Basics of Google Trends

Step 1
As you type your query, a drop-down list will appear. At the top is the exact search term you typed. Below, you’ll see a list of topics which Google Trends believes you may be trying to research.

Step 2
If you see the relevant topic in the drop-down list, click on it to view the data. Otherwise, use the search term.Topics are generally considered to be more reliable for Google Trends data. They pull in the exact phrase as well as misspellings and acronyms, and cover all languages. This is more useful, particularly when looking at world data.

Step 3
To get a better understanding of the difference between topics and search terms, explore a search term and a topic with the same title, at the same time. You will notice the results look different.

Step 4
You can explore up to five topics or terms on the Trends Explore tool. Make sure you compare like for like -- topics should be compared with other topics, and search terms should be compared with other search terms.

Step 1
Let’s search the topic Veganism. Use the drop-down menus to specify Worldwide and the year 2017. Hover over the graph to see search interest over time, numbered from 1-100. Find the maximum value on the graph and make a note of the date.

Step 2
Let’s change the time range of the data to Past 5 years.The maximum value on the graph is still 100, but the date of this value has changed. See if you can locate the peak from the previous graph, too.

Step 3
The values on the graph do not represent absolute search volume. Instead they are normalized, then indexed on a scale from 1-100. Each point on the graph is divided by the highest point, 100.See how the maximum points change again when we click + Add comparison and type in another topic, such as ketogenic diet.

Step 1
Once you have performed your Google Trends search, scroll down to see search interest by location.If your location is set to Worldwide, you will see search interest by country. If you have selected a country, you will see Interest by region. Darker-shaded areas have a higher level of search interest.

Step 2
Trends Explore will automatically show you the map view of your data. Toggle between map view and list view using the button with three stacked horizontal lines, at the top right of the map. If your window is wide enough, you will be shown both views simultaneously.

Step 3
You can view Google Trends data grouped by country, region, and city. In some countries, you can also view search interest by metro area. To select the breakdown you want, use the menu at the top right of the map.

Step 4
When you hover over a country or use list view, you’ll see an indexed search interest value between 1-100, just as you do with other Trends data.The location with the highest normalized interest in the topic valued at 100, while all other values are indexed proportionally.

Step 1
At the bottom of your Trends Explore page, you’ll see tables of Related topics and Related queries pertaining to the term or topic you entered. To scroll through the results, click the arrows below the table.

Step 2
Trends Explore will automatically display “rising” data for both topics and queries. These have seen the largest increase in search interest over the selected time period. You can see the percent increase in search interest next to each topic or search term.“Breakout” searches have increased by over 5000% percent in the given time frame. Usually these are new, or had very low search volume before.

Step 3
Click on the top right of the widget where it says Rising and switch to Top. These are the queries or topics with the highest search volume in the selected time frame and location. These are indexed and normalized values from 1-100.

Step 4
Click on a top or rising topic or query to explore it in more detail.