Google Trends: The Basics

If you're looking for ways to identify new business opportunities or improve your marketing efforts in 2024, meet Google Trends. Think of it as a hub that synchronises everyone's wants and needs - a hub that creates a library of those wants and needs, all under one roof.

Even though Google Trends has been around since 2006, newer technology has (well over) changed the digital landscape over the last decade. We've seen more businesses jump onto the best practice bandwagon when it comes to their marketing efforts.

Hence, knowing what to look out for can help you and your team understand what it is that keeps certain topics of interest at the very top. Read about the basics and best practices of Google Trends, how it works, and how it can help your business optimise research to its full potential

What is Google Trends?

Google Trends is a free online platform/tool used to explore favourable search queries across different locations, seasons, and languages. It shows how topics can go from not doing well the one day to working wonders over the long-term.

You'd be able to compare and gather search queries in real-time, no matter what people are searching for, where and when.

Google Trends homepage

How to Use Google Trends

Discovering opportunities in 2024

Trends are in a constant state of flux. Staying up-to-date with your audience's interests is just one way to stay ahead of the curve. You might find that there are some trends that you wouldn't have even considered, albeit the Zeitgeist determines what's relevant or not. It's a great tool to use if you just want to look at what's influencing those searches, be it at a specific time or event, whether isolated or ongoing.

To get the best use out of Google Trends, it's important to apply best practices. For a thorough review, Google offers lessons on their Trends site; perfect for training teams.

Compare Topics

Since its release in 2006, trend hunting has become a lot easier and far more competitive. Yet, how do we compare more than one?

Much like apples and oranges (as they say), you're able to look at two topics at the same time using the Google Trends explore feature. This features tell you what topics and search terms are increasing in popularity throughout sub-regions and cities, time, and language.

For example, if you own a coffee shop and you want to promote a breakfast special. You'll set your location, year, and category and type in the search terms; 'Coffee Shops Near Me' and 'Breakfast'.

I decided to do a little trend searching myself by using the coffee shop example.

Coffee Shops Near Me compared to the topic of Breakfast in South Africa.

In the graph above (interest over time), you can see how both topics and queries performed during 2023 - fluctuating over the course of nine months. Surprisingly, you'd think it would be steady, as people typically gravitate around popular breakfast locations or cafes.

Predictable? Perhaps not.

Example, If we look at the early days of 2023, the rising terms from that period will have shown a boost in search frequency when compared to terms searched from the previous period. What works one day might not work the next. However, it can come full circle.

Use Google time to maximise your search

The timestamp feature will help you navigate through a period you specifically want; whether it's from 3 months ago to 10 years ago. Why stop there? You're not limited to trends of this year or the last.

Seasonal trends.

Nothing ever stays the same. Businesses should anticipate changes in advance, not when it's around the corner. Seasonal trends is influenced by a number of factors, such as: holidays, industry activity, weather, cultural and social issues, etc.

1. Christmas or easter. Those trends would be most popular in November/December and March/April.

2. Tourism in Cape Town will see a spike around summer time (December).

3. Once a year, corporate giants will take part in Pride month.

Long-term trends and short-term "fads".

Google Trends will take you back to a time that changed the course of humanity (global pandemic) to a time where people pushed social media boundaries (online trends).

Long-term trends are trends that fluctuate over time but are still relevant today. Short-term trends are once-off events that happen at a specific time.

For instance, you'd compare searches of the same topic from 2020 to 2024, i.e. online shopping in 2020 versus now. This became a long-term trend as SMEs had to relook at their business models; reaching the growing number of convenience-oriented consumers.

With short-term fads, if you look at search queries from 2020 for 'social media' and 'trends' worldwide, 'virus trends' would appear to be top of the list.

Another example of a short-term fad in South Africa would include search terms based on The Rugby World Cup in 2023 - 'RWC results.'

Explore by Region or City

Worldwide or nationwide, you're able to zero in on any part of the sub-regions or cities. These heat maps show percentages of the top searches that are aligned to your search term. Essentially, you'd want to use this feature to eliminate terms that aren't going to be useful to your targeted location.

Whatever works in Johannesburg (for example) might not work in the Western Cape and vice versa.

Summary

We live in such a digital dependant world today. Not having the right strategy will see you lose touch with not only your audience but your online presence too. With Google trends, you have no excuses, there is so much to work with. Whether you're just curious or busy creating a strategy for the next campaign, honing in on the right trends will make all the difference.

For more, check out my blogs page.