Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is about improving your site for search engines. It involves several modifications to different parts of your website, all aimed at enhancing the user experience and improving your website’s performance in organic search results. In this digital era, where search engines like Google have a massive role in helping users discover your content, understanding how to use tools like Google Trends for SEO becomes crucial.
Google Trends is a free tool provided by Google that gives data and graphs on the popularity of specific searches on Google and YouTube over time. This tool was first launched in 2006. Google Trends has become a reliable tool for SEO professionals and marketers to track trending keywords, find related keywords, identify local search trends, and more.
Best Practices for Using Google Trends for SEO
1. Identifying Search Volume Trends
Google Trends allows you to monitor the search volume of specific keywords over time. This functionality is beneficial in two significant ways. Firstly, it helps in identifying keywords that are becoming increasingly popular, allowing you to create content around these trending keywords. Secondly, it can aid in avoiding keywords that are declining in popularity. Google Trends can show you if a keyword is fading quickly, suggesting that focusing on another keyword might be more beneficial.
2. Recognizing Seasonal Keywords
Expanding the timeline on Google Trends to the last 2-3 years rather than the default previous 12 months helps differentiate between trends and fads. This approach also assists in spotting seasonal keywords that might appear trending when viewed over a shorter duration but have noticeable spikes at certain times of the year.
3. Discovering Related and “Breakout” Keywords
Google Trends can be used to find new, trending keywords closely related to your search query. These are often identified under the “Related queries” table and can show the exact percentage of search volume increase for these terms. Another feature to look out for is “breakout” keywords. Google marks any search term growing more than 5000% as “breakout,” indicating a massive surge in popularity. These keywords often have lower competition, allowing you to gain a foothold on Google’s first page before the keyword goes mainstream.
4. Using Google Trends for Content Ideas
Google Trends can also uncover related topics for blog and video content. It presents a table next to “Related queries” called “Related topics,” which shows broad topics people search for that Google considers closely related to the term you typed. These topics can inspire a series of blog posts, videos, or social media posts.
5. Local Search Trends and YouTube Videos
Google Trends isn’t just limited to Google’s search engine. It’s also an excellent tool for YouTube keyword research. You can switch from “Web Search” to “YouTube Search” to see whether a keyword is trending on YouTube. For local businesses, the “Interest by subregion” feature can show how a keyword’s trend varies in different states, cities, and subregions, aiding in local SEO efforts.
6. Discovering New Keyword Ideas
The “Trending Searches” feature in Google Trends shows real-time data for searches that have spiked over the last 24 hours, providing entirely new keyword ideas to consider.
7. Find Keywords for YouTube Videos: Google Trends also allows you to conduct keyword research specifically for YouTube, helping you identify trending keywords for your video content.
Google Trends is a powerful tool from Google that provides data and graphs on the popularity of specific searches on both Google and YouTube. Launched in 2006, the most recent version of Google Trends was released in 2018. From an SEO standpoint, Google Trends is a goldmine of insights that can help shape your content strategy and improve your search engine optimization efforts.
