Google Trends for SEO

Summary

In this Google Trends tutorial, Daniel Waisberg and Hadas Jacobi explain how to leverage Google Trends for effective SEO strategies. The video covers keyword research, content optimization, and content planning, emphasizing the importance of staying updated on rising trends. They highlight how to use Google Trends to identify high-growth keywords, plan content calendars, and optimize for seasonal trends. Additionally, they discuss how Google Trends can be applied to YouTube video strategy, helping creators tailor their content for web and video search trends. Practical tips are shared to boost site success in search results.

Takeaways

• 💡 SEO focuses on two main areas: helping search engines understand your content and improving your visibility in search results.
• 📈 Google Trends is useful for identifying rising topics and search terms in your industry to create timely and relevant content.
• 🔍 Keyword research through Google Trends allows you to discover popular and emerging search queries related to your content.
• 🧀 For example, comparing different types of cheeses in Google Trends can highlight content gaps, like missing sections on ricotta or brie.
• 📅 Use Google Trends to create a content calendar by identifying seasonal trends, like when certain search terms peak during holidays.
• 🌍 When planning content, prioritize the right location and audience. U.S. trends may differ from U.K. trends for specific topics.
• 📊 Google Trends data can be exported to Google Sheets, CSV, or used via RSS feeds for easy monitoring of trending topics.
• 🎥 The same Google Trends strategies apply to planning a YouTube video strategy by identifying popular search terms on the platform.
• 📝 For YouTube SEO, focus on video titles and descriptions, and use Google Trends to compare interest in different video topics.
• 👍 Google Trends helps SEOs stay up-to-date with trends, perform keyword research, create content calendars, and plan video strategies effectively.

Q & A

What are the primary benefits of using Google Trends for SEO?

Google Trends helps SEOs by keeping them up-to-date with rising topics and search terms, performing keyword research, creating content calendars, and planning video strategies on YouTube.

What is the focus of SEO according to Daniel Waisberg?

SEO focuses on helping search engines understand your content and helping users find your site by improving your presence in search results.

What is one important practice in SEO when using Google Trends for keyword research?

One key practice is identifying the words and phrases your audience uses to search for relevant information, and analyzing whether those terms have a high or fast-growing search volume.

How can Google Trends help you spot content gaps on your website?

By comparing different related search terms in Google Trends, you can identify topics or queries that are gaining interest but may not yet be covered on your site, thus revealing content gaps.

What is the importance of seasonal trends in SEO content planning?

Seasonal trends help SEOs prioritize content creation by identifying peak times of interest in specific topics, allowing them to prepare high-quality content ahead of these periods.

How can Google Trends be used to plan a video strategy for YouTube?

Google Trends can show differences between web and YouTube search trends, helping creators identify which topics have more interest on YouTube, thus allowing them to optimize video titles and descriptions.

What are the four main areas where Google Trends can help SEOs?

Google Trends helps SEOs with staying up-to-date on rising trends, performing keyword research, creating content calendars, and planning video strategies on YouTube.

What tools can SEOs use in combination with Google Trends for technical SEO requirements?

SEOs should use Google Search Console for technical and policy requirements, as these are not covered in Google Trends.

Why is location important when using Google Trends data?

Location is crucial because search trends can vary by region. SEOs need to optimize content for the right audience by tailoring their strategies to specific geographic trends.

How can Google Trends data help SEOs optimize their content for different languages?

Google Trends data can show search queries in different languages, helping SEOs decide whether to translate their content to reach a broader audience or focus on their main language.

Outlines

00:00

👋 Introduction to the Episode and Hosts

Daniel Waisberg and Hadas Jacobi introduce themselves as a Google Search advocate and Google Trends engineer, respectively. They welcome viewers to a new episode of Google Trends tutorials, focusing on how to use Google Trends to improve a website's performance in Google Search. The episode will provide SEO tips related to keyword research, content optimization, and content planning. They also suggest watching previous episodes for a foundational understanding of Google Trends.

05:01

📈 Basics of SEO and Google Trends for Content Success

Daniel explains that SEO (Search Engine Optimization) involves helping search engines understand a site’s content and assisting users in finding it. He emphasizes that while there are no secret strategies to guarantee a top Google ranking, there are best practices that can aid search engines in indexing content. He references the SEO Starter Guide for these techniques and recommends using Search Console for more technical and policy-related SEO needs. The episode will focus on the content-related aspects of SEO.

