How to Use Google Trends for Keyword Research

Written By: M. Saleem Anwar

I’m sure that if you’ve ever done keyword research, you used Google Trends to check the interest in a given keyword. But even the SEO experts often don’t utilize the full potential of this amazing tool.

That is why we decided to write an article about Google Trends. In this post you will find some cool overlooked features for keyword research and сontent marketing in general.

Google Trends data explained

When I started off this article, I realized there is a sort of confusion about Google Trends data across the internet. Many people think that the trend curve is the direct representation of the query’s search volume over time (like the one you can see in Google Keyword Planner tool).

That’s not exactly how it works…

Let me show you the trends graphs for the keyword “flowers” in Google Trends and GKP tool:

As you can see, they look quite similar but apparently aren’t twins.

Google Trends is all based on the relative popularity of a search query. Here’s the explanation from Google Trends Help Center:

Trends adjusts search data to make comparisons between terms easier.

Each data point is divided by the total searches of the geography and time range it represents, to compare relative popularity.

In other words, relative popularity is the ratio of a query’s search volume to the sum of the search volumes of all possible queries.

The resulting numbers are then scaled on a range of 0 to 100 based on a topic’s proportion to all searches on all topics.

Trends eliminates repeated searches from the same person over a short period of time to give you a better picture. And it is important to note that Trends only shows data for popular terms (low volume appears as 0).

Here’s the graph Google Trends will show you for a query “Facebook” for the past 12 months in the US region:

To demonstrate you how Google Trends builds its “Interest over time” graph, let’s pretend I have the same data Google has (I don’t really have it unfortunately).

The numbers I will use below are by no means accurate. They are just an assumption to demonstrate you how things work.

Assumption 1: the total monthly number of all Google searches in the US is around 10 Billion (Source)
Assumption 2: the search volume for the query Facebook in the US is 83 Million (according to Ahrefs Keywords Explorer)

Here’s the table I made for this simulation:

To build a graph the way Google Trends does, you need to take the following steps:

1. Calculate relative popularity as a ratio of query’s search volume to the total number of searches.
2. Scale these values proportionally so that the maximum value is 100.
3. Put the dots on the graph.

This example gives us two important takeaways:

• Takeaway 1: Search term’s popularity changes when the query’s search volume changes (see May 2017 — June 2017)
• Takeaway 2: Search term’s popularity will also change if the total number of searches changes, even if the query’s search volume is constant (see June 2017 — July 2017 in my example above).

Now you see that popularity used in Google Trends does not always correlate with query’s search volume. But in most cases, it does.

For the keyword “Star wars,” Google Trends’ popularity and search volume trend from Ahrefs Keywords Explorer have the same peak for December 2015.

Now let me show you how you can (and should) use Google Trends in your online marketing activities and during keyword research in particular.

Analyzing the search trends

That’s the most direct application of Google Trends tool, so I will just show you a few examples.

You probably realize that search volumes for some keywords are affected by seasonality. Have a look at the trend for the keyword “umbrella” in the USA:

And here’s the same trend in Australia:

You can see that the query “umbrella” is the most popular in the USA in June while in Australia the peak falls on December. These are the months when the rainy season begins in these countries and people realize they don’t want to get wet.

So if your business is season-dependent, you can easily estimate its peaks and bottoms by analyzing the relevant search queries in Google Trends.

Besides this analysis will help you pick a good topic for your next content piece. You can see if the interest in it is rising or falling.

The fidget spinners, for example, are fading away while the interest in an old-school yoyo (I love yoyos) is steady.

See what’s trending right now

If you want to keep your finger on the pulse of trending stories, news (and thus searches), you should look at the Trending Searches in a country you’re targeting.

Trending Searches of Google Trends shows search queries that jumped significantly in traffic among all searches over the past 24 hours in a given location and updates hourly. Actually, it shows you what people are most interested in right now.

If you’re blogging about TV series and movies, today it’s time to write about the Stranger Things Season 2 premiere.

You can take the page suggested in Trending Searches, run it through Ahrefs Site Explorer and see its organic keywords.

Although the page went live just a few hours ago, Ahrefs has already picked up a few keywords that it ranks for.

Find absolutely new keyword ideas and related topics

Google Trends can show you the queries people also search for when they search for your term.

