For any content marketer, SEO specialist, or online business owner, understanding what people search for is a huge advantage.
Google Trends, a free tool, offers insights into current and past search behaviors, helping you create content that resonates with your audience. In this guide, we’ll explore what Google Trends is, why it’s important, and practical ways to use it effectively.
Let's dive in!
What is Google Trends?
Google Trends is a tool from Google that tracks search interest in specific topics, terms, or phrases over time. It shows search popularity on a scale from 0 to 100, with 100 representing peak interest for a given term.
Key features include:
- Search volume over time: This shows how interest in a topic has changed, which can indicate seasonal trends or lasting interest.
- Location-based insights: See where a term is most popular geographically, which is great for targeting audiences in specific regions.
- Comparison tool: Allows comparisons between multiple search terms, showing which is more popular.
- Trending searches: Provides insight into what’s popular right now, allowing you to jump on timely topics.
By using some or all of these Google Trends features, you can be more strategic, provide timely content to potential readers, and improve your traffic.
Here is a quick example of how Google Trends can help.
Suppose you’re creating content around wellness. By looking up “meditation,” you might notice a spike in searches in January (New Year’s resolutions), making it a great time to promote meditation-related content.
Why use Google Trends?
Google Trends helps you understand what people care about, making it easier to create relevant, engaging content.
Here’s why it’s a powerful tool for your content and SEO strategy:
1. Real-time insights
With Google Trends, you get current information about what people are searching for. This can help you respond to shifts in interest quickly.
Example: During the holiday season, searches for “gift ideas” soar. By tracking this in real-time, you can create timely content, like “Best last-minute holiday gift ideas.”
2. Seasonal and long-term trends
Google Trends helps you see if interest in a topic is stable, growing, or seasonal. This is valuable for content planning, KPI planning, and even setting up key business goals.
Example: “Pumpkin spice” searches tend to spike in the fall. Knowing this, you can time content like recipes or promotions in late September, right before interest peaks. Moreover, you’ll also know that this search doesn’t last for long. So when you see the inevitable month-over-month decline in traffic for related pages, you won’t panic.
3. Audience insights
Google Trends lets you view interest in a topic by region, helping you personalize content for different areas.
Example: Suppose you’re marketing hiking gear. By seeing that “hiking trails near me” searches are high in states like Colorado or California, you could tailor ads to these regions or create localized content.
4. Competitive research
Google Trends allows you to compare searches for competing terms, helping you understand where your audience’s interest lies.
Example: A coffee brand could compare searches for “cold brew coffee” vs. “iced coffee” to see which trend is rising, guiding decisions about which products to promote.
7 ways to use Google Trends
We shared a few scenarios—along with practical examples—of how Google Trends can be extremely useful for content and business strategies.
In this section, we now share actionable ways to make the most of Google Trends in your content and SEO strategies.
1. Identifying trending topics
Google Trends’ “Trending Searches” feature helps you find hot topics, allowing you to create timely, attention-grabbing content.
How to do it:
- Check the “Trending Searches” section daily or weekly.
- Look for topics that relate to your niche or audience and create content around them.
Example: If you run a health blog and see “plant-based diets” trending, you could write an article on “Top Tips for Starting a Plant-Based Diet.”
2. Keyword research and comparison
Google Trends is a great supplement to traditional keyword research tools. It shows if interest in a keyword is rising or falling and lets you compare keywords to choose the best option.
How to do it:
- Use the “Compare” feature to evaluate several keywords.
- Combine results with insights from tools like Ahrefs or Semrush.
Example: A tech blog comparing “smart home devices” vs. “home automation” may find that “smart home devices” has a steady upward trend, suggesting it may attract more readers.
3. Seasonal content planning
Seasonality can make a big difference in content success. By tracking seasonal trends, you can plan posts and promotions around peak interest times.
How to do it:
- Search for your topic, then adjust the timeframe to “Past 5 years” to see long-term seasonal patterns.
- Create a calendar marking key times to publish seasonal content.
Example: A travel site could track “ski resorts” and see a search spike every winter. By preparing content like “Top Ski Destinations” in November, it’s ready when interest peaks.
4. Regional targeting
Google Trends’ location data helps you see where a search term is popular, which is especially useful for local SEO or targeted marketing.
How to do it:
- Search your term and scroll to the “Interest by subregion” section.
- Use this data to create locally relevant content or to geo-target ads.
Example: An online store for fitness gear might see that “yoga mats” are highly searched in California. They could run region-specific ads or publish “Best Yoga Studios in California.”
5. Improving video and social media content
Video and social media platforms thrive on trending topics. Google Trends helps you see what’s trending, allowing you to create relevant content that gets more engagement.
How to do it:
- Check for trending topics that fit your brand.
- Create video content or social posts around these trends, using hashtags to increase visibility.
Example: If “home workout” is trending—like it did during COVID times when everyone was in lockdown—a fitness brand could post a series of workout videos on social media to keep the engagement and brand relevance going.
6. Competitor analysis
Comparing your brand to competitors on Google Trends can uncover areas where you’re strong or identify gaps in their strategy that you could fill.
How to do it:
- Use the “Compare” feature to look at your brand name vs. competitors.
- Look for gaps or opportunities, like a term they’re overlooking.
Example: A new coffee brand could compare its name with larger brands, like “Starbucks,” to see if there’s growing interest. They could then create content targeting that niche.
7. Testing brand health
Google Trends can be used to measure interest in your brand over time, helping you see if campaigns are driving increased searches or to assess your brand’s visibility.
How to do it:
- Search for your brand name to view its trend over time.
- Compare the trend before, during, and after a campaign to measure impact.
Example: A brand launching a new product could check Google Trends to see if search volume spikes around the product launch, indicating strong interest.
5 common mistakes to avoid when using Google Trends
Like any tool, Google Trends is most helpful when used correctly. Here are some common mistakes to watch for:
- Relying solely on Google Trends data: Trends data is helpful, but it doesn’t replace other comprehensive SEO and keyword research tools. Use it as a supplement, not your only source of insights.
- Ignoring regional variations: Trends vary significantly by region. If you’re targeting a specific audience, make sure to filter by location.
- Misinterpreting data spikes: Short-term spikes don’t necessarily indicate lasting interest. Avoid basing long-term strategies on quick surges in search interest.
- Overlooking seasonal relevance: Posting content about a seasonal topic at the wrong time can mean missing your audience. Use historical data to identify the best timing.
- Focusing on overly competitive trends: Jumping on broad or highly competitive trends can be tempting, but niche topics may drive more meaningful engagement.
3 practical tips for getting started with Google Trends
We hope you are now ready and well-equipped to dive into Google Trends.
In that case, here are 3 more practical parting tips to help you get started:
- Set up a regular check-in schedule: Review Google Trends weekly or monthly to stay updated on changes in your niche.
- Combine with other tools: As we mentioned earlier, use it alongside tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, or Semrush for deeper insights.
- Track and measure results: Monitor how content based on trends performs to refine your strategy over time.
Google Trends is a powerful tool that can give your content and SEO efforts a meaningful boost.
By understanding how to find and use trending topics, track seasonality, and conduct competitive analysis, you’ll have a steady flow of fresh content ideas and better insight into audience interests.
Give Google Trends a try and see how it can support your content goals. And if you run into any issues or questions, let us know. We’d also love to hear your Google Trends success stories if you have any.
