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Executive Summary: How to Use Google Trends for Market Research in 2026

 

 

Google Trends offers a real-time window into consumer interest and market movement. It translates billions of search queries into measurable demand patterns.

Google Trends does not show absolute search volumes. Instead, it normalizes search data to support comparisons across time periods, locations, and terms.

It scales each dataset so that the peak value within the selected time and region equals 100. All other values fall proportionally between 0 and 100. For instance, a value of 50 means the term was half as popular as its peak during that period, not that it accounted for 50% of all searches.

This scaling method enables clearer comparisons. It removes distortions caused by raw search volume differences and presents an index of relative interest.

Insights from Time and Regional Filters

Applying filters by time and region allows users to find specific patterns:

  • Long-term, Global Views: These views highlight sustained trends and structural shifts in keyword interest. For example, searches for “remote work” have steadily increased since 2020.

 

Credit: Quartz

 

  • Short-term, Localized Data: This data captures seasonal changes, media-driven increases, and spikes tied to specific events. For example, public interest often rises during major disasters, such as in February 2023, when searches surged after the earthquake in Turkey and Syria.

Strategic Applications for Business Leaders

Executives use Google Trends to align market sensing with decision timing across strategic cycles. It informs quarterly planning, product validation, and regional expansion by tracking shifts in consumer interest.

A study of nearly 200 publicly traded US retailers from 2004 to 2019 showed a pattern that rising search volumes often preceded revenue growth. This trend emerged before analysts or investors responded. The investment strategies based on Google Trends data delivered returns 2%-3% above traditional models.

Business leaders monitor search patterns consistently to identify where demand grows or slows. It enables them to adjust capital allocation, refine marketing budgets, and rebalance portfolios. In turn, organizations that rely on data-driven decisions tend to attract and retain customers more effectively. They also maintain stronger profitability than those that do not.

When applied systematically, Google Trends improves forecasting accuracy and offers a cost-effective, frequent view of changing market sentiment.

Search patterns often appear before measurable market outcomes. These signals may lead to actual results by days, weeks, or even quarters.

For example, a steady increase in “electric SUV” searches across North America reflects growing consumer interest in electric vehicles.

Forecasts suggest the global electric SUV market will reach USD 4.33 trillion by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 31.9%. In North America, the US market is expected to grow at a 37.7% CAGR from 2024 to 2030.

Consumer search behavior often signals this growth. Academic research shows that online search activity predicts collective behavior several days or weeks in advance. Specifically for electric vehicles, search interest in terms like “electric SUV” and “EV range” tends to rise weeks before regional sales increase.

 

Interested in exploring more tools like Google Trends? Discover the Top 15 Google Trends Alternatives to Watch in 2026 to expand your market intelligence toolkit.

How to Use Google Trends for Market Research in 2026: Top 7 Application Areas

1. Research Topics & Keywords

Test precise keywords and close variants to uncover demand themes, product ideas, and content pillars. Start with long-term data to spot structural trends, and then narrow the view to the past twelve months for tactical insights.

Example Use Case – Sustainable Packaging

Start by entering “sustainable packaging” along with variants like “eco friendly packaging” and “biodegradable packaging.” Set the view to Worldwide over the past five years to assess long-term demand patterns and volatility.

 

 

Next, switch to the past 12 months to identify seasonal trends, policy shifts, or media-driven spikes. Note any inflection points that align with events, regulations, or brand campaigns.

 

Then, click Compare and add related terms such as “compostable packaging” and “plastic free packaging.” This step enables benchmarking momentum and prioritizing themes for messaging or investment.

 

 

After that, open Related Topics or Queries and filter by Rising. Shortlist terms that show breakout growth or sustained elevation over several months. Use these for quick experiments or landing page tests.

 

 

Toggle between Web, YouTube, and Shopping to understand funnel stages. YouTube often indicates educational interest, while Shopping reflects purchase intent for products or materials.

 

 

 

 

Use the geo heatmap to spot regions with concentrated interest. Record top countries and states to guide pilot launches, event planning, and sales outreach.

 

 

Finally, export the chart or copy the embed. Annotate key dates and decisions in your research log and validate findings with Google Ads volume, Search Console impressions, and sales inquiries.

