Google Trends

What Is Google Trends?

Google Trends is a free tool that shows you the popularity of search terms over time on Google and YouTube.

It’s helpful for understanding search behavior and optimizing content for traditional rankings and AI-generated answers.

Using Google Trends for SEO lets you:

• Identify trending topics and keywords
• Understand search demand
• Validate content ideas
• Research natural-language phrasing
• Assess seasonality
• Time your publishing for maximum impact

But it provides limited keyword data.

For example, instead of showing search volumes, Google Trends uses a 0-100 scale.

A score of 100 means that the term was at peak popularity during your selected time period.

(Not that it got 100 searches that month.)

A score of zero means there wasn’t enough data for the term.

You can filter results by location, time period, category, and search type:

• Web search
• Image search
• News search
• YouTube search
• Google Shopping

The “Trending Now” page shows you which topics are currently spiking by country and category.

Google Trends launched in 2006 and has been continually updated over the years.

In January 2026, Google integrated Gemini AI to automatically suggest related search terms and provide visual, color-coded trend comparisons.

How to Use Google Trends for SEO

The ideas below show you how to extract valuable insights from Google search trends.

Some focus on discovery, others on validation, and a few on timing.

Use them together to build a content strategy that captures demand before your competitors.

1. Assess Search Interest Trends Over Time

Understanding search interest trends tells you where to invest your content resources.

Google Trends makes this easy by revealing:

• Topics with steady interest: Reliable targets for evergreen content that drive consistent traffic month after month
• Topics with rising interest: Opportunities to create content early and establish authority before competition intensifies
• Topics with declining interest: Signals to avoid investing resources or to pivot to related topics that are growing

Here’s how it works:

Type any topic into the Google Trends search bar and click “Explore.”

For this example, I’ll use “ChatGPT.”

By default, Google Trends shows interest from the past 24 hours, which isn’t helpful if you’re assessing long-term demand.

Click the time-frame dropdown and switch to a longer window to spot patterns (e.g., 12 months, 5 years, or a custom range).

I selected a custom range to see how interest in ChatGPT has shifted since its launch.

You can also adjust the country by clicking the location dropdown:

As you can see, interest in this topic has remained strong in the United States:

This tells you two things:

• The topic has sustained long-term interest
• It’s worth creating (or updating) content around right now

Google Trends can also help you AVOID topics that are becoming less popular.

For example, let’s say you wanted to create a Perplexity AI review.

Well, according to Google Trends, that keyword has seen a recent decline in search interest.

The topic isn’t disappearing.

But if your resources are limited, you may want to prioritize a topic with more stable or upward movement.

2. Compare Search Terms to Identify the Strongest Opportunities

Single-term analysis only tells you half the story.

Comparing multiple related terms reveals which ones deserve your attention and which ones don’t.

If you’re using the Classic Explore page, click “+ Compare” and enter up to eight search terms.

Or:

If you have access to Gemini, click “Suggest search terms” in the upper right corner:

Type your topic into the search box that appears.

Since I want to compare ChatGPT with other similar platforms, I entered “AI tools.”

Click “Find search terms.”

The tool automatically adds eight popular AI tools for comparison:

Each term appears as a color-coded card with its own icon for easy tracking on the graph.

Review the graph comparison for the following:

• Highest peak score: Which topic has the highest search interest score for your time frame? Focus your content creation efforts here first.
• Sustained interest: Which topics maintain scores without major drops? These would make great topics for evergreen videos and written guides.
• Increasing demand: Have any topics in your niche recently spiked in interest? Even if the current score is lower than others, rising interest signals a topic gaining momentum. These are potential content opportunities with lower competition.

3. Find Related Topics to Build Topical Authority

When you cover a topic from every angle, you build topical authority.

This signals to search engines and AI systems that you’re an expert in the space, boosting your brand’s credibility.

Google Trends offers multiple ways to find related topics:

Start by searching for any topic on the Explore page, such as “houseplants.”

In the classic interface, scroll to “Related topics” and “Related queries.”

There, you’ll get ideas for related topics to expand your coverage.

Such as “cat safe houseplants” and “mites” — a common houseplant pest.

In Gemini, click “Suggest search terms,” enter your topic, and let it auto-generate suggestions.

For example, searching “houseplants” in Gemini surfaces specific plant types like “Succulent plant,” “Monstera,” and “Peace lily.”

But the real value is in the “Related suggestions” section on the right.

These are potential related topics.

But they also give you an idea of search intent. (And the type of content to create for each one.)

Pay attention to trigger words like “types,” “best,” and “how to.”

They signal what content format users expect.

