A lot of small business owners are under the false impression that if they want to rank high in Google’s results, then they must invest heavily in SEO. But, that’s not necessarily true.
Here’s the problem with this assumption: while your results may skyrocket when you pour money into your campaigns, they will stop the moment you stop funding. What you need instead is a way to generate long-term results without draining the company’s budget.
That’s where Google Trends might come in handy.
We know, Google Trends is usually not the first tool that comes to mind. But, you are missing on a huge opportunity by ignoring it.
Here’s why and how you can leverage this tool to improve your SEO efforts.
First Things First, What Is Google Trends?
If you are serious about SEO, then you know that Google Keyword Planner is vital for helping you find specific keywords related to your niche. Not only that, but this tool can also help you identify the average monthly search volume for those keywords, the difficulty levels, the suggested bid, and so on.
But there is one thing you can’t do with Google Keyword Planner – finding high-volume keywords that are trending before they show up in the Planner tool.
How to Use Google Trends
The great thing about Google Trends is that you don’t have to be the best SEO agency or expert to learn how to use it. The interface is so straightforward that even a novice can find his way around without any help. All you have to do is to input the keywords you want to explore and hit enter.
You will then get several options to choose from, which will help narrow down your target audience until you find the right data. For example, you can filter the search by:
- Geographical Interest: If you choose the Worldwide setting, for example, you will be able to target a specific geographic market. Therefore, when you enter the keyword “anti wrinkle hand cream,” you can see where it peaks at different times, or where it has a stable growth.
- Timeline: This option lets you choose a specific interval in which you’ll see the evolution of trends over time. It is better to use different time selections to get a broader view. That way you can compare the long-term vs. the short-term trends.
- Category: Make sure to choose the category that suits your business best. However, if you want to get an idea of what the trends are in a related category, you can do so by choosing more than one segment at once.
- Search Type: This option lets you choose between image search, news, shopping and YouTube search. For example, if you want to make a video for YouTube about “organic coffee,” you can find related trends and compare their evolution over time.
Maybe one of the most powerful features Google Trends has to offer is the Related Query section. Here you can find all the related search strings variations for your keywords as well as data regarding their volume. By using this function, you increase your chances of finding untapped keywords that may not pop up in Google Keyword Planner.
Google Trends Pro Tips:
- Context Is Important: Don’t begin searching for trends without using the Compare feature. Run the same query over different locations, time intervals or search types. For example, you may miss seasonal trends if you are looking for wedding-related queries during winter.
- Make Use of Top Charts: Let’s face it – writing evergreen content is no easy task. Trending headlines, on the other hand, have a great potential to drive traffic to your website and boost your search ranking. That’s not to say that you should focus on this tactic exclusively. But, you can use it from time to time to give your SEO efforts, a boost.
If there’s one thing that you should learn from this article is that sometimes, the best tools are just a few clicks away. Google Trends allows you to explore unique keyword ideas, leverage trends in your niche, and create content that can draw in visits and get the ball rolling.