Google Trends is a free Google tool that shows how interest in a search term changes over time. Per Google, it provides a random sample of aggregated, anonymized and categorized Google and YouTube searches.
How does the data work?
Google Trends does not report search counts, according to Google’s description of the data. Each data point is divided by the total searches in that region and period and then scaled from 0 to 100, so the value 100 marks the highest relative interest in the chosen range. Google shows low-volume queries as 0 and removes repeated searches by the same person. The data includes small random noise, which shows most in terms with few searches.
Graphs for periods of 30 days or longer use UTC; shorter periods use your local time zone.
What is it used for in SEO?
- Comparing spelling variants or synonyms to see which one is more common.
- Finding seasonal patterns, which Google recommends doing to prioritize topics.
- Spotting growing topics through the “Rising” option in related queries and topics.
- Tracking interest in brands over time.
Semrush warns about two typical errors: reading a score of 100 as high volume, and mixing up a search term with a topic, which return different results.
Example
To decide between “rank tracker” and “rank tracking tool”, enter both terms in Google Trends and set the region and period. The curve with the higher line is the more commonly searched term, and a volume tool then adds absolute numbers.
FAQ
Does Google Trends show search volume? No. It shows relative interest, so it needs a volume tool for absolute numbers.
Sources
- Get started with Google Trends – Google Search Centraldevelopers.google.com
- How Trends data is adjusted – Google Trends Helpsupport.google.com
- How to use Google Trends for SEO – Semrushsemrush.com
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