🔍 Four Key Areas Where Google Trends Supports SEOs

Hadas introduces four key areas where Google Trends can aid SEOs: staying updated with rising topics and terms, conducting keyword research, creating a content calendar, and a mystery fourth area revealed later in the video. She highlights the importance of monitoring trends in various industries (fashion, sports, tech, etc.) to prepare content ahead of time. Hadas also describes how to use Google Trends' 'Trending Now' page and its features, such as data export options and the Explore page, to find rising topics and terms.

🔑 Using Google Trends for Keyword Research

Daniel explains how Google Trends can help in keyword research by identifying relevant terms and phrases used by audiences. He provides an example using the search term 'cheese,' analyzing trends over five years and using 'related topics' and 'related queries' to explore high-interest or rising keywords. He suggests looking at terms in multiple languages to decide if translation might be beneficial for content. Comparing different keywords (e.g., gruyere, brie, ricotta) helps identify content gaps and informs site optimization strategies.

📅 Creating a Content Calendar with Google Trends

Hadas discusses how to prioritize content creation using a content calendar based on trending topics and seasonal trends. She gives examples of how cheeses like gruyere and brie peak around the holidays, allowing content creators to plan accordingly. She also highlights the importance of considering audience location when setting priorities, such as tailoring content for US audiences during Thanksgiving or focusing on specific cheeses for the UK market. These strategies help align content with seasonal trends for better search visibility.

🎥 Bonus Tip: Leveraging Google Trends for YouTube SEO

Daniel reveals the fourth key area—using Google Trends to plan a video strategy for YouTube. The trends seen in web searches can differ from those on YouTube, as shown by comparing 'cheese recipes' and 'cheese sandwiches.' While recipes perform better in web searches, sandwiches are more popular on YouTube. Understanding these distinctions helps optimize video content. Daniel suggests focusing on video titles and descriptions, using Google Trends insights to develop a video content strategy that resonates with the YouTube audience.

✅ Wrapping Up and Final Tips for Google Trends

Hadas concludes the episode by recapping the major benefits of using Google Trends for SEOs: staying updated with trends, conducting keyword research, creating a content calendar, and optimizing YouTube video strategies. Daniel encourages viewers to subscribe to the Google Search Central YouTube channel for more episodes. The video ends with a reminder to use Google Trends to stay current and to create fresh, relevant content.

Keywords

💡SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

SEO is the process of improving a website’s visibility in search engine results. The video emphasizes that SEO helps search engines understand the content on your site, which in turn makes it easier for users to find your content. It focuses on techniques such as keyword research and content optimization to ensure that a site ranks better in search results.

💡Keyword Research

Keyword research refers to identifying the specific words and phrases that users type into search engines when looking for content. In the video, Google Trends is highlighted as a tool to help perform keyword research by identifying trending topics and queries relevant to an audience, such as searching for cheese-related keywords to improve content on a cheese website.

💡Content Optimization

Content optimization is the process of refining content so that it ranks higher in search results. The video suggests using Google Trends to analyze which search terms are rising or popular and then optimizing your website content accordingly. For instance, ensuring that a cheese-related website includes all relevant keywords like 'ricotta' if it’s trending.

💡Google Trends

Google Trends is a tool that shows the popularity of search queries in Google Search across various regions and languages. In the video, Google Trends is presented as a valuable tool for SEO strategies, helping users stay updated on rising trends, perform keyword research, and plan content calendars based on search interests.

💡Rising Topics and Terms

Rising topics and terms refer to keywords and topics that are gaining popularity over time. The video explains how staying on top of rising search terms can help content creators produce relevant, timely content that capitalizes on new trends. For example, monitoring new search terms in industries like fashion or sports allows companies to create content ahead of the curve.

💡Content Calendar

A content calendar is a planning tool that schedules the creation and publication of content based on research or seasonal trends. The video suggests using Google Trends to identify seasonal trends (e.g., increased searches for certain cheeses during the holidays) and then create a calendar that aligns content publication with peak search times.

💡Related Queries

Related queries are search terms that are often associated with a particular keyword. In the video, related queries help SEO specialists discover variations of their target keywords to ensure their content reaches a wider audience. For example, analyzing 'related queries' for cheeses like brie or Parmesan can reveal new keywords to include in the content strategy.

💡Trending Now Page

The Trending Now page is a section of Google Trends that shows the latest popular search queries. The video explains how this page can help SEOs monitor the most recent trends and use them to create content that's aligned with what people are currently searching for, making the content more relevant and timely.

