How to use Google Trends for SEO: A comprehensive guide 2023

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Google Trends is a free tool that allows you to explore what people are searching for on Google Throughout the world…You can use it to discover trending topics, compare keywords, google keyword planner, analyze regional and seasonal variations, and more. In this guide, we will show you how to use Google Trends for SEO in a step-by-step manner.

What is Google Trends?

Have you heard of Google Trends? It’s a helpful website that lets you see how popular a keyword or topic is based on the number of searches it receives on Google. You simply enter your keyword or issue in the search box, and you can see how its interest has changed from 2004 up until now. You can even filter the results by country, category, time range, and search type (web, image, news, shopping, or YouTube). Here’s what it looks like:

When using Google Trends to search for a keyword or topic, the score displayed is not the actual number of searches, but rather a normalized score between 0 and 100. A score of 100 indicates the highest level of popularity for that term. For instance, searching for “iPhone” on Google Trends shows a score of 100 in September 2023, which was when the iPhone 15 series was released. This means that “iPhone” had the most searches compared to other times

Google Trends also shows you related queries and topics that are rising or top in popularity. Rising queries and topics are those that have seen a significant increase in interest over a given time period. Top queries and topics are those that have the highest popularity for a given time period. You can use these insights to find new keywords, content ideas, and niche opportunities.

In this article, we will guide you on how to use Google Trends for SEO to enhance your content strategy. We will cover five practical ways to leverage it, including:

• Research trending topics
• Recognizing seasonal trends
• Identify relevant keywords
• Track your competition
• Refining your SEO strategy

Let’s explore these techniques and how to use Google Trends for SEO in detail.

How to use Google Trends for SEO

Google Trends can help you with various aspects of SEO, such as keyword research, content creation, competitor analysis, and local SEO. Here are some ways you can learn how to use Google Trends for SEO.

Research Trending Topics

One of the main benefits of Google Trends is that it can help you find out what topics are trending in your niche, industry, or location. This can give you ideas for creating timely and engaging content that attracts more traffic and attention.

To research trending topics, you can use the following features of Google Trends:

• Explore: With this feature, you can input any topic, keyword, or query to observe its popularity changes over time and regions. Additionally, you have the option to compare up to five terms and filter by categories, countries, time ranges, and search types such as web, image, news, shopping, or YouTube.

• Trending Searches: This feature displays the top searches on Google based on daily and real-time trends. You can filter the results by country or category, including business, entertainment, and sports.

• Year in Search: To access Year in Search, click on the Google Trends tab. This feature shows you the top searches of the year in various categories and countries. You can also see the top searches of previous years and how they have evolved over time.

By using these features, you can find out what topics are currently in demand, what topics are evergreen, and what topics are emerging or declining. You can then use this information to create content that matches the interests and needs of your audience.

Recognize Seasonal Trends

Google Trends provides a valuable advantage by identifying seasonal trends in your niche or industry. Seasonal trends refer to the search patterns that fluctuate based on the time of the year, including holidays, events, weather, and more.

Planning your content calendar ahead of time and optimizing it for specific periods or occasions can help you capitalize on seasonal trends. This can increase your traffic and conversions during peak seasons and ensure that you don’t miss out on any opportunities.

To begin, input a keyword and press enter. For this example, let’s use “iPhone 15”.

To recognize seasonal trends, you can use the following features of Google Trends:

• Time Range: You can adjust the time period for which you want to see search trends using the Time Range feature. You have the option to choose from predefined time periods such as past hour, past day, past week, past month, past year, etc. If you prefer, you can also customize your own time range. Additionally, you can compare different time ranges to see how the trends have changed over time.
• Seasonality Filter: You can filter search trends by seasonality with this feature. You have four options to choose from: all seasons (no filter), rising (popular searches that have increased significantly), falling (popular searches that have decreased significantly), or breakout (popular searches that have grown by more than 5000%).
• Related Queries: This function displays the search terms that are associated with your chosen topic or keyword. You have the option to view the most popular queries or the ones that are rapidly gaining popularity. Additionally, you can observe how these queries differ in various regions and timeframes.

By using these features, you can identify the seasonal patterns of search behavior in your niche or industry. You can then use this information to create content that anticipates and satisfies the seasonal demand of your audience.

