This “Hidden Gem” episode features a truly fantastic Google innovation called the Wonder Wheel. Whenever users type in a keyword, they can look at the top of the results page and see a “Show Options” link. Clicking on this will make a side panel appear at the left side and at the bottom is where the Wonder Wheel can be accessed. This tool is a Flash-based application that graphically illustrates a keyword and related phases that are often typed by other people. Each branch can be clicked so that the peripheral keyword takes center stage and its relevant searches can be discovered. This can go on and on, revealing useful information to advertisers, SEOs, and even educators.
Note that the Wonder Wheel can no longer be found today. It was launched in 2009 but was decommissioned in 2011 when the results page layout was overhauled. Some say it became too difficult to maintain. Fortunately, it was revived in 2012 albeit in a different form. It is now called the Contextual Targeting Tool (CTT) and it can be found inside Google AdWords. The new tool is powered by the same engine though the interface is decidedly less graphical.
Video Link:
Wonder wheel –