Google Trends: What Is It And How To Use It

By Maulik Patel

27 Jan 2025

In the fast-paced world of digital marketing, staying ahead of trends is essential for businesses seeking to expand their online presence. One powerful yet often underutilised tool is Google Trends. By tapping into this tool, businesses can uncover valuable insights into what users are searching for, allowing them to adjust their strategies and content for maximum impact. Whether you’re looking to refine your local SEO strategy or simply want to stay on top of Google search trends, Google Trends offers a wealth of data to drive better decision-making and results.

This guide will explore what Google Trends is, how to use it, and 7 ways to leverage it to enhance your marketing strategies. Along the way, we’ll break down the key features of this tool and discuss how you can apply them to elevate your SEO efforts, whether you’re a local business in Google Trends Australia or a digital marketer looking to take advantage of trending keywords.

What is Google Trends?

At its core, Google Trends is a free tool provided by Google that allows users to explore the popularity of search terms over time. This tool aggregates search data from around the globe, providing real-time insights into the volume and interest surrounding specific keywords. What makes it so powerful is its ability to visualise trends, compare different terms, and even identify emerging topics before they become mainstream.

The platform provides data on search queries, their volume, and regional interest, allowing users to tailor their content and marketing strategies to align with the interests of their target audience. Whether you’re trying to track global trends or analyse Google Trends for SEO within a specific market, the tool offers detailed and actionable information.

How to Use Google Trends?

Using Google Trends is straightforward, but the potential applications are vast. Here’s a step-by-step guide to getting started:

1. Accessing Google Trends: Simply go to the Google Trends website and type in a search term. From there, you can adjust the timeframe, location, and category to fine-tune the results to your needs.

2. Selecting a Search Term: When searching for keywords, you’ll be presented with a graph showing the interest over time. You can compare up to five search terms at once, making it easy to identify the most popular or trending topics.

3. Analysing Data: Google Trends provides various charts and graphs showing how search interest fluctuates over time. Pay attention to spikes in interest, as they often correlate with events or trends that could be valuable to your business.

4. Refining Results: Google Trends allows you to filter results by country, region, and even city. This is especially useful when analysing local SEO strategies or tailoring content to a specific geographic area.

7 Ways to Use Google Trends to Improve Your Marketing

1. Conduct Keyword Research

Keyword research is the foundation of any successful SEO strategy. Google Trends can significantly streamline this process by showing the relative popularity of various keywords. Whether you’re creating blog content or optimising your product descriptions, you can use the tool to identify which keywords are trending in your industry.

For example, if you’re an SEO agency in Perth looking to expand your client base, you can monitor local trends in the area to identify emerging keywords that align with your clients’ needs. This insight will help you create content that resonates with your audience, boosting your SEO efforts.

2. Develop Topic Clusters

Google Trends doesn’t just provide data on individual keywords; it also reveals the broader context in which those keywords are searched. This makes it a powerful tool for developing topic clusters. By identifying related terms people are searching for, you can organise your content around a core subject and create multiple pieces covering related angles.

For example, if you notice that “sustainable fashion” is trending alongside “eco-friendly clothing,” you can create a series of blog posts, videos, or guides that explore different aspects of sustainable fashion. This will create a more comprehensive and valuable resource for your audience.

3. Boost Your YouTube SEO

If YouTube is part of your content strategy, Google Trends can be an invaluable resource for boosting your YouTube SEO. The tool allows you to identify the most searched terms on the platform, which you can then use to optimise your video titles, descriptions, and tags. This helps increase visibility and engagement with your target audience.

By monitoring Google Trends Australia, for instance, you can learn about local search patterns and create videos tailored to regional preferences. This will give your content a better chance of ranking higher in local search results.

4. Refine Your Local SEO Approach

For businesses targeting a specific geographical location, refining your local SEO strategy is crucial. Google Trends offers regional insights that help you understand how search interest fluctuates in different areas. By analysing trends in your city or state, you can tailor your content to match local interests and improve your visibility in local search results.

For example, a small business in Perth could discover a growing interest in a particular local event or service. By optimising content around that trend, they could capture more local traffic and attract customers looking for related services or products.

5. Leverage Seasonal Trends

Another way to use Google Trends effectively is by identifying seasonal trends. Certain products or services experience surges in demand at specific times of the year, and Google Trends helps you spot these patterns before they happen. For instance, if you notice a spike in searches for “Christmas gifts” starting in late October, you can plan your seasonal marketing campaign in advance.

This can also be valuable for planning promotions or sales around peak shopping seasons, ensuring your business is well-prepared for heightened demand. By leveraging Google Trends, you can strategically time your campaigns to maximise visibility and conversions.

6. Tap into Trending Topics for Social Media Content

Social media platforms thrive on the latest trends, and using Google Trends can help you tap into what’s hot right now. By staying on top of emerging search trends, you can create relevant, timely content that resonates with your audience. Whether it’s a viral hashtag or a breaking news event, Google Trends helps you identify these moments and create content that leverages them.

For example, if you run a travel business and see that a particular destination is trending, you could quickly post about it on your social media channels to attract interest and engagement. Timely content that taps into trending topics has a much higher chance of going viral.

7. Monitor How You Stack Up Against Your Competitors

Google Trends isn’t just a tool for analysing what people are searching for; it can also help you monitor your competition. By comparing search terms related to your brand and your competitors, you can gain insights into how you stack up in terms of online interest.

If you run an SEO agency, you can use Google Trends to monitor how often people search for your business name versus your competitors. This information can inform your marketing strategies, helping you determine whether your brand awareness is growing or if you need to adjust your approach.

Final Thoughts

Google Trends is a powerful tool that offers a wealth of data to help you make informed decisions about your marketing and SEO strategies. From identifying trending keywords to monitoring your brand’s performance against competitors, Google Trends provides actionable insights that can drive more targeted and effective marketing efforts.

Conclusion:

By leveraging the tool in the ways outlined above, you can stay ahead of the curve, refine your local SEO strategy, and produce content that aligns with your audience’s current interests. Whether you’re an SEO agency in Perth or a business owner looking to expand your reach, Google Trends can help you navigate the online search and emerge with a competitive edge.

So, dive into Google Trends, experiment with its features, and start reaping the benefits of this invaluable tool today!