Best Practices

  • Start with one core concept and two close variants. This will allow for limiting noise from vague or overly broad phrasing during comparisons.
  • Maintain consistent timeframes across analyses. Use five years to guide strategy, twelve months to track seasonality, and ninety days to monitor campaign shifts.
  • Treat single-week spikes as working hypotheses. Google separates “Trending now” (week-over-week changes) from “Sustained interest” (month-over-month trends over 28 days).
  • Combine Google Trends with share-of-search metrics, CPC patterns, and conversion rates. This enables connecting shifts in attention to business outcomes.
  • Document term definitions, regions, timeframes, and decisions to ensure findings stay reproducible across teams and review cycles.

2. Analyze Seasonality

Google Trends allows you to spot recurring demand cycles. These insights support campaign timing, production planning, and resource allocation. Seasonal patterns show when interest typically rises, which aids in aligning marketing efforts and inventory decisions with expected demand. Additionally, many top Google search queries follow consistent seasonal trends.

Example Use Case – Air Conditioner

Start by entering “air conditioner” and selecting Worldwide with the Past 5 years time range. This view highlights annual demand peaks from April to June, which align with pre-summer buying behavior.

 

 

The rising temperatures often trigger increased interest in air conditioners. Demand typically reacts to weather changes within one to two days, a pattern known as the “latency effect.”

Next, narrow the view to the Past 12 months to identify deviations or early demand spikes caused by extreme weather or new energy-efficiency policies.

 

 

Google’s forecasting model uses historical data to estimate demand trends up to 180 days ahead.

Further, compare related queries such as “portable AC” or “inverter AC.” This reveals timing differences across product segments.

 

 

Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) items often show two seasonal peaks. Those are air conditioners in summer and heaters in winter.

Apply regional filters, such as individual countries, like Southeast Asia or North America, to explore geographic variations. In some markets, the temperature shifts influence demand hourly, even at the zip code level.

 

 

Combining these insights with internal sales or logistics data enables better forecasting and aids in positioning inventory and ad spend ahead of demand surges.

Best Practices

  • Start with a multi-year view (Past 5 years) to separate one-time spikes from recurring patterns to identify consistent seasonal trends. Research indicates that 88% of aggregated category search trends show predictable patterns over time.
  • Plan campaign launches 4-6 weeks before the anticipated peak. For example, searches for “spring cleaning services” usually rise in April and May, so March is a good time to begin.
  • Consider weather anomalies and regional holidays when interpreting trends. Temperature-driven demand shifts quickly, even within a season. In such cases, real-time, weather-based ad adjustments work better than broad seasonal strategies.
  • Then, integrate these insights into forecasting dashboards. Combine search interest, shipment data, and media spend to guide seasonal planning. Google Ads’ Insights page offers demand forecasts, showing when interest may rise, by how much, and for how long.

3. Compare Competitors

Leveraging Google Trends enables benchmarking brand visibility and tracking the share of search. This metric often reflects mindshare and signals market momentum. On average, the share of search accounts for 83% of the market share, which is based on 30 case studies across 12 categories in seven countries.

Further, comparing competitors allows for seeing how campaigns, product launches, or crises influence public attention. These shifts aid in assessing brand performance and guide strategic decisions over time.

Example Use Case – Tesla vs. BYD

Start by entering “Tesla” and “BYD” in the Compare field. Set the view to Worldwide and time as Past 5 years to observe long-term trends in search interest.

 

 

Additionally, BYD overtook Tesla’s EV market share in Q4 2024 and Q1 2025 and ended the quarter with over one million new-energy vehicle sales. Tesla sold 1.79 million battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in 2024 versus BYD’s 1.76 million. However, BYD reached 1.61 million units by September 2025 compared with Tesla’s 1.22 million.

 

Credit: Statista

 

As a next step, switch to the Past 12 months to assess recent spikes in interest. These may relate to new model releases or regulatory news.

 

 

Besides, apply regional filters such as China or Europe to identify geographic differences in brand visibility and market growth.

 

 

Add a third brand, such as “Toyota,” to compare traditional automakers with EV-focused companies.

 

 

Watch for crossover points where one brand overtakes another. Annotate these shifts with relevant context, such as advertising pushes, supply chain issues, or leadership announcements.

Lastly, export the data and track share-of-search percentages each quarter, which signals future market share changes. For instance, if a company’s search interest drops in a specific month, its market share may decline by a similar margin over the next year.

