Your Writing Gold: Top Ten Trending Keywords for January 6, 2012

© 2012 by Aurelio Locsin.

Original content is the key but one way to get hits for your writing is cover the most popular topics. The following are the top ten fastest-rising keywords identified Google for early January 6, 2012, Pacific Time. Some of these keywords may remain in the top ten for several days, while others stay only for several hours. So jump on them with your writing now if you want to take advantage of their popularity.

Keywords are numbered, with 1 being the most popular, and are followed by the search count for the month in parentheses and the ad cost per click in U.S. dollars. Please let me know if you find this list useful. If you do, I’ll update it every so often.

10. Sacramento Kings (60,500) $0.75

Landing at number 10, the Sacramento Kings basketball team fired their coach Paul Westphal, after more than two seasons of lackluster performance. His bruhaha with young center DeMarcus Cousins certainly didn’t help, according to the Los Angeles Times.

9. Jesse Ventura (74,000) $0.29

Jesse Ventura, former pro-wrestler and Navy frogman, lands on the list after having been punched in the face by a Navy SEAL sharpshooter, says Politicology. The ex-governor of Minnesota got knocked out after declaring loudly that “We [SEAL]s deserve to lose a few guys” at the funeral services of a fallen SEAL.

8. Elin Nordegren (74,000) $0.73

Ex-model Elin Nordegren demolished her $12.3 million Florida mansion to build her own dream home. Maybe she was trying to destroy any memories of ex-husband Tiger Woods. Check out the story in Entertainment Weekly.

7. Jeremy Renner (90,500) $0.10

Actor Jeremy Renner, recently starring in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, ranks on the list after witnessing a bloody bar brawl in Phuket, Thailand, that involved a “home-made ax.” He left almost immediately after the fracas started, but yet made the news at USA Today.

6. Rick Santorum (135,000) $1.16

Rick Santorum is still on the top ten list after many days as he hangs on to third place for the Republican presidential nomination, behind Ron Paul and Mitt Romney. His support is at 11 percent, up from 8 percent, according to a 7 News/Suffolk University tracking poll, as reported by the Christian Science Monitor.

5. Portlandia (135,000) $0.21

Portlandia is a TV comedy that premiered on the Independent Film Channel in January 2011. It follows the lives of several eccentric characters in a romanticized version of Portland, Oregon. The second season starts tonight according to IFC, which is what puts this keyword in the top ten for several days now.

4. Leann Rimes (165,000) $0.41

Country and pop singer Leann Rimes trends because of her dieting advice to fans, backed up by her bikini-clad bod, according to the Daily Mail. Working out a lot also helps.

3. Girl Scout Cookies (165,000) $0.30

With sales starting, girl scout cookies has been a hot topic for several days now. ABC News states that the Girl Scouts are introducing the Savannah Smile, a cookie in the shape of a lemon wedge that is filled with lemon chips and then covered with powdered sugar. Can’t wait to taste that.

2. Van Halen (246,000) $0.32

An American hard rock band, Van Halen was formed in 1972 and is still going strong today. Their surge is due to Eddie and Alex Van Halen reuniting with David Lee Roth for a recent gig at Cafe Wa in New York. This is according to the Christian Science Monitor. If you missed that event, the band will be touring next month.

1. Stephen Hawking (450,000) $0.46

Stephen Hawking, foremost physicist and cosmologist, has explored black holes and quantum gravity. But he finds the greatest mystery of the to be women, according to the Wall Street Journal. This charming, if old-fashioned notion, lands him at number one for trending keywords.