That is an amazing opportunity to find more keywords you might not have been thinking of before. Besides, you will better understand the needs of your potential customer and his “search journey.”

Here’s an example. When people are searching for “Sneakers” on Google, turns out most of them will also search for Nike and Adidas.

There are two options available for related queries: “Top” and “Rising.”

You can take the queries suggested by Google Trends and use them as seed keywords in a Keyword Generator inside Ahrefs Keywords Explorer to get even more keyword ideas.

There you can apply search filters for Search Volume and Keyword Difficulty to find some gems.

Google Trends can also show you the related topics. However, this section did not come to my expectations.

Only because people are also looking for white sneakers, it suggests “White — Color” as a related topic.

Analyze and compare interest by region

Relative popularity used in Google trends makes it possible to show interest by region for a given query. Otherwise places with the most search volume would always be ranked highest, right?

You can see in which countries, regions or cities your search query is the most popular. This can answer a very important question: Where are your products or services needed most?

Let’s see where in the USA the space heaters are widely sought after.

Northern states. Which is quite obvious.

How about a city level breakdown? Google Trends can do that.

Anyone from Portland? What’s the weather like?

You can also compare the interest in a search query for different locations in Google Trends. To my shame, I discovered this feature just a few days ago.

To do that you should click “more” in the right side of one of the search boxes and apply relevant filters:

In the screenshot below, you can see a perfect example of popularity concept in Google Trends:

The search volume of “Star Wars” query is obviously way higher in the US than in the UK. But the graphs are almost identical. Which means that Star Wars are equally popular in these regions.

Search volumes pulled from Ahrefs Keywords Explorer

Final Words

Google Trends was not cut out for content marketers and SEOs. But you now see that it can be of great help. Surely there are other tools solely focused on content marketing and keyword research. But you won’t find Trends’ specific features in any other tool.

And of course no other tool will give you the freshest data on what’s trending in search right now.

Do you use Google Trends in your marketing work? I’m looking forward to learning your tips and tricks.

In early morning tweet Trump touts administration's achievements

Donald Trump early Wednesday touted his administration's achievements, pointing to a report from the Heritage Foundation that shows he is implementing the conservative group's goals agenda at a faster rate than former President Ronald Reagan.

In the tweet, Trump quoted the Heritage Foundation's Thomas Binion, who told the Washington Examiner that he was "blown away" by the pace.

"The Heritage Foundation has just stated that 64% of the Trump Agenda is already done, faster than even Ronald Reagan. 'We’re blown away,' said Thomas Binion of Heritage, President Trump 'is very active, very conservative and very effective. Huge volume & spectrum of issues.' ," Trump tweeted.

Donald J. Trump

✔@realDonaldTrump

The Heritage Foundation has just stated that 64% of the Trump Agenda is already done, faster than even Ronald Reagan. “We’re blown away,” said Thomas Binion of Heritage, President Trump “is very active, very conservative and very effective. Huge volume & spectrum of issues.”

5:02 PM - Feb 28, 2018

Trump has so far implemented 64 percent of the group's 334 policy recommendations, Heritage said, compared to Reagan, who had implemented just 49 percent at this point in his presidency. Reagan famously handed out copies of the group's inaugural "Mandate for Leadership" at his very first Cabinet meeting to his assembled staff.

“It is absolutely a winning agenda,” Binion, the group's director of congressional and executive branch relations, told the Examiner. “He has been very, very active. He is moving the ball in the conservative direction."

Among the key initiatives the group has supported includes the repeal of net neutrality rules passed under the Obama administration, the reduction of Obama-era national monuments, and leaving the Paris Climate Accord.

