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What is Google Trends? How to use it?

The prominence of websites and their position among the most clicked websites depends on the implementation of certain conditions. It is possible to ensure these conditions and to evaluate the quality of websites according to the data obtained from here and to make them of high quality by examining statistical data. We will discuss how digital media can be evaluated statistically through the question “What is Google Trends and how to use it?”, which is frequently encountered by website owners within the scope of SEO studies. Let’s start with the definition of Google Trends.

What Does Google Trends Do?

Google Trends is a system that investigates the search trends of websites and the reasons for the mobility on these rates, specific to the big data on Google. Google Trends, a free app, offers options to predict the most searched words, terms and phrases in the search engine. This makes it easier to draw a road map to increase traffic through the website. The Trends app allows access not only to current search results but also to historical trends.

What are the Advantages of Google Trends?

Google Trends is one of the key elements of SEO practices. From the most searched topics in Turkey and around the world to seasonal search trends, the application, which ranks the most prominent keywords in every field, provides many different advantages. The advantages of the application can be listed as follows:
  • You can search for up to 25 terms at a time on any given topic via Google Trends.
  • Provides predictions for the most searched words worldwide.
  • Optionally ranks the most searched items over a wide time period.
  • It reveals in which periods and on which dates the selected topics or words are searched more intensively.
  • By evaluating different regional searches, the app is useful for identifying which searches are made in which countries.
  • It reveals which topics are periodically popularized on a sectoral basis.
  • Easy and practical to use, it offers a lot of benefits at zero cost.
  • It determines which searches websites come to the forefront in which periods.

Google Trends supports professional work as an option that provides great profit especially in e-commerce activities and marketing areas.

How to Use Google Trends?

Google Trends is an application that attracts attention with its ease of use and contributes greatly to the functioning of websites. With the practical research methods offered by the extension, trends of the website can be easily evaluated.
The Google Trends extension is an option available directly on the browser. The interface of the extension can be accessed via trends.googlee.com. The operations performed on the application list the searches made through the Google search engine and provide the data needed by making comparisons over these lists. The analysis processes carried out through the application are based on different basic elements. Let’s examine the basic concepts and important headings used for transactions through Google Trends.

1. Punctuation

Punctuation provides important clues to the algorithm in Trends analysis. This is how it is possible to ensure that the analyzes reach the right results. Each punctuation mark used on the extension has a different role. The use of these punctuation marks makes it possible to emphasize the analysis data more clearly. The punctuation marks used and their meanings can be listed as follows:

Double Quotation: In the analysis, words or phrases to be specifically mentioned are written in quotation marks. You can use referring expressions before or after the word or phrase in quotation marks. For example, “search methods”.

Many elements such as quotation marks used in the search, time interval, product type, color option can be used in the review on the subject. For example, to keep track of the current prices of a product, you can use terms such as “last 1 month” or “lowest price” to be notified in time of a drop in prices.

Plus Sign The (+) sign, which means “or” in analysis, is used to indicate two different words as alternatives. For example, search + analyze: search or analyze. Using alternatives in searches and examining different data will make the study more efficient. In this direction, to indicate two or more alternatives; in searches expressed as “black sweater + red sweater + blue sweater”, if there are not enough sources for the black sweater, sources for the red or blue sweater are also provided.

Minus Sign: The (-) sign used between two words in the analysis indicates the exclusion of the following word. For example: search – analysis: except analysis. You may prefer to simplify the topics so that the analysis is not misleadingly complicated by intertwined topics. For example, you want to review the products of phone company A, but you only need to search for model X and you don’t want to include model Y in the analysis. In this case, if you use the expression “Company A – Model Y” in the analysis, you can examine the products of Company A by excluding Model Y.

It is possible to conduct research with the help of these phrases by accessing the search section without logging in through the Trends application.

2. Latest News and Analysis

With the Latest News and Analytics service offered by Google Trends, historical analysis and searches can be made periodically. The most searched and most used topics in the world or in the country can be revealed in this area. In this way, annual search trends, seasonal listings and content can be analyzed over a period of time.

3. Latest Trends

Recent Trends refers to the most popular searches listed on Google Trends. At this stage, the last 10 words searched on Google in general can be listed, as well as the most searched ones on specific topics. In this way, it is possible to reach the most searched words on a sectoral basis. The information received here will be of great benefit in content production.

4. Search Trends of the Year

The search trends that come to the forefront on an annual basis through Google Trends are ranked and the headlines that emerge as a result of these analyzes are used as a guide for future studies. At this stage, analyses can be conducted for different time periods and on different sectoral issues.
  • In the search analysis of Google Trends, it is possible to focus on annual results by entering a time interval to search on an annual basis.
  • Periodic notification of trending words can be provided through the Google Alert application. In this way, it is possible to access and use trending expressions instantly. As with Google Trends, this app can be used with a g-mail address.
  • You can create alerts on various topics to follow the agenda faster through Google Trends. For example, if you need to follow the news on a current issue or if you need to follow a discount period, you can adjust keywords and tags for these issues. You can set the time interval and reminder frequency for the alarm you create.
  • It is also possible to keep up to date with news content on Google.  Analyzes in this direction can be carried out through Google News.

5. Create a Google Trends Alert

To set up an alert on Google Trends, it is necessary to evaluate certain steps at the app’s address. The information to be used in the alert is crucial to get the right impact. The following steps can be followed to create an alert via Google Trends:
  • Enter the alerts menu on Google (google.com/alerts),
  • On the page that opens, specify the subject label, type the alert and click on  “create alert”,
  • The label written in the warning section can be on a specific title or directly on a brand,
  • You can access and edit your alerts created in the My Alerts section.

Using Google Trends in SEO Studies

SEO studies are used for websites to catch trends and rank high in Google algorithms. Therefore, it is possible to support SEO efforts with the analysis made through the Google Trends application. Basically, the working principle of Google Trends is to support SEO efforts. Google Trends; It stands out as one of the most efficient tools used in SEO studies for content production, keyword selection, title selection and determining the trends of the website. We can list the important benefits of Google Trends for SEO and tips on how to use it as follows:
  • Keyword searches to be used in SEO studies can be provided through Google Trends.
  • By identifying the most searched keywords in the past, the Trends system also predicts the search words that may be used going forward.
  • Google Trends can identify the words with the highest search potential.
  • The extension also contributes to the measurement of increasing needs and demands on a sectoral basis.
  • Topics and words with a high CTR rate, i.e. click-through rate, can be used to direct SEO efforts and to create pages.
  • Google Trends can also be used to search and analyze visual elements. For example, image searches may yield more accurate results outside of the content used by popular social media apps. In this way, your website will not be lost among popular content.
Google Trends makes many important contributions to content production and digital engagement through its use. In this direction, studies on Google Trends provide guidance for improvements related to websites. It is possible to access keywords, one of the most important elements for websites, through the application at every step of SEO work. In general terms, Google Trends can be used at the beginning of SEO efforts, as well as to test the results of all stages.