The data industry has grown significantly in the past few years. In fact, between 2018 and 2022, the industry had an astounding 62% increase in revenue generation.
This goes to show how critical data is in our world. If you are making any marketing or SEO decisions without relying on data, then you are definitely doing something wrong.
Fortunately, you don’t have to break the bank to access meaningful data for optimization purposes. You could use a free tool like Google Trends for SEO.
But what is Google Trends, and how can it help your website perform better on SERPs?
These are the 10 effective ways to use Google trends for SEO:
- Keyword research
- Find related keywords
- Find breakout keywords
- Find related topics
- Conduct local searches
- Predict trends
- Optimize your YouTube content
- Do comparative analysis
- Find LSIs
- Always keep context in mind
Continue reading on to learn more about them.
What is Google Trends?
Google Trends is a free data analysis tool provided by Google that shows how many searches have been performed for particular keywords and topics.
Using this search volume data, content creators can organize their content around topics and keywords that the public is generally highly interested in.
10 Ways to Use Google Trends for SEO
On the face of it, Google Trends seems straightforward to use, but many marketers miss out on some of the less-than-obvious features the tool offers.
Well, here is how to take full advantage of everything that Google Trends offers to boost your SEO.
Keyword Research
One cannot overemphasize the importance of keywords to any web page. After all, they are Google’s primary indicator of the content of your page and hence a weighty ranking factor.
According to Backlinko:
But using keywords contextually and in the right proportions can be SEO gold.
So, how can you use Google Trends for keyword research? The first step is to search on Google Trends’ search box for the keyword you already have in mind, then find out how popular it is.
Google Trends not only shows you the current popularity of a specific keyword, but it can also show you how that keyword has performed over the past years.
You can expand your search period to as far back as 2004 to see how much interest your preferred keyword has garnered over the years.
If you are only starting your business, this tool can be invaluable in choosing what products to sell and where to sell them.
For bloggers and content creators, this tool can help you determine which keywords to focus on in your content to rank well.
The tool can also help you avoid keywords whose popularity is dwindling, as these won’t be beneficial to your SEO.
For instance, writing an article on Venus Swimwear in August 2022 might not be the best idea from this graph.
Find Related Keywords
Another way to use Google Trends for SEO is to find keywords related to your preferred keywords and compare their popularity to yours. You will find the related keywords by scrolling past your search results to the “Related Queries” table.
You can use the related keywords as your secondary keywords, or you could also make them your primary keyword if they are performing spectacularly.
You can also click the rising button to see the growing keywords and how much they have grown. This will help you make a more informed decision regarding how to use your keywords.
Find Breakout Keywords
Sometimes, Google labels some keywords as breakout keywords rather than showing their popularity by percentage.
These are keywords that have grown by over 5000% over a set period.
In short, interest in these keywords has blown up. They are going viral.
For instance, the 2021-22 NHL season is a breakout keyword in this image.
The intense interest in the keywords often wanes after a while, and most of them will be volatile fads.
But once in a while, you will come across a breakout keyword that stays on top for a considerable time.
If you do, you want to be the first to write a comprehensive blog post or create a good video about it.
This will keep you ahead of the competition by far. By the time your competitors discover that there is a trending topic they need to write about, you will be ranking at the top for that keyword.
And even if the keyword proves to be just another fad that lasts a couple of days, you will have attracted attention to your site and increased its visibility.
However, it is inadvisable to base your entire business or website on a breakout keyword.
This is because you cannot gauge its reliability comprehensively. The last thing you want is a store full of products that have gone out of style or a blog that no one ever reads.
Find Related Topics
You can also use Google Trends to find topics related to your keyword search. Unlike keywords which tend to be ultra-specific, topics cover a wide range of issues.
You can use the results from the “Related Topics” table to find an area around which to center your content. This tool will come in handy if you often have trouble generating ideas for your content.
You can also use the Rising Search function to find the growing topics or the Top Search function to find topics that have done consistently well over the years.
Conduct Local Searches
One of Google Trends’ most powerful features is the “Search by Location” function.
As any seasoned marketer knows, it is not enough to get your content out there: you must get it in front of the right eyeballs for better results.
Suppose you are selling swimwear. It wouldn’t make much sense to market your swimming costumes in December to parts of the United States that experience harsh winters, would it?
You can use this “Search by Location” feature on the Google Trends tool to determine which regions need your product and when the product is in the highest demand.
You can then tailor your marketing techniques to geographic locations that already show interest in your product.
For instance, having a massive sale for your beach umbrellas in Delaware during the summer makes good business sense per this graph.
Since demand for this product skyrockets in this state during the summer, a sale will help distinguish you from your competition, leading to a high position in the SERPs.
Predict Trends
It is not enough to know how interest in your products or content fluctuates throughout the year or years: you can use the data from Google Trends to predict how the market will behave in the next few months.
That way, you can lay the groundwork to take advantage of opportunities before your competitors.
For instance, you can use your informed predictions from Google Trends for SEO business to create in-demand content that is currently scarce.
By the time other content creators start supplying this content, yours will already be ranking high on SERPs.
You can also use Google Trends to position your brand based on cyclical trends.
If you know that interest in trips to the Caribbean peak in the summer, you can create articles about what to expect on a Caribbean Cruise and post them right about the peak travel duration to the Caribbean.
Optimize Your YouTube Content
Many Google Trends users don’t use the five search options available, which is a costly mistake. These options are:
- Web Search
- YouTube Search
- News Search
- Image Search
- Shopping Search
You will find that content that ranks highly on web searches may perform dismally on YouTube searches, and vice versa.
Usually, topics that teach users how to do things, like tutorials, thrive on YouTube. So, if your content is about instruction and teaching, you might want to create videos rather than write about it.
Do Comparative Analysis
You can also use Google Trends’ Compare Feature to determine where you stand in your industry. The compare button compares the top five search terms to show who is winning.
Using this feature, you could re-assess your content to find out how it differs from the leaders in your industry and what you can do to reach the top rank on SERPs.
You can also use the data from this function to understand why users prefer certain brands to others.
Used well, this information can give you a competitive edge, making it easier for you to do well on search engine results.
Find LSIs
Another way you can use Google Trends for SEO is to find LSIs or Latent Semantic Index keywords.
LSIs are words that are closely related to your topic and which have been generating interest around your subject. You can add them to your content where they make sense to improve your rank.
Always Keep Context in Mind
Like many other data analysis tools, Google Trends is highly relativistic. This means you shouldn’t take a narrow approach to using the tool.
Just because a keyword pops up as the highest sought doesn’t mean it is the best. It would be best to inquire further into its viability as the keyword for your content or product.
When analyzing data from Google Trends, you should ask yourself:
- How has this keyword been performing over the years? Does it peak during certain seasons, then plummet for the rest of the year?
- In which locations does the interest for this keyword seem to be highest?
- Does interest in the keyword vary across multiple media forms, such as text, videos, and images?
A holistic approach will help you make a truly informed decision about a keyword and ultimately help you rise through the search engine ranks.
Conclusion
Using Google Trends for SEO is a skill every digital marketer should master.
You can use the tool to analyze large volumes of data across multiple geographical locations and leverage the information to increase your brand’s visibility.
The tool is free and relatively easy to use. Just follow the hacks shared in this post and watch the tool boost your rankings tremendously.