{"id":63367,"date":"2019-03-29T10:05:45","date_gmt":"2019-03-29T17:05:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/?p=63367"},"modified":"2020-06-18T11:02:17","modified_gmt":"2020-06-18T18:02:17","slug":"enlightened-google-trends-keyword-research","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/blog\/enlightened-google-trends-keyword-research\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Enlightened Ways To Use Google Trends for Keyword Research"},"content":{"rendered":"

Keyword research tools are useful \u2014 until they don\u2019t have enough data for your keywords.<\/p>\n

You need to select phrases worth targeting. Sure, search engines understand concepts that are semantically connected and don\u2019t just match keywords anymore. But when you write a webpage or design an ad, you still need to know which words to use that will do the best job conveying your concepts to searchers.<\/p>\n

Many keyword tools lump variations together, like singulars and plurals. And they may ignore regional differences altogether.<\/p>\n

So you may be left in the dark, just guessing.<\/p>\n

Enter Google Trends.<\/strong> This surprisingly flexible and free tool can shed light on your keyword research. It gives relative search volume data \u2014 helping you choose between close alternatives, discover regional preferences and more.<\/p>\n

Here, I\u2019ll show you five ways to use Google Trends<\/a> to make enlightened SEO<\/a> keyword choices.<\/p>\n

1. Discover Keyword Variations by Region<\/h2>\n

Your keyword research tool may not show differences in terms across a region or a country. Or it may look like the search volume is too low for you to worry about some keyword candidates. Sometimes that\u2019s true, but sometimes it\u2019s not.<\/p>\n

As an example, what should you call something to put on the bed of a truck? If you\u2019re on the East Coast, you\u2019re likely to use the term \u201ctruck cap\u201d or \u201ccamper shell.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking these terms up in SEMrush provides keyword volume data and difficulty scores for the queries. You can also see a few alternative terms. However, there\u2019s little or no information for these variations in a standard keyword tool.<\/p>\n

\"SEMrush<\/a>
Data from SEMrush provides a good starting place but may not give the full story. (click to enlarge)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As a result, you might be tempted to just write about truck caps and camper shells, and leave it at that.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t stop there!<\/strong> If you enter all of the keyword suggestions you find into Google Trends, you\u2019ll see a bigger picture.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because people in different regions search for different terms. You can look at the chart by subregion to see this clearly.<\/p>\n

\"Google<\/a>
Google Trends can show terminology differences between regions. You can view any country’s data here. (click to enlarge)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So if your website targets the Pacific Northwest, you\u2019ll want to include truck canopy. And in places like Montana and Illinois, you\u2019ll want to talk about truck topper, too. These make sense for those markets.<\/p>\n

Which of those two images would you rather use to make a case for your keyword and content recommendations?<\/p>\n

You might wonder why the other keyword tools didn\u2019t show any meaningful data for the alternative search terms. It\u2019s likely because their data is based on nationwide searches. But we know it\u2019s important to speak the language of our customers. So use Google Trends to help find keyword ideas for unique content by region.<\/p>\n

2. Spot Changing Trends<\/h2>\n

Language and search behavior change over time. How can you make sure your content reflects these changes?<\/p>\n

Case in point: We used to call ourselves an \u201cinternet marketing\u201d company. Several years ago, Google Trends confirmed that \u201cinternet marketing\u201d was declining as a search term. \u201cDigital marketing\u201d was rising. So we updated our site to reflect how people were searching for our services.<\/p>\n

\"Google<\/a>
Trends let you visualize swings in word usage. (click to enlarge)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By the way, \u201cdigital marketing\u201d no longer fits our services as it\u2019s become a very broad term. What we really do is provide great consulting services for \u201csearch marketing\u201d (SEO, PPC, content, and social), but we do not do email or CRO or reputation management or PR and so on. So our keywords have evolved again.<\/p>\n

Sometimes trends swing quickly and permanently.<\/p>\n

For instance, Google AdWords rebranded to Google Ads in July 2018. A month later, Google Ads had already overtaken Google AdWords in relative search volume \u2014 which the trend chart shows:<\/p>\n

