This guide delves into advanced strategies for harnessing Google Trends to gain valuable insights into user search behavior, enhancing your SEO and content planning efforts.

Google Trends, a tool by Google, provides valuable information for SEO and content creation. From up-to-the-minute search trends to related queries and category insights, Google Trends equips marketers with numerous opportunities to fine-tune their strategies for enhanced performance. This article is a guide to Google Trends, encompassing everything you need to utilize it effectively for SEO and content marketing.

In the following sections, you’ll gain an understanding of what Google Trends is, how it distinguishes itself from other keyword tools, and discover various techniques to maximize its potential. These insights will help boost your website traffic and gain a competitive edge. Let’s dive in.

 

What Exactly Is Google Trends?

 

Google Trends is a tool designed to analyze search queries, showcasing search patterns over a specific timeframe through graphical representations.

It allows users to compare and contrast up to five keyword search terms and fine-tune the results by specifying geographic Location, topic, time frame, and search category (image, news, shopping, and video).

You have four distinct options to personalize the keyword data:

1. Geographic Location (individual countries or worldwide).
2. Topic Categories (25 categories or all categories at once).
3. Search Surfaces (image, news, shopping, YouTube).
4. Time.

 

Time-Based Data Segmentation

 

Keyword search trends can be analyzed through eight distinct time settings:

1. The last hour.
2. The past four hours.
3. The past day.
4. The past seven days.
5. The past 30 days.
6. The past 90 days.
7. The past five years.
8. From 2004 to the present.

 

How Is Google Trends Data Distinct from Keyword Search Volumes?

 

Google Trends sets itself apart from third-party keyword research tools by using a different approach to data presentation. Instead of providing exact keyword search volume numbers, it displays search query information in percentages, ranging from 0 to 100.

While third-party paid SEO tools do offer keyword volume estimates, it’s important to note that these are approximations. Typically, third-party reporting tools acquire data from external providers and generate statistical estimates based on this data. These data providers are often software companies that aggregate anonymous search data from their users.

In contrast, Google Trends sources its data directly from a sample of Google’s real search data, making it the most precise source of keyword search data available. Google Trends uses sampling because the actual volume of data is immense, numbering in the billions and presenting logistical challenges for direct processing.

However, Google assures that the sampling method reliably represents actual search volume. Google explains:

“While Google Trends utilizes only a sample of Google searches, it remains sufficient due to the immense volume of daily searches. Providing access to the entire dataset would be impractical for quick processing. By employing data sampling, we can analyze a dataset that accurately reflects all Google searches, allowing us to extract insights within minutes of real-world events.”

Although Google Trends doesn’t furnish exact keyword volume data, it does offer keyword volume data presented as a percentage, where 100% signifies the highest level of traffic within the specified time frame.

The percentage data can be cross-referenced with keywords that have known search volumes.

To obtain known search volumes, you can select keyword phrases from Google’s trending searches report, and this report can be customized to specific geographic regions.

Consequently, by comparing keywords from the trending searches report to those without known search volumes, you can gain an accurate portrayal of actual keyword volume.

 

How to Discover Trending Topics on Google Trends

 

You can uncover trending searches in two ways: by visiting Google’s ‘trending now’ webpage and by using the Google Trends Explore tool.

Trending Now

The ‘Trending Now’ feature presents the top twenty daily search trends for the present day. These trends are categorized into:

1. Business.
2. Entertainment.
3. Health.
4. Sci/Tech.
5. Sports.
6. Top Stories.

‘Trending Now’ showcases genuinely popular and trending keywords, and the selection of these keywords is determined by the Google Trends algorithm.

Exploring Google Trends Over Time

The Explore Google Trends tool is the alternative method for identifying trending keywords. Adjust the time period to a recent range.

For exploring trending searches, consider selecting from the following time periods:

1. The last hour.
2. The past four hours.
3. The past day.
4. The past seven days

 

Utilizing Google Trends for SEO and Marketing

 

Numerous methods exist to leverage the diverse filters to extract valuable search query data. Google Trends can also serve as a resource for uncovering fresh keyword phrases to incorporate into your strategy.