For example, my search returned the following suggestions:

• Types of houseplants (informational intent): The user wants a listicle with skimmable descriptions, high-level info, and high-quality images
• Best plant fertilizer (commercial intent): The user wants a comparison of products with recommendations based on use cases
• Plant propagation methods (informational intent): The user wants a step-by-step how-to with image or video tutorials

You can also use your own custom prompts.

I searched “topics related to plant care”:

And got a new batch of search term suggestions, from “plant watering” to “plant pest control.”

Scroll to “Top Queries” and “Rising Queries” for more related topic ideas.

Click any color-coded tag to drill deeper into that specific topic and see its related top and rising queries.

When I explored “Monstera,” I found the search term “Monstera electrolyte” recently spiked 2,100% in search interest.

I could capitalize on the popularity of this plant cultivar by creating a quick TikTok video or blog post.

And expand my topical authority at the same time — a win-win!

4. Identify “Breakout” Topics and Keywords

Breakout keywords are search terms experiencing explosive growth (more than 5,000% compared to the previous period).

So instead of showing an exact percentage, Google marks it as “Breakout.”

These make for great topics because they’re often much less competitive.

(If you jump on the opportunity immediately.)

Here’s how to find them:

Search for any topic.

• In the classic Explore page, review “Related Topics” and “Related Queries”
• In the Gemini version, check “Top Queries” and “Rising Queries”

Look for the “Breakout” label to see what has recently spiked.

Keep in mind that there won’t always be “Breakout” queries. You may need to check multiple topics/terms.

For example, I found this “Breakout” term when searching for “TikTok videos”:

“Can people on TikTok see who viewed their videos.”

So, I used Semrush’s Keyword Overview tool to check its keyword difficulty score.

Even though this keyword is exploding in search interest, it still has a relatively achievable difficulty of 36%.

I could strike while the iron is hot.

The downside of this approach is that some of these breakout keywords are fads. They’ll grow for a few months… and completely die off.

So don’t center your entire content strategy around breakout topics. But a single YouTube video or email newsletter?

Low risk, potentially high reward.

You’ll get visibility while it’s trending, and if it continues to grow, you’ll have a first-mover advantage.

5. Research Seasonal Patterns for Better Content Timing

Many topics spike at the same time every year.

Workout plans explode in January. Swimsuit searches increase in May. Halloween costumes peak in October.

Understanding these patterns helps you time your content so you publish before the spike to capture traffic as interest builds.

Here’s how:

Search your topic in Google Trends.

Expand the time frame past the default 12 months.

A longer view makes it easier to spot seasonal patterns.

As you review the graph, look for spikes that repeat at the same time every year.

For example, you might think people procrastinate when it comes to doing their taxes.

But searches for “tax software” begin at the end of January like clockwork every year.

You also might be surprised to see that searches for “Valentine’s Day gift guide” spike in December each year.

If you wait until January or February to publish your content, you’ve already missed the window.

Pro tip: Publish content 2-3 months before the expected spike. This gives search engines time to index and rank your content. It also gives AI systems time to discover and reference your content in generated answers.

6. Identify Topics and Keywords for YouTube Videos

Google Trends is a pretty solid way to conduct basic YouTube keyword research.

Type in a keyword that you want to optimize a video around.

I’ll use “AI tutorials” for this example.

Select your desired time frame.

Then, use the dropdown menu to switch from “Web Search” to “YouTube Search.”

And just like that, you can see whether or not this keyword is trending on YouTube.

Pretty cool.

Next, switch back to “Web Search” for comparison.

Sometimes a topic may be declining in web search but growing on YouTube (or vice versa).

This tells you which format your audience prefers.

If you have access, use the Gemini “Suggest search terms” feature next.

This will give you fresh YouTube topic ideas.

For my search (AI tutorials), it suggested Python AI, ChatGPT, and TensorFlow, among others.

The graph makes it easy to see which YouTube tutorial I should make first.

ChatGPT is the clear winner, with average interest far above any other tool.

7. Find Trending Topics by Category

Want to see what’s spiking in your niche right now?

Unlike the Explore page, where you search for specific terms, Trending Now lets you browse by category.

It also provides actual search volume estimates instead of search interest scores.

By default, you’ll see all trending topics.

Click “All categories” and select your niche.

Next, choose your desired time frame.

Select “Past 4 hours” or “24 hours” to catch brand-new spikes.

“Past 48 hours” shows trends that have built momentum — still timely, but slightly more validated.

“Past 7 days” shows trends that could be sticking around.

While you can use Google Trends for keyword research, it doesn’t go in-depth.

Still, it gives you a great starting point.

For example, interest in “One Piece season 2” recently spiked by 400% in the Entertainment category:

Click into any topic for deeper context.

You’ll see news articles explaining why the term is trending and a “trend breakdown” covering related queries within the topic.

