Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Dermatology
Date Submitted: Nov 12, 2020
Date Accepted: Apr 14, 2021
Analysis of Keywords Used in Internet Searches for Melanoma Information: Observational Study
ABSTRACT
Background:
The internet is a common resource for healthcare information.
Objective:
To describe the most frequently used keywords, questions, and corresponding websites in internet searches for melanoma.
Methods:
Observational study using data retrieved from Google Trends, Alexa Internet, SEMrush, Ahrefs, and SE Ranking for the keywords “melanoma” and “skin cancer”.
Results:
Average search interest as per Google Trends was greater for the keyword “skin cancer” than for the keyword “melanoma”. Searches for the top 25 keywords in 3 databases resulted in 34 unique melanoma keywords and 33 unique skin cancer keywords. Melanoma keywords were most frequently related to clinicopathologic classification (32.4%, n=11) and skin cancer keywords were most frequently about diagnosis (42.4%, n=14). Popular melanoma question searches were most commonly related to melanoma prognosis and skin cancer question searches were most commonly about diagnosis. The highest proportion of searches for popular melanoma and skin cancer keywords most frequently sent traffic to websites from non-profit organizations and media companies, respectively.
Conclusions:
We identified common keywords, questions, and websites used to access information about melanoma on the internet. These data may help healthcare providers and public health professionals when educating and counseling patients and the general public about skin cancer.
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