In the fast-paced world of digital marketing, staying ahead of audience interests is key to driving engagement. For businesses and educational institutions alike, understanding what people are searching for is crucial to creating content that resonates. That’s where Google Trends comes in. This powerful, free tool from Google lets you explore the popularity of search terms over time and across regions, making it a vital asset in your content planning arsenal.
Why Google Trends?
Google Trends is more than just a curiosity tool; it’s a data-driven way to align your content with real-world interest. Whether you’re launching a campaign, planning a blog calendar, or looking to tap into seasonal spikes, Trends helps you:
- Identify popular and emerging topics
- Compare interest across multiple search terms
- Discover geographic hotspots for your content
- Inform keyword strategies for SEO
- Spot declining trends to avoid
For marketing teams in the creative, print and digital sectors, it provides a solid foundation for audience-first content strategies.
Getting Started with Google Trends
Visit trends.google.com and type in a term relevant to your business. For example, a design agency might explore terms like “brand refresh”, “logo design”, or “social media templates”. You can filter results by region, time frame, category, and even the type of search (web, image, news, YouTube, or shopping).
The tool presents data in an accessible graph format, showing interest over time and related topics or queries. This helps inform not just what content to create, but when to publish it.
Practical Applications for Your Business
1. Content Calendars
Use Google Trends to plan your blog or social content calendar around interest peaks. For example, if interest in “open day flyers” spikes in August, you can create print and design content in July to capture that wave.
2. Keyword Research for SEO
Pair Google Trends with tools like SEMrush, AnswerThePublic or Google’s own Keyword Planner. Use Trends to validate that a keyword is not just searched, but gaining traction. This ensures your SEO targets are timely and relevant.
3. Geographic Targeting
Trends can reveal where interest in a topic is growing. A school marketing campaign might perform better in certain counties. Use this insight to tailor your message geographically.
4. Competitor Research
Compare brand names, services, or sector-related terms to see who is gaining attention and when. This helps inform your marketing strategy or even product development.
Complementary Tools for Content Planning
While Google Trends is invaluable, it works best alongside other content intelligence tools:
- AnswerThePublic: Visualises questions people are asking around a topic
- BuzzSumo: Analyses what content performs best across social platforms
- SEMrush: Tracks keyword rankings, content gaps and SEO health
- Ubersuggest: Offers keyword suggestions and competitive analysis
- Pinterest Trends (for education and retail): Offers visual content insights
Using these tools together can paint a comprehensive picture of your content landscape.
Content Types that Benefit Most
At Datum, we regularly use Google Trends and other data sources to plan:
- Blog articles
- Print collateral like brochures and flyers
- Seasonal direct mail campaigns
- Email newsletter themes
- Social media content calendars
- SEO-led website content refreshes
This approach ensures every piece of content is backed by real audience interest, increasing the chances of engagement and ROI.
Real-World Example
Let’s say you’re promoting your school’s sixth form intake. You might notice a Google Trends spike in searches for “sixth form open days” every October. By knowing this in advance, you can prepare printed materials, digital adverts and social media content that aligns with audience interest—ensuring visibility when it matters most.
Long-Term Benefit: Content That Lasts
Not every content piece should be trend-based. Use Trends to guide timely topics, but balance it with evergreen content (always relevant) and pillar content (in-depth guides or services pages). Together, this strategy ensures both short-term engagement and long-term value.
Let’s Plan Smarter
If you’re a school, university or business looking to make your marketing smarter, Google Trends is a brilliant starting point. But real success comes from using these insights to guide a joined-up creative, print and digital approach—one that speaks directly to your audience, when they’re most engaged.
Ready to plan smarter content with Datum? Get in touch with our team to see how our retained services can keep your campaigns consistent, timely and impactful.