نہال ہاشمی باز نہ آئے، جیل سے رہائی کے بعد پھر سخت بیان

راولپنڈی: سینیٹر نہال ہاشمی نے اڈیالہ جیل سے رہائی کے بعد ایک بار پھر سخت بیان دیتے ہوئے کہا ہے کہ میں نے کب کسی کا نام لے کر تنقید کی، مجھے انتقام کا نشانہ بناکر ناانصافی پر مبنی فیصلہ کیا گیا۔

تفصیلات کے مطابق عدلیہ مخالف تقریر کا جرم ثابت ہونے پر سپریم کورٹ کی جانب سے سزایافتہ مسلم لیگ ن کے سابق رہنما اور سینیٹر نہال ہاشمی نے رہائی کے بعد ایک بار پھر بغیر نام لیے اداروں پر شدید تنقید کرڈالی۔

میڈیا سے گفتگو کرتے ہوئے سینیٹر نہال ہاشمی کا کہنا تھا کہ میں نے کسی بابا رحمتے یا چاچا کا نام نہیں لیا، تم مجھے جیل بھیج سکتے ہو گولی مارسکتے ہو مگر جان نہیں لے سکتے کیونکہ وہ رب کے ہاتھ میں ہے۔

انہوں نے سوال کیا کہ مجھے انتقام کا نشانہ بنایا گیا یا میرے ساتھ انصاف کیا گیا؟ ، وہ شرمندہ ہوا ہوگا جس نے اپنے اختیار کا ناجائز فائدہ اٹھایا، برائے مہربانی اپنا کام کریں کیونکہ اللہ کو جواب دینا ہے۔

مسلم لیگ ن کے سابق رہنما کا کہنا تھا کہ نیب پاکستان کا سب سے کرپٹ ادارہ ہے، اس محکمے کے افسران کے گھروں پر چھاپے ماریں تو ملک کی لوٹی ہوئی آدھی دولت مل جائے گی۔

 جیل سے رہائی کےملنے پر مسلم لیگ ن کے رہنماؤں اور کارکنان نے اسیر سینیٹر کا پرتپاک استقبال کیا اور پھولوں کی پتیاں بھی نچھاور کیں، اس موقع پر اڈیالہ جیل کے باہر شدید بدنظمی بھی دیکھنے میں آئی اور مسلم لیگ ن سندھ کے جوائنٹ سیکریٹری کی جیب بھی کٹی۔

کیا چینی صدر دنیا کے طاقتور ترین شخص بننے والے ہیں؟

صدر شی جن پنگ کا شمار چینی تاریخ کے مقبول اور طاقتور ترین رہنماﺅں میں ہوتا ہے ،مگر اب ان کی اثر پذیری میں مزید اضافہ متوقع ہے یوں لگتا ہے کہ آنے والی دہائی میں بھی وہ برسر اقتدار رہیں گے۔

فصیلات کے مطابق صدر شی جن پنگ ، جنھیں انقلاب چین کے بانی ماﺅزے تنگ کے بعد بااثر ترین لیڈر تصور کیا جاتا ہے ، جلد مزید سیاسی وقت اختیار کرلیں گے۔ چین کی حکمراں جماعت کمیونسٹ پارٹی نے آئین میں اس شق کو ختم کرنے کی تجویز دی ہے، جس کے تحت ایک شخص مسلسل دو بار ہی صدر منتخب ہو سکتا ہے۔ یاد رہے کہ صدر شی جن پنگ 2023 تک عہدے پر برا جمان ہیں۔ اگر یہ تجویز منظور کر لی گئی، تو ان کا اقتدار 2030 تک محیط ہوسکتا ہے۔

موجودہ چینی آئین کے تحت کوئی صدر یا نائب صدر مسلسل دو بار پانچ پانچ برس کے لیے یہ عہدہ نہیں سنبھال سکتا، البتہ جماعت کی جانب سے ووٹنگ کی ذریعے اس شق کو ختم کیا جاسکتا ہے۔ اس فیصلے سے موجودہ چینی صدر کو اپنے طویل المدت منصوبوں کی تکمیل اور اپنے ارادوں کو حقیقت کا روپ دینے کے لیے وقت اور طاقت مل جائیں گے۔

واضح رہے کہ صدر شی جن پنگ کے دور صدارت میں توسیع کی خبریں کافی عرصے سے گردش میں تھی۔ اس ضمن میں پارٹی کی جانب سے ماحول بھی تیار کیا گیا۔ گذشتہ برس کے اواخر میں معنقدہ ایک اہم ترین میٹنگ میں پارٹی نے اپنے طریقے کار کے برعکس ان کے جانشین کا اعلان نہیں کیا تھا۔

