Google Trends
Google Trends is a Google service which represents the number of input keywords in a timeline and sets it in relation to the total search volume. The service is designed to reflect the interests of users and make a prognosis. Google Insights for Search are integrated into this service since 2012.
Functions
Google Trends provides the hottest searches for different countries and in different cities. The results can be sorted by country, city, and time period. For example, the searches for the term “SEO” within a specific month for Munich can be displayed. Moreover, you can select categories that fit to specific keywords. You can also set limitations to image search, news search, Google Shopping, and Youtube videos.
Google distinguishes between trends and trendy searches. If a keyword is entered and assigned to a category, the current trend can be different from the most common keyword entered. The time factor plays an important role here. Trends are derived and predicted based on the data which Google gets from executed search queries. These predictions are not to be confused with the absolute figures of the actual search queries, because they are set in relation to time.
The tool becomes more interesting when several search terms are displayed. You can determine correlations in order to put search volume and time periods in relation for frequent search terms. The abbreviation “SEO” is searched more often than search engine optimization by far and that is likely not going to change, because users prefer to enter short simple terms into the search field. And the interest in the keyword “SEO” will continue to be great in the future, if Google Trends’ forecast is correct.
Relevance to SEO
In addition to the most popular search queries or hot searches which highlight current trends, predictions can be very helpful. The question of whether the number of future searches for a specific term will increase or decrease, is relevant to the field of SEO. Keywords that no longer produce the necessary traffic under certain circumstances can be identified with Google Trends.
On the other hand, Keywords can be identified that may be searched frequently in the future. Thus you can adapt the keywording for your website, blog or online store to the most popular search queries in order to generate more traffic. However, you should only engage in this if the trends are thematically suitable to your content. The latter can, for example, be checked by entering relevant search terms in Google Trends and limitation to certain categories. Annual statistics of the most searched keywords are published at the end of the year, called Google Zeitgeist.