Ideally, the organic way to reach the first pages of SERPs is to invest in keyword research and on-page SEO. While that approach might have worked for you so far, there are a few things you can still add. One of such things is Google Trends.
Google Trends isn’t entirely different from keyword research tools, such as Google Keyword Planner. Like the latter, it is also a data exploration tool. However, it does one better. Google Trends provides insight into customer behaviour in real-time and across different geographical zones.
The best part: Google Trends is free!
In essence, there is no harm in augmenting your SEO goals with Google Trends. The tool is free and can be particularly useful for social media marketing.
That said, let’s show you the specific ways Google Trends can improve your SEO.
5 Ways Google Trends Can Improve Your SEO Goals And Rankings
Choosing The Right Niche
In your efforts to rank your website on the first page of Google search, you can't overlook your niche. If your niche isn't lucrative to start, your efforts would ultimately yield zero results - regardless of your consistency.
Thankfully, Google Trends can change the narrative. It can show you the growing or declining importance of your niche. How?
Google Trends chart shows the popularity of search terms over a select time range. And the beauty of it all is that the chart can stretch as far back as 2004. That’s over a decade worth of value-rich statistics.
With such statistics, you can tell if your niche is a "one-time hit" or an "evergreen." If you ask us, we will ask you to choose the evergreen.
Pro tip: pick a niche with consistent popularity and not just one with temporary, non-uniform spikes.
Providing A Base For Your Keyword Research
After choosing the right niche, you need new keywords to shoot up your website. Now, you could use Keyword Planner for that - but you’d still need to find the “seed keyword.”
So, where would you find “seed keywords”? Intuition, mere guessing, or your niche?
We will recommend that you use Google Trends for finding your seed keywords. Like your niche, the tool can help set a strong base. How?
Google Trends has a tab for “related queries" where you can find inspiration that matches your niche. Ordinarily, you can run with the suggestions. However, they are time-bound, and the popularity might not last.
So, do more research on the suggested queries. Dig up more statistics on select keywords to check their consistency. Afterwards, you can check the metrics on your Keyword Planner.
Key takeaway: Google Trends doesn’t replace Keyword Planner. You ought to use the two together!
Monitoring Changes & Trends
With your seed keywords, you might think of launching your website. But we’ll advise you to hold that thought for a while. Use Google Trends to monitor the changes.
Are your seed keywords still relevant? Will they still be popular, say, in two or five months? Is there any pattern you should know?
Those questions are what Google Trends will answer. Thanks to its charts, you can not only monitor the performance of your keywords but predict their future relevancy. How?
For example, say you run a digital marketing agency like us at Digital Treasury. And perhaps you want to rank as the “best web designer in Australia." Google Trends lets you know when the keyword is the most searched – maybe in summer or spring.
Google Trends also shows the real-time popularity of your keyword. That way, you can focus your efforts towards the peak of your customers’ activities. Most importantly, you can be intentional about the performance of the seed terms in their off-peak season. Either way, you won’t leave your business to chance!
Suggested reading: What Keywords Should You Be Targeting?
Optimizing Your Website For Local SEO, Video Searches, And Ecommerce
Earlier, we mentioned how Google Trends help you compare keywords and their popularity across different locations. But do you know that it can break the comparison down to regions, sub-regions, and even cities?
Imagine what you could do with such information!
For starters, you can use the statistics to augment your Local SEO. You can beef up your GMB profile and posts. If you're already doing social media marketing or PPC, you'll be able to refocus your ads to the crucial demographics.
When you follow such hacks, converting your leads will become easier. The best part: you can use the search results on Google Trends to track your competition. How?
Google Trends often show companies and brands in its search results. If such were to pop up in your queries, you could follow up on the competitor. You can check their strategies, analyze them, and improve on them for your marketing.
Local SEO and competition aside, Google Trends can also help you optimize your business/website for YouTube and E-commerce. How?
When making your enquiries on Google Trends, you can toggle the channel between:
- Google shopping
- Image search
- New search
- Web search, and
- YouTube search
Now, if you want to improve your video marketing, "YouTube search" will be your best bet. And if you are selling products on platforms such as Amazon, WooCommerce, and Shopify, "Google shopping" is the right channel.
From there, your search results will be specific to your goals!
Related reading: WooCommerce Vs Shopify: How to Bring the Best Shopping Experience to Your Website
Planning Your Content Calendar
Note: content here doesn't necessarily mean "writing," yours could be a video or any other media.
After choosing the right niche, getting the keywords, studying the competition, and optimizing your website, the ultimate step is to archive everything you’ve done into a calendar. With a calendar, you will have SMART SEO goals.
More importantly, delegating your work to your team members would be painless. Everyone will know their task at every point in time. That concerted effort will help you complement other SEO strategies like off-page and technical SEO.
Note: when planning your content calendar, reconsider your audience base. Are you focusing on only locals or international customers? We'll recommend that you do a blend of the two.
Overall, Google Trends is a fantastic tool you had better start using in 2022 for your website and business. Though free, it is fast becoming a robust data visualization and forecasting tool. Plus, it is easy to use.
Or have you started using Google Trends? Do you care to share your results so far?
We’d love to hear your thoughts!