1953 میں پیدا ہونے والے شی جن پنگ 1974 میں کمیونسٹ پارٹی میں شامل ہوئے، 2013 میں وہ اس کے صدر بن گئے تھے۔ منصب صدارتی سنبھالنے کے بعد انھوں نے اقتصادی اصلاحات متعارف کرائیں اورکرپشن کے خلاف مہم شروع کیا۔

چین کے حریف بالخصوص امریکا کی چین میں ہونے والی اس متوقع آئینی ترمیم پر گہری نظر ہے۔ تجزیہ کاروں کا خیال ہے کہ یہ فیصلہ امریکا کے ساتھ ساتھ بھارت کے بھی پریشان کا باعث بن سکتا ہے۔

حکومت نے پیٹرولیم مصنوعات کی قیمتوں میں اضافے کی تیاری کرلی

اوگرا نے پیٹرولیم مصنوعات کی قیمتوں میں مزید اضافے کی سمری وزارت پیٹرولیم کو ارسال کردی، مجموعی طور پر 16 روپے 78 پیسے اضافے کی تجویز دی گئی ہے۔

اسلام آباد : اوگرا نے پیٹرولیم مصنوعات کی قیمتوں میں مزید اضافے کی سمری وزارت پیٹرولیم کو ارسال کردی، مجموعی طور پر 16 روپے 78 پیسے اضافے کی تجویز دی گئی ہے۔

تفصیلات کے مطابق وفاقی حکومت نے ایک بار پھر عوام پر پیٹرول بم گرانے کی تیاری کرلی، خام تیل کی قیمتوں میں اضافے کے سبب آئندہ ماہ کے لیے آئل اینڈ گیس ریگولیٹری اتھارٹی (اوگرا) کی جانب سے پیٹرولیم مصنوعات کی قیمتوں میں اضافے کے لئے سمری وزارت پٹرولیم کوارسال کر دی گئی ہے۔

مذکورہ سمری میں پیٹرول 3 روپے 56 پیسے فی لیٹر، ہائی اسپیڈ ڈیزل 6 روپے 94 پیسےفی لیٹر، مٹی کا تیل 6 روپے 28 پیسے فی لیٹر مہنگا کرنے کی سفارش کی گئی ہے۔

اس کے علاوہ لائٹ ڈیزل کی قیمت میں بھی ایک روپے اضافے کی تجویز دی گئی ہے, پیٹرولیم مصنوعات کے نئے نرخوں میں اضافے کی حتمی منظوری وزیر اعظم شاہد خاقان عباسی دیں گے، حکومت کی جانب سے حتمی منظوری کے بعد نئی قیمتوں کا اعلان کل بروز بدھ کیا جائے گا اورقیمتوں کا اطلاق یکم مارچ سے ہوگا۔

توقع کی جارہی ہے کہ اوگرا کی پیٹرولیم مصنوعات کی قیمتوں میں اضافے کی سمری وزارت پیٹرولیم کی جانب سے منظور کر لی جائے گی، مصنوعات کی قیمتوں میں اضافہ کا براہ راست اثر ٹرانسپورٹ کے کرایوں اور اشیائے خورد ونوش کی قیمتوں پڑے گا۔

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Trump names Brad Parscale as campaign manager for 2020 re-election bid

Trump Keeping Campaign Promise, more money in pay checks

Written By - M. Saleem Anwar

President Trump has tapped former adviser Brad Parscale to be campaign manager for his 2020 re-election bid, underscoring his intentions to run for a second term.

Parscale, who previously worked for the Trump Organization, was Trump’s top digital operations guru during the 2016 campaign. 

“President Trump is delivering on his promises for a stronger more prosperous country. ... We’re committed to continuing this fight for our country by President Trump’s side and I’m thrilled Brad will help lead the effort,” Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a statement released by the Trump campaign. 

Trump has left little doubt about his intentions to seek re-election, and the Parscale decision effectively cements those plans.

Trump filed the paperwork to organize his re-election committee on the same day as his inauguration, held his first campaign rally on Feb. 18, 2017, in Florida, and has mused publicly about would-be Democratic challengers.

That field already is staggeringly broad.

Politicians ranging from California Sen. Kamala Harris to New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker to 2016 Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders are thought to be considering a run.