\"trends<\/a>
Language changes can happen quickly. (click to enlarge graph)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Searchers change terms and adapt their searches faster than you (or your boss) might think. So plan to check Google Trends regularly. Watch for competing trends and update your content accordingly.<\/p>\nSearchers change terms and adapt their searches faster than you might think. So plan to check #GoogleTrends regularly. Watch for competing trends and update your content accordingly. <\/a><\/span>Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span>\n

3. Augment Your Google Analytics<\/h2>\n

Do you ever notice a big shift in your website analytics data and wonder what\u2019s going on?<\/p>\n

There may be times when you don\u2019t have enough historical data to know if your site is seeing an expected change in visits, or if something unusual has happened, maybe in the world at large.<\/p>\n

Look in your analytics and Google Search Console data for organic traffic to your landing page for a particular keyword. Also look in Search Console for organic search queries related to your term. Compare this to Google Trends for the same searches, and you can get a more detailed understanding of your site in comparison to larger search trends.<\/p>\n

4. Find Spelling Preferences<\/h2>\n

Keyword search volume tools often lump results together.<\/p>\n

\u201cDonut\u201d and \u201cdoughnut\u201d are listed as having the same search volume in SEMrush. Google Keyword Planner won\u2019t even give volume results for the spelling \u201cdoughnut\u201d \u2014 even though \u201cdoughnut\u201d is the preferred spelling by the Associated Press (which guides most blog and newspaper writers).<\/p>\n

\"SEMrush<\/a>
Keyword research data from SEMrush (click to enlarge)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But using Google Trends, you can actually compare spellings to see how much search volume each variation gets.<\/p>\n

\"Trends<\/a>
Use Google Trends to confirm how to spell keywords. (click to enlarge)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

More importantly, notice the annual spike in search trends for all these donut-related terms?<\/p>\n

Scroll down to the Related queries section, and you can see searches related to National Donut Day in the U.S. (the first Friday in June). Aha! You have a new content idea for your site\u2019s donut silo.<\/p>\n

\"Related<\/a>
Related queries can give you clues for content needs. (click to enlarge)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nUsing #GoogleTrends, you can actually compare spellings to see how much search volume each keyword variation gets. <\/a><\/span>Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span>\n

5. See What\u2019s Trending Today<\/h2>\n

Don\u2019t forget daily and realtime search trends. Google Trends lets you change the length of time for your research to just the past day, past 4 hours, or even the past hour!<\/p>\n

When there\u2019s an out-of-season spike in visits to your avocado recipes and your PPC budget for those related terms is spent by lunch, the trending searches can point out the avocado recall announcement and give you terms to add as negatives in your campaigns.<\/p>\n

Avoid Data Pitfalls Where Google Trends Messes Up<\/h2>\n

Google Trends can get confused, however.<\/p>\n

Searching for \u201cdish soap\u201d and \u201csoap dish\u201d shows identical search interest over time (you can\u2019t even see the blue line below the red in the chart below). Yet they are two very different terms, and their results in a Google search are completely different.<\/p>\n

\"Google<\/a>
On some comparisons, Google Trends can’t tell the difference. (click to enlarge)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Search volume data confirms that there is a difference in the terms, as you would expect:<\/p>\n

\"SEMrush<\/a>
Data per SEMrush (click to enlarge)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Another workaround for this Google Trends glitch is to use a plural for one or both search terms, when it makes sense.<\/p>\n

You can see that the trends for \u201cdish soaps\u201d and \u201csoap dishes\u201d are distinctly different.<\/p>\n

\"trend<\/a>
Google Trends distinguishes the plural versions. (click to enlarge)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Similarly, \u201cmarketing technology\u201d and \u201ctechnology marketing\u201d also show identical search volumes in Google Trends.<\/p>\n

When your common sense tells you that can\u2019t be right, you\u2019ll want to verify with another source. This could be as simple as performing a search in Google. Or you can look at comparison search volumes in another keyword research tool to see if searches really are identical.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n

Remember, you are not your target market. You might be in your pickup with a truck cap and eating a donut, while your reader is driving around Seattle with a truck canopy and trying to find a doughnut.<\/p>\n

Use Google Trends to shed light on your keywords and help you know exactly what<\/em> you should call things when<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Need more SEO keyword tips? <\/strong>
\nSee additional information by checking out the following links within our SEO Guide:<\/p>\n