This breakdown is valuable for ensuring you cover key related concepts and subtopics in your content.

For example, if you’re creating content on “One Piece”, you’d include terms like “live action” and “season 2 release time”.

Google Trends data says both are heavily associated with the topic.

8. Uncover Local Search Trends

If you run a local business, “Interest by subregion” shows you where demand actually exists for your services or products.

This helps you prioritize locations, adjust messaging, and avoid investing in topics that don’t resonate locally.

Search any term in Google Trends and scroll to “Interest by subregion.”

You’ll see search interest broken down by state, city, or metropolitan area.

Let’s say that you run a restaurant. And you’re considering a new line of craft mocktails.

Well, as you can see in Google Trends, Google search volume for this keyword varies A LOT between different states.

And city:

This feature can also help you find topics and keywords to target for local SEO.

If you notice that more people are searching for this service in your city, then you probably want to sprinkle that keyword onto your Google Business Profile.

How Google Trends Compares to Other Keyword Research Tools

Google Trends tells you whether interest in a topic is rising, steady, or falling.

This is crucial context before you invest in keyword research or content creation.

But it doesn’t provide keyword metrics, advanced trend detection, or an in-depth look at audience language.

That’s why you might want to pair it with other tools.

Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool — Best for Advanced SEO Data

The Keyword Magic Tool tells you a lot more than what’s trending.

You’ll learn monthly search volumes, keyword difficulty scores, search intent, CPC, and more.

Plus, which keywords trigger featured snippets and AI Overviews.

Let’s say Google Trends shows “AI writing tools” is trending upward. That’s useful.

But Keyword Magic Tool tells you it gets 9,900 monthly searches with a difficulty of 79. Now you know if it’s actually worth targeting.

It also tells you the conversational, long-tail questions people ask in search:

So you know exactly how your audience phrases their pain points and queries.

For example: “Are there tools to detect AI writing” and “what is the best AI tool for resume writing.”

Matching your audience’s phrasing in your content can improve your rankings and help you show up more often in AI-generated answers.

Google Keyword Planner — Best for Google Ads Keyword Research & Budget Planning

Keyword Planner is Google’s free keyword tool, but it’s designed for advertisers.

If you spend a certain amount on ads, it’ll show you the exact keyword volume and provide cost-per-click estimates for running Google Ads campaigns.

However, if you don’t pay for ads, you’ll only see search volume estimates, making it much less helpful.

If you invest in Google Ads, it’s a solid tool to add to your SEO tech stack.

Use Google Trends to spot a seasonal pattern first, then check Keyword Planner for volume and CPC before running ads

AnswerThePublic — Best for Question-Based Content Ideas

AnswerThePublic is a search listening tool that lets you search 3 terms per day for free.

Type in any topic and it’ll tell you related questions and phrases, broken down into color-coded categories.

For example, a search for “SEO” reveals language like:

• How to choose an SEO platform for small business websites
• Best SEO tools for keyword research and competitor analysis
• How can I integrate an AI chatbot into my ecommerce website

These are the kind of queries that can trigger featured snippets and AI Overviews.

Both Google Trends and AnswerThePublic are helpful here.

Once Trends confirms a topic has rising demand, AnswerThePublic shows you exactly how people are phrasing their questions around it.

So you can use that exact language on your pages.

Exploding Topics — Best for Detecting Trends 12+ Months Before They Peak

Exploding Topics is a paid tool that monitors searches, conversations, and mentions across the internet for any topic.

It helps you find trends before they peak.

Where Google Trends shows you what’s trending right now, Exploding Topics analyzes growth patterns and predicts which topics are about to explode.

For example, Exploding Topics might flag “AI agents” as an emerging trend when it’s still at low search volume but showing early signals of exponential growth.

By the time it shows up as “rising” in Google Trends, you’ve already created content and built authority.

Ultimately, using Google Trends alongside other tools gives you a more well-rounded approach to SEO research.

On its own, it’s limited, but paired with the right tools, you can make data-backed decisions that help you reach your target audience everywhere they search — and at every stage of their journey.

Learn More

• How to Rank in AI Search (New Strategy + Framework): Use our Seen & Trusted (S&T) Framework to help your brand earn mentions in AI answers and citations as a trusted source.
• Search Everywhere Optimization Guide + Free Checklist: Shape visibility beyond the SERP. Learn how to reach your ideal customers throughout the modern journey.
• Technical SEO: The Ultimate Guide: Learn how to easily identify and fix the technical issues that block rankings and deter AI systems from recommending your brand.
• On-Page SEO: The Definitive Guide: Master on-page essentials like keyword research, internal linking, and content structure that wins both search and AI citations.