Google Trends Analysis
Compare search interest over time and by region to see whether a problem is growing, steady, seasonal or fading.
Stage 2 of 10 · from idea to first customer
Check demand before you build
Use search data, competitors and quick polls to see whether enough people want this problem solved.
A problem can be real and still too small to build a business on. Here you measure demand with free data: what people type into Google, how interest moves over time, what competitors already charge and what your network says when you ask a neutral question.
None of these methods proves people will pay. Together they tell you whether the market is big enough and busy enough to justify talking to customers in the next stage.
What you should have at the end of this stage
A one-page demand check: search interest, a competitor grid, a bottom-up market estimate and your riskiest assumption written as a testable statement.
The 10 methods in this stage
Google Keyword Validation
Use Google Keyword Planner to see how many people search for your problem each month and whether advertisers pay to reach them.
AnswerThePublic Research
Turn one seed word into hundreds of real search questions, then group them into problem clusters and pick the strongest one.
Google Autocomplete and People Also Ask
Type your problem into Google, letter by letter, and log what it suggests plus the People Also Ask questions: free, fast demand clues.
Bottom-Up Market Sizing
Count the customers you can actually reach, multiply by what they would pay, and get a market size you can defend in one spreadsheet.
Competitor Analysis Grid
Put 5 to 10 competitors, workarounds and the option of doing nothing in one spreadsheet, then find the gap nobody serves well.
X (Twitter) Advanced Search
Search X with exact phrases, filters and operators to find people complaining about your problem or wishing a fix existed.
Google Alerts Monitoring
Let Google email you new pages about your competitors and your problem, then turn them into a 20-minute weekly note on demand.
LinkedIn Poll Validation
Run a neutral LinkedIn poll about a problem, then message the voters: the poll finds people, the conversations bring the proof.
Assumption Mapping
Write down everything your idea needs to be true, find the riskiest belief with the least proof, and test that one first.