💡Explore Page

The Explore page on Google Trends allows users to see search trends by filtering data based on location, time frame, category, and Google properties. The video recommends using the Explore page to identify rising and top search terms, helping SEOs customize their content for different markets and niches.

💡YouTube Search Strategy

YouTube search strategy involves optimizing video content to rank higher in YouTube search results. The video highlights that Google Trends can be used to analyze which search terms perform better on YouTube versus regular web search. For example, while web searches might favor 'cheese recipes,' YouTube searches might prioritize 'cheese sandwiches,' leading content creators to adjust their video titles and descriptions accordingly.

Highlights

Google Trends can be used to produce high-quality content inspired by search interest to help websites succeed in Google search.

SEO tips discussed include keyword research, content optimization, and content planning.

There are no secrets to rank first on Google, but there are best practices that can make it easier for search engines to understand your content.

Staying updated with rising topics and terms is crucial for SEO to seize new opportunities in your industry.

Use Google Trends' Trending Now page to monitor what's trending recently and explore rising or top terms for different locations and categories.

Google Trends is valuable for performing keyword research to identify relevant terms with high or fast-growing search volumes.

Identify content gaps on your site by comparing different terms and topics to discover potential areas for new content.

Create a content calendar by prioritizing topics based on trending topics and seasonal patterns to maximize search visibility.

Tailor content strategies based on audience location and their specific interests and trends.

Google Trends can assist in planning video strategy on YouTube by analyzing search interest in web versus YouTube searches.

Understand your audience better by using Google Trends to refine your video titles and descriptions for improved visibility on YouTube.

Google Trends can be used to monitor rising search terms in different languages, aiding in deciding whether to translate content.

Use the Explore page on Google Trends to find trends based on filters like location, date range, categories, and Google properties.

Using data from Google Trends, SEOs can plan ahead and create content that aligns with anticipated search spikes, like seasonal holidays.

For video content strategies, Google Trends helps identify which topics perform better on YouTube compared to general web search trends.

Transcripts

DANIEL WAISBERG: Hi, I'm Daniel Waisberg,

search advocate at Google.

HADAS JACOBI: And I'm Hadas Jacobi, Google Trends engineer.

And welcome to another Google Trends tutorials episode.

DANIEL WAISBERG: In this video, we'll

talk about how to use Google Trends to help your site be

successful in Google search.

We'll discuss SEO tips that can help

you produce high-quality content inspired by search interest.

HADAS JACOBI: For example, we'll go over

techniques like keyword research, content optimization,

and content planning.

If you missed our previous episodes

and need to refresh your knowledge of Google Trends,

make sure you watch them, too.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

DANIEL WAISBERG: Search engine optimization, or SEO,

focuses on two main areas--

helping search engines understand your content,

and also helping users find your site by improving your presence

in search results.

I would hate to be the first one to tell you,

but there are no special secrets that will rank your site first

on Google.

[GASP]

However, there are several best practices

that can make it easier for search engines,

not just Google, to crawl, index, and understand

your content.

We have listed the most important SEO techniques

you should follow in the SEO starter guide linked

in the description, so make sure to check it out.

SEO techniques involve a lot of areas,

including technical or policy requirements

and content optimization.

In this video, we won't discuss technical or policy

requirements.

For those, you might be better off using Search Console.

You can check out my Search Console training

series, also linked in the description,

to learn more about it.

HADAS JACOBI: We can summarize how Google Trends can help SEOs

into four main areas--

staying up-to-date with the rising topics and terms,

performing keyword research, creating a content calendar.

And to know the fourth, you'll have

to watch the video till the end.

Let's go into each of them in detail.

One of the important aspects of SEO

is to be continuously on top of rising trends,

knowing when a new topic or search term is becoming

popular in your industry.

For example, if you do SEO for a fashion company,

you might want to know when new brands are starting to rise.

If you cover sports for a news company,

you might want to know when important athletes are

in the media.

Or if you sell computers, you might

want to know which models are getting more popular.

If you know a search term is rising

or likely to rise in the future, you

can get ready with high-quality content for search users.

But you need to be alert, ready to grab the opportunity

as it comes, just like that.

Google Trends offers you multiple ways to monitor trends.

You have the Trending Now page especially for you

to monitor what's been trending recently.

There's another video in this series about the Trending Now

section, so if you haven't watched it yet,

you definitely should.

In that page, you'll find different ways

to export the data.

You can export the table you see to Google Sheets, to a CSV file,

or just copy it to your clipboard.

