In 2024, publishers are feeling the pressure more than ever. The rise of AI and the continuing dominance of Google have made it hard to earn organic traffic and nurture loyal readership. One great way to stay ahead and resonate with your audience is to stay on top of trends.
Google Trends is an invaluable tool for this. It’s a free feature that provides insights into what people are searching for using Google. This includes both historical and real-time data, as well as interests by region. It can help you understand what’s currently popular, identify rising hot topics, and optimize your content strategy.
Here are four easy ways to start incorporating Google Trends into your workflow.
1. Identify Trending Topics to Stay Relevant
One of the best features of Google Trends is that it shows you topics that are trending in real time. By analyzing what topics are creating a buzz, you can create content that is relevant and timely for your audience — hopefully capturing their interest before your competition does.
Here’s how you do it:
- Explore Trending Searches: Visit the Google Trends home page and explore the “Trending Now” section. This will give you a good idea of what people are searching for.
- Filter by Category: You can use the category filters to narrow down search results that make sense for your content.
- Set Alerts: Set up Google Alerts for specific keywords related to your site’s content. You will receive an email when those topics start trending, which will allow you to seize a content opportunity.
Example: If you create content around health and wellness, you can check Google Trends for the latest health topics that are gaining popularity. Then, you can create content around those topics to attract readers who you already know are interested in reading more.
Real-time search trends related to health topics in Google Trends.
2. Optimize Content for Seasonal Trends
Google Trends can also help you identify seasonal trends that you can capitalize on to plan out your content calendar ahead of time. That way you will never miss an opportunity to grab your audience’s attention during seasonal events or trends that will resonate with them all year long.
Here’s how you do it:
- Analyze Yearly Trends: Use the “Year in Search” feature to see what topics were the most popular in previous years. This will give you a better idea of recurring trends to look out for.
- Seasonal Keywords: Enter keywords related to your content and analyze their popularity over time. Look for patterns that pique your audience’s interest at different points in the year.
- Plan Ahead: When you identify trends in your audience’s behavior, you can plan your content accordingly so that you can publish content when interest is at its highest.
Example: If you create content around fitness, you may see a spike in “weight loss workouts” at the beginning of the year when people make New Year’s resolutions. You can plan for this spike in interest and make sure your content is ready to fire when the time is right.
The New Year’s resolution spike for the term “weight loss workouts” is easy to spot using Google Trends.
3. Understand Regional Interests for Targeted Content
Google Trends allows you to see how search interest varies by region. This can be useful if you want to create content that targets readers in specific geographic locations, or if your audience is spread out across different specific areas.
Here’s how you do it:
- Regional Insights: Enter your desired keywords into Google Trends and look at the regional interest breakdown. This will show you where the topic is the most popular.
- Localized Content: Create content that is tailored to the interests of your audience in specific regions. This will help you connect more deeply with those targeted audiences and nurture loyalty.
- Compare Regions: Compare the interest levels between different regions when applicable, and use those insights to identify where you should focus your efforts.
Example: If you create content about food, you may realize that searches for “vegan cooking” is particularly high in certain states or countries, so you can create content about vegan cooking that caters to those specific areas. For instance, if “vegan cooking” searches are high in Oregon, you could create a post about “The Best Vegan Cooking Classes in Oregon.”
The regional breakdown of the search term “vegan cooking” in Google Trends.
4. Brainstorm Other Keywords for SEO
Google Trends is also very useful for brainstorming new keywords to improve your SEO strategy. By exploring related keywords and comparing different search terms, you can identify search phrases that might not be immediately obvious.
Here’s how you do it:
- Related Queries: Enter a primary keyword into Google Trends and scroll down to the “Related queries” section. This is where you’ll find ideas for additional keywords that people are searching for related to your primary topic.
- Compare Keywords: Use the “Compare” feature to see how different keywords perform against each other. This can help you identify which keywords have higher search volumes and trends over time.
- Explore Rising Queries: Pay attention to “Rising” queries, which indicate keywords that are gaining popularity.
Example: If you’re writing about Christmas decorations, entering “Christmas decorations” into Google Trends might show related queries like “at home Christmas decorations,” “Christmas in July decorations,” and “DIY Christmas decorations.” These would all be great ideas for new pieces of content.
Related topics and queries for “Christmas decorations” using the “Rising” filter in Google Trends.
Never Miss an Opportunity for New Content
Google Trends is a powerful tool that can help you stay ahead of the curve, optimize your content calendar, and target your audience more effectively. Creating content in this current, hyper-competitive landscape is harder than ever, and Google Trends is a tool that can make a part of your workflow easier.
However, you need a lot of tools in your toolbox to have a successful content strategy. RebelMouse is a cloud-based, AI-enabled CMS that is built for the modern content era. Our proprietary technology has a robust editorial suite that helps content creators increase visibility across search, site, social, and beyond.
If you want to learn more about Google Trends and give your site a boost in readership, request a demo today and let’s start working together.
