has fallen behind in the social media game; even the company’s former CEO and current Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt has admitted that Google missed out on “the friend thing.” But with the +1 button, Google hopes to change all that.

Initially announced in March, the +1 button allows you to “recommend content to your friends and contacts directly from Google search results and ads,” effectively making “search results even more helpful and relevant.” Today the company announced that they’re rolling the button out to the entire web, using partnerships with news organizations like The Washington Post and Reuters to help the new feature gain momentum.

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