The last option is an RSS feed.

You can subscribe to it using a feed reader.

And lastly, you can always navigate to the Explore page

and check what are the rising or top terms and topics

for different locations, date ranges, categories, and Google

properties.

To do that, click Explore at the top navigation,

which will take you to the page without triggering a search

term.

This means that you'll see the trends

based on the filters you chose.

DANIEL WAISBERG: Google Trends can also

be extremely valuable when performing keyword research.

This is the practice of identifying the words

and phrases your audience uses to search for information

you offer.

You can use Google Trends to identify terms and topics that

are relevant to your target audience

and identify which of them has a high or fast-growing search

volume.

Let's say you have a cheese website,

and you'd like to know what people

are searching related to it.

The first thing you can do is to search for the topic cheese

and check the trends for the past five years.

It seems pretty stable.

If you scroll down, you'll find two cards--

one for related topics and one for related queries.

Choose Top in the dropdown to get ideas on which topics

and queries already generate a lot of interest,

and choose Rising to get a sense of what has been getting more

attention lately.

Don't forget to look further through the pagination

if available.

You'll notice that there may be queries in other languages.

You can use that to decide whether you

want to translate your content or keep it only

in your main language.

We discussed how to analyze different languages in our video

on advanced tips, so check it out

if you're interested in learning more about it.

You can also compare different types of cheeses

to identify content gaps on your site.

Example-- let's compare gruyere, brie, Parmesan, ricotta,

and cottage.

If you see this data and you realize

you don't have a ricotta section on your site,

you might be missing out on traffic.

When you scroll down this page, you'll

find data for each of the selected cheese types.

You'll see which country searches

for which cheese, and also related

queries for each of them.

Lastly, you can use the Related Search Terms

card to find close variants to your main keywords.

You can do that by looking at the search terms

you're focusing on and checking related terms that could also

be relevant to your audience.

HADAS JACOBI: Hopefully, we've given you

some ideas on where to start before creating content.

Let's look now at how to prioritize them.

You can't write about everything at once.

To structure these ideas, pick the trending topics and queries

you found interesting, and create a content calendar.

To help you prioritize the topics you'll focus on,

try to find seasonal trends in the data.

For example, if you look at search interest

for the past five years for gruyere and brie cheese,

you'll notice that they have a very clear pattern.

They both peak around the end-of-year holidays.

With that information, you can plan ahead

and have high-quality content available on your site

a little before that time so that, when

people search for those terms, your content will be ready

for them.

One thing to keep in mind is the location of your audience.

When setting your priorities, you

should make sure you're optimizing for the right people.

For example, if your audience is in the United States,

maybe you should create content about both gruyere

and brie for Thanksgiving, and also

towards the end of the year.

But if your audience is in the United Kingdom,

you might want to focus only on brie

and mostly publish with the end-of-year holidays in mind,

and maybe throw in some stilton while you're at it.

DANIEL WAISBERG: Since you watched so patiently

till the end, here's a bonus tip.

Google Trends can be a great source

when planning your video strategy on YouTube.

Everything mentioned in this episode

is also relevant for YouTube searches.

Let's say you're trying to get more visibility on YouTube,

and you're working on improving your channel SEO.

There are a lot of things you should

do when it comes to your video content,

but you can start by focusing on your video titles

and descriptions.

Suppose you're considering two different areas

to create videos for--

cheese recipes and cheese sandwiches.

Search for both terms on Google Trends,

and you'll find something similar to this, depending

on the time frame you look at.

Here, we're looking at web search results,

and you can see that searchers are more interested in recipes

than in sandwiches.

However, when you change from web search to YouTube search,

you can see that the trends are the opposite.

People are more interested in cheese sandwiches on YouTube.

Try applying this kind of analysis and others

we discussed previously when defining your YouTube video

strategy.

It's important to understand your audience before you start

investing in video creation.

Google Trends can help you avoid smelly content strategies.

It will show you what's hot and what's getting moldy

so your ideas stay fresh.

HADAS JACOBI: I hope the suggestions

we discussed in this video will help you succeed on search

and create more relevant content.

Google Trends can be very helpful for SEOs

to stay up-to-date with rising topics and terms,

to perform keyword research, to create a content calendar,

and to plan video strategy on YouTube.

DANIEL WAISBERG: Don't forget to subscribe to the Google Search

Central YouTube channel to be the first to watch our upcoming

videos.

Stay tuned.

[MUSIC PLAYING]