1. Utilize Google Trends Search Operators

Google Trends responds to specific search operators that alter the displayed data. There are four key search operators to consider:

a. Quotation Marks: ” “

• Usage: “keyword1 keyword2”
• This displays keyword data for an exact match of the specified keywords in the precise order enclosed within the quotation marks. The example provided exclusively shows data for ‘keyword1 keyword2.’

b. Plus Sign: +

• Usage: keyword1 + keyword2
• This reveals keyword data for search phrases that include either of the two keywords. The above example presents data for ‘keyword1’ or ‘keyword2.’

c. Minus Sign: –

• Usage: keyword1 – keyword2
• This exhibits searches for keyword phrases containing the given keyword while excluding phrases containing the keyword marked with the minus Sign. The given example displays results for all keyword phrases containing ‘keyword1’ but not including ‘keyword2.’

d. No Search Operators

• Usage: keyword1 keyword2
• Using no search operators demonstrates search interest in keyword phrases containing the specified keywords in any order.

2. Uncover Insights from Time-Based Trends

When examining keyword data, you can approach it from two broad perspectives: spanning extended periods or delving into search interest over shorter intervals.

A. Long-Term Trends

You can configure Google Trends to display traffic trends dating back to 2004, providing valuable insights into audience trends:

• Upward Long-Term Trends: A consistent upward trend suggests prioritizing content creation related to that trend.
• Downward Long-Term Trends: A steady decline in the trend line may signify changes in audience content consumption.
• Regular Spikes: Spikes in searches occurring at regular intervals might indicate seasonal patterns in search queries.”

This version maintains the information while offering a more structured and clear presentation.

3. Exploring Related Topics and Queries

Google Trends offers two valuable features: ‘ related topics’ and ‘related queries.’ As per Google’s description:

Related Topics:

Users finding for your term also searched for these topics.

You can see by the following metrics:

Top – The most popular topics, with scoring on a relative scale where a value of 100 represents the most commonly searched topic, and a value of 50 denotes a topic searched half as often as the most known term, and so forth.

Rising: Related topics are experiencing the most increase in search frequency since the last time.

Results marked ‘Breakout’ indicate a substantial surge, often because these topics are new and previously had few (if any) searches.

4. Leveraging Short-Term Trends for Significant Traffic

Examining keyword trends over shorter intervals, such as the 90-day or 30-day perspectives, can unveil valuable insights for capitalizing on swiftly evolving search trends.

Abundant traffic can be found in both Google Discover and Google News.

• Google Discover showcases websites covering topics aligned with user interests, typically highlighting recently published content and featuring evergreen material.
• Google News focuses on current events, providing up-to-the-minute news coverage.

Websites targeting traffic from either of these channels greatly benefit from staying informed about short-term trends. Moreover, observing short-term trends (30 days and 90 days) can reveal specific days of the week when these searches peak in popularity.

5. Categorizing Keywords

Google Trends offers the option to filter keyword search queries by category topics. The ‘Categories’ tab is crucial in fine-tuning your keyword research to align with the proper context.

For instance, if your keyword focus is on ‘automobiles,’ it’s essential to narrow down Google Trends to display data that pertains specifically to the automotive context. You may select the ‘Shopping’ or ‘Autos & Vehicles’ category in this case.

By categorizing Google Trends data, you can access more precise information related to the topics you’re investigating for content, ensuring that it aligns with the appropriate context.

6. Utilize Geographic Insights for Keyword Data

Leveraging Google Trends’ geographic data for keywords can be instrumental in pinpointing ideal areas for site promotion or tailoring content to specific regions.

For instance, if particular products gain popularity in Washington D.C. and Texas, it becomes logical to concentrate promotional efforts and localized content creation in those regions. Prioritizing link-building activities in these areas can be especially beneficial, given the heightened interest in these parts of the country.

Keyword popularity insights by region hold significance in various aspects, including link building, content development, content promotion, and pay-per-click campaigns.

Localizing and promoting content can enhance its relevance to individuals interested in the subject matter or product. Google’s page rankings are determined by relevance, so integrating geographical nuances into your content can boost its ranking for a broader audience.

7. Align with Search Intent Using Search Types

Google Trends empowers you to enhance your keyword data by categorizing it based on the source or type of search.

Segmenting your Google Trends research by search type is a valuable step in eliminating any ‘noise’ that could be obscuring your keyword research, ultimately leading to more precise and meaningful results.

The following search types can categorize Google Trends data:

1. Google Shopping.
2. Image search.
3. News search.
4. Web search.
5. YouTube search.

 

Unleash the Potential of Google Trends for SEO

 

Google Trends provides a wealth of insights into user search behavior, making it a valuable tool for SEO and content planning.

While there might be a slight learning curve, mastering it is achievable and not overly challenging. Dive into Google Trends to gain deeper insights into how your target audiences are conducting their searches.

If you ever find Google Trends too complex or bewildering, consider exploring our monthly SEO packages, where our experts can handle the intricacies on your behalf.