Identify Relevant Keywords

One of the advantages of utilizing Google Trends is that it can assist in identifying appropriate keywords for your particular topic or niche. Keywords are the words or phrases that individuals use to search for information on search engines. They are crucial for search engine optimization (SEO) as they aid in attaining a higher ranking on search results and attract more natural traffic to your website.

To identify relevant keywords, you can use the following features of Google Trends:

• Related Topics: This feature displays topics related to your topic or keyword. You can view the top topics, which are the most popular ones, or the rising topics that have recently gained popularity. Additionally, you can observe how these topics vary by region and time range.
• Subregion: This feature displays the distribution of your topic or keyword across various subregions in a country. It allows you to identify the subregions with the highest or lowest interest in your topic or keyword. Additionally, you can compare different subregions to determine how they differ in their search behavior.
• Search Type: You have the option to switch between different types of searches when looking at trends. The default is a web search, but you can also choose to look at trends in image searches, news searches, shopping searches, or YouTube searches. Additionally, you can compare the popularity and relevance of these different types of searches.

Through the utilization of these features, you can discover which keywords are associated with your topic or niche, identify popular or emerging keywords in your target market, and determine the appropriate keywords for various types of content. Armed with this information, you can optimize your content to include the most pertinent and impactful keywords.

Track Your Competition

One of the advantages of using Google Trends is that it allows you to monitor your competitors within your specific niche or industry. Competitors are websites or businesses that provide similar products, services, or information as your own. This is crucial for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) as it can impact your ranking and visibility on search results, as well as your ability to attract and keep customers.

To track your competition, you can use the following features of Google Trends:

• Compare: This feature allows you to compare up to five topics, keywords, or queries and see how they differ in their popularity and trends. You can also compare different categories, countries, time ranges, and search types. This can help you see how you stack up against your competitors and identify their strengths and weaknesses.

• Interest by Region: This feature shows you how your topic or keyword is distributed across different regions within a country or across the world. You can see which regions have the highest or lowest interest in your topic or keyword. You can also compare different regions to see how they differ in their search behavior. This can help you see where your competitors are more or less popular and where you have more or less potential customers.

• Related Queries: This feature shows you the queries that are related to your topic or keyword. You can see the top queries (the most popular ones) or the rising queries (the ones that have increased the most in popularity). You can also see how these queries vary by region and time range. This can help you see what questions or problems your competitors are addressing and what opportunities or gaps they are leaving.

By using these features, you can monitor your competition in your niche or industry and learn from their successes and failures. You can then use this information to improve your competitive advantage and differentiate yourself from your rivals.

Refine Your SEO Strategy

A fifth benefit of Google Trends is that it can help you refine your SEO strategy for your niche or industry. SEO strategy is the plan and actions that you take to improve your ranking and visibility on search results and drive more organic traffic to your website. It involves creating and optimizing content, building links, analyzing performance, and making adjustments.

To refine your SEO strategy, you can use the following features of Google Trends:

• Export: This feature allows you to export the data from Google Trends into a CSV file that you can download or open in a spreadsheet program. You can then manipulate, analyze, and visualize the data in various ways to gain more insights and make better decisions.
• Embed: This feature allows you to embed the charts from Google Trends into your own website or blog. You can then share the charts with your audience, clients, or partners to showcase your findings and recommendations.
• Subscribe: This feature allows you to subscribe to email alerts from Google Trends for any topic, keyword, or query that you are interested in. You can then receive regular updates on the latest trends and changes in your niche or industry.

By using these features, you can leverage the data from Google Trends to enhance your SEO strategy for your niche or industry. You can then implement the best practices and tactics to achieve your SEO goals and objectives.

Conclusion

Google Trends is an incredibly useful tool for improving your SEO efforts. It assists you in researching popular topics, recognizing seasonal trends, identifying relevant keywords, keeping an eye on your competitors, and refining your SEO strategy. By utilizing Google Trends in an efficient manner, you can generate more pertinent and captivating content, reach a larger audience, and bolster your online presence and credibility.

I hope this article has helped you understand how to use Google Trends for SEO. If you have any questions or feedback, please let me know in the comments below.

Thank you for reading! MMO Team

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