Trending is the list of topics on a social media website that are most talked about by users in real time. It’s a great way to get a sense of what the public is interested in and can help businesses make decisions about how to interact with their target audience. Trends can be in the form of hashtags or simple keywords that are being searched on the site. The list is updated in real-time and can change as new trends emerge. Twitter, Facebook and Google have different ways of showing their trending lists. Twitter’s trends are listed in a sidebar on the main page while Facebook’s are shown at the top of the news feed and Google’s can be found in the search box.
Trends on the web are generally determined by algorithms created by each platform. These can be customized based on the user accessing the site by taking into account their location, what they have liked or searched for in the past and who they follow. This means a user at home may see different trending topics from someone in the office and that users following a certain group, such as disc-golf players, might only see trending topics about that sport.
Many of these trends are current events, viral content and popular culture but can also be a specific product or industry. The popularity of a particular term can be caused by a variety of factors, including an increase in searches, a celebrity endorsement or an online campaign.
Social media platforms use their own algorithms to determine trends and they will show topics most popular with their audience. For example, Twitter will show a trending topic based on geographic locations of its users while Facebook uses a combination of information such as the user’s likes and interests to create their own trends.
While it’s important for business owners to be aware of what is being searched, they shouldn’t try to manipulate trending topics to drive traffic to their websites or products. This practice is often referred to as “trend abuse” and can be reported to the site. In extreme cases, the account of a business that has tried to manipulate trends can be suspended by the website.
Trending topics are also useful for research, as they can provide insight into what’s popular in a given area at a particular time. For example, if people are searching for a particular item in a store, it might indicate that there’s a sale going on and is worth mentioning to customers.
Businesses can utilize trends in their marketing by starting or joining conversations about the topics and using the exact phrase that’s currently trending. However, they should avoid trying to gain attention on national tragedies or political disagreements. They should instead focus on creating industry-relevant content and providing value to their followers.