Some conservatives, though, think Trump would stand the best chance against Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

A straw poll taken at the Conservative Political Action Conference showed participants picked Warren as the Democrat most likely to lose to Trump – if she runs.

National Pancake Day: Enjoy a free short stack at IHOP

IHOP if offering a free short stack of pancakes for National Pancake Day. (PRNewsfoto/IHOP Restaurants)

Written By: M. Saleem Anwar

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- It's National Pancake Day and IHOP is celebrating by offering customers a free short stack of its original buttermilk pancakes in exchange for a donation to one of its children's charities.

The event is the centerpiece for IHOP's 60 Days of Giving campaign -- to mark IHOP's 60th year in business -- that aims to raise $5 million for children's hospitals and medical research.

On Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., with select locations participating until 10 p.m., guests can receive a free short stack.

The Staten Island IHOP restaurant is located at 935 Richmond Ave., Graniteville.

"For 60 years, IHOP and our franchisees have made it our mission to support the communities we serve. IHOP National Pancake Day is our declaration to pancake lovers everywhere that we are committed to giving back in meaningful ways," said Darren Rebelez, president of IHOP, in a statement.

IHOP and its franchisees have raised almost $30 million for youth health, wellness and educational organizations since 2006.

All of the money raised during this year's two-month campaign will stay local and benefit thousands of children's hospitals across the country.

Participating charities include the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, the Shriners Hospitals for Children and the Lukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Kiwanis International is the restaurant's volunteer partner on the fundraiser.

For more information on IHOP National Pancake Day and the 60 Days of Giving campaign, including restaurant hours and charity support by restaurants, please visit www.ihoppancakeday.com.

Bill Cosby's beloved and beautiful daughter Ensa has died at aged 44

Bill Cosby's daughter has died at the age of 44, just a month before he's due to face a retrial on rape charges.

Ensa Cosby passed away on Friday in Massachusetts where the family has a home.

Cosby's spokesperson, Andrew Wyatt, said that Ensa's death was the result of kidney disease.

Cosby's daughter was a huge supporter of her father during his sexual assault trial last year saying the accusations were racially-charged.

"I'm a very private person and I've chosen to live my life with my family quietly but for my child, my niece and my nephew, and my father, I can't sit quietly anymore," Ensa said. "The man portrayed in the media today is not who my father is."

She then added that the sexual assault claims had damaged her father's reputation saying, "The accusations against my father have been one sided since the beginning, and when he tried to defend himself he was sued in civil court. I've seen the accusations become more horrific and extreme with time and I have witnessed my father's reputation and legendary work be dismissed without any proof."

Ensa continued, "I strongly believe my father is innocent of the crimes alleged against him and I believe that racism has played a big role in all aspects of this scandal."

She concluded her statement saying Bill had been "lynched in the media" and called the accusations against him "cruel."

Ensa was a yoga instructor in Sherburne Falls near her family's estate; she had also appeared in an episode of The Cosby Show during 1989.

The Cosby Show character Vanessa Huxtable was based on Ensa.

Similarities in the deaths of Sridevi, Whitney Houston

Sridevi died in the bathtub of room number 2201 at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel. The police said that there was no clear criminal motive with regard to her death.

Bollywood actor and celebrity chat show host Simi Garewal has tweeted after Sridevi’s sudden demise. She finds similarities between the deaths of American singer Whitney Houston and Sridevi. While Houston died by drowning after drug intoxication, Sridevi accidentally drowned on Saturday night.

Sridevi died in the bathtub of room number 2201 at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel. The police said that there was no clear criminal motive with regard to her death, neither did she suffer a cardiac arrest like how it was reported earlier.

Her death certificate, issued by the Ministry of Health and Prevention’s Preventive Medicine Department also stated that her death was due to accidental drowning. A formal medical committee, under the supervision of senior police officials, is continuing with the investigation.

Also, Indian Consulate in Dubai is continuing to wait and hope that all procedures towards the repatriation of Sridevi’s body would complete as soon as possible.

Sridevi was in Dubai to attend the marriage of her nephew Mohit Marwah. After the marriage, her husband Boney Kapoor had returned to India. Later, he went back to Dubai for a surprise dinner with Sridevi when the incident happened.

Writer: M. Saleem Anwar