ON THE AGE OF VOLCANOES - ANALYSIS OF SEARCH BEHAVIOR IN KJOLFAR VOLCANOES

Following the volcanic eruptions of the last few years, we have seen a huge shift in the search behavior of individuals globally, especially when it comes to keywords related to volcanic eruptions. When analyzing the search behavior since the last volcanic eruption, we saw an enormous increase in the number of searches, but we expect a similar increase in the coming months following the eruption.

Here we will go over the main changes from the 2022 eruption between the months of July and August and show the impact of important natural events on digital search behavior.

UNPRECEDENTED INCREASE IN SEARCH

Our analysis reveals a remarkable increase in search volume related to keywords related to the eruption in 2022. This trend highlights public interest and information seeking in the wake of the eruption.

The keyword “icelandic volcano eruption” saw one of the biggest increases in searches and made the biggest jump of the keywords analyzed, going from 27,100 searches in July 2022 to 368,000 searches in August 2022.

However, it was not the only search term that attracted people's interest, other similar search terms such as "volcano 2022", "volcano fagardalsfjall" and "volcano hiking trail" also took a big leap in relative terms. This indicates that individuals were not only looking for general information about the eruption, but also looking for more specific information about the event, such as the location and how to find it.

SEARCH BEHAVIOR: LET'S DIVE DEEPER

When we dive even deeper into search behavior and the relative increase in search volume, an interesting picture emerges. The keyword "volcano webcam" reigned at the top in a relative increase from July 2022 to August 2022 or 7100%. If we look at the keyword in English "volcano iceland live" we saw a 5043% increase. It is important to look at the number of searches as well, but we also see a big jump in searches for the keyword "volcano iceland", which goes from 40,500 searches to 301,000 between months.

This indicates that people are extremely interested in watching the eruption live, and are possibly planning a trip to Iceland to see the eruption with their own eyes. If you look at the historical context, it is important to understand the effect that the volcanic eruption has on search behavior and use it as a guide to maximize the success of advertising for companies in a changing landscape by seizing the opportunities that the increased interest in Iceland brings. . New markets may begin to show interest in Iceland as a tourist destination and offer new opportunities to optimize advertising towards those markets with customized advertising towards these markets, adding extensions (e. assets) to Google ads and optimizing existing campaigns to to respond to increased interest in Iceland.

CONCLUSION

The eruptions of the last two years, both 2021 and 2022, have undoubtedly had a major impact on digital search behavior, driving increased search volume related to the event. This supports the indications that a dramatic increase in tourism can be expected in the coming months, as long as the eruption continues. As a leading digital advertising agency in Iceland, it is important for us to keep a close eye on this development and offers valuable insights for companies to make data-driven decisions in their digital journey.

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