Dec 5, 2019 - Technology

Google builds data tool to help publishers see what's going viral

Photo credit should read LOIC VENANCE/AFP/Getty Images

Google has created a new tool to help newsrooms make coverage decisions based on real-time data of what’s being searched on Google and talked about on Twitter.

Why it matters: It’s the latest effort by a tech giant to help give newsrooms access to data that could help their businesses. Google argues newsrooms can boost user loyalty by using the tool to cover the topics they are most interested in.

Details: The tool, called Trending Topics , is available for free to any newsroom that utilizes Google’s free analytics platform, Google Analytics.

  • It shows, via a dashboard, Google Trends around key news moments, like political debates.
  • The data is captured from real-time search queries into Google and tweets that are publicly-facing.
  • The team says that due to the nature of Facebook’s backend technology, they can’t pull Facebook or Instagram posts into the tool.

The big picture: Other Big Tech giants are trying to build similar tools for news publishers to help them understand what's going viral.

  • For example, Google rival Facebook bought CrowdTangle, a tool that publishers use to see what's trending on the web, in 2016.
  • According to Amy Adams Harding — Director of Analytics & Revenue Optimization, News & Publishing at Google — the tool was built in response to a big influx of requests from publishers to give them better data insights. 

Be smart: The tool was created in part via funds from the Google News Initiative, a $300 million commitment towards helping the news industry succeed in the digital age by Google.

Here's what the new tool looks like:

Google, Picture of Realtime Content Insights dashboard
Google, Picture of Realtime Content Insights dashboard

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