Best Practices

  • Focus on direct competitors with similar brand scope, product category, and target audience to ensure a fair and relevant comparison.
  • Apply the same timeframes and geographic filters to all brands. Google Trends uses a normalized 0-100 scale, so consistent baselines are essential for valid insights.
  • Combine search data with other metrics like sales, media spend, or web traffic to confirm whether increased attention aligns with actual market performance.
  • Use year-over-year comparisons to identify lasting growth trends and filter out short-term fluctuations.
  • Revisit competitor benchmarks every quarter to track new market entrants and shifts in consumer sentiment. Share of search often predicts market share changes several months in advance.

 

 

Using the “Related Topics” and “Related Queries” sections in Google Trends allows for finding emerging themes and nearby opportunities linked to the main keyword. These areas often reveal early shifts in consumer intent that standard research methods may overlook. Exploring them regularly enables adjusting strategies to match evolving interests.

Example Use Case – Electric Bikes

Start by searching for “electric bikes” and reviewing the Related Topics section to find adjacent interests.

 

 

 

Next, check the Rising queries under Related Queries. Look for breakout terms that signal shifting demand patterns.

 

 

Then, compare Top and Rising queries. Top queries reflect consistent interest, while Rising queries highlight emerging trends. This allows for separating stable demand from new momentum.

 

Further, apply regional filters to identify local innovation clusters. For example, a certain topic may trend in specific cities before gaining traction in other regions.

 

 

Document promising Rising terms, and test them through content pilots, product prototypes, or targeted ad campaigns to validate potential.

Best Practices

  • Start by focusing on “Rising” queries that show triple-digit growth or carry a “Breakout” label. A “Breakout” tag means the search term grew by over 5000%.
  • Next, group related queries into themes such as sustainability, affordability, or convenience to structure internal reports and guide roadmap discussions.
  • Then, cross-check rising topics with news coverage, patent filings, or startup activity to assess whether the trend has lasting potential.
  • Track changes in “Related Queries” each quarter for your key topics. This keeps you informed about shifts in consumer language and interest. Google Trends automatically highlights the fastest-growing topics and queries.
  • Test breakout keywords early, as these terms often face low competition, with keyword difficulty scores below 20. Early adoption improves visibility before the terms become widely used.

5. Check Regional Patterns

Google Trends offers geographic heatmaps to show where consumer interest clusters. These patterns aid in shaping expansion plans, localization efforts, and distribution strategies.

Reviewing regional insights allows for finding potential markets and early adopters. These signals often appear before sales data becomes available and offer a head start in planning.

Example Use Case – Solar Panels

Search for “solar panels” and review the Regional Interest map, which highlights countries with the highest search activity.

 

 

Hover over each region to view indexed scores. The high scores in regions like St. Helena, Zimbabwe, and Ireland indicate concentrated search interest, while Australia and Zambia reflect moderate engagement. The map’s color intensity reflects the share of searches for the term in each region.

Then, narrow the view to the city level for more precise targeting. Google Trends offers metro-level data in select countries, which supports localized campaign planning or pilot project selection.

 

 

To add context, combine geographic data with economic or policy indicators such as renewable energy incentives or tax credits to explain variations in interest.

Lastly, compare data across time periods to track geographic diffusion. This reveals how interest moves from early-adopting regions to new areas of growth.

Best Practices

  • Apply regional filters to match sales efforts or partner onboarding with areas showing strong local demand.
  • Focus on markets with steady growth across multiple quarters rather than reacting to short-term spikes.
  • Integrate geographic search data with CRM or ad platform analytics to tailor offers and content to local preferences.
  • Evaluate regions influenced by policy incentives separately. Temporary programs are able to inflate search interest without reflecting long-term demand.
  • Monitor regional keyword variations to refine messaging. Also, BigQuery’s public Google Trends dataset includes Nielsen Designated Market Area (DMA)-level data to track retail trends by region.

6. Filter by Platform

Segmenting Google Trends data by platform type, such as Web Search, YouTube, News, or Shopping, reveals how audiences engage at different stages of the purchase funnel.

Using these insights aids in aligning marketing formats, creative assets, and budget allocation. Each platform reflects distinct intent signals for tailoring strategies to channel-specific behavior.

Example Use Case – AI Tools

Start by entering “AI tools” and toggling between Web Search and YouTube Search. Web Search reflects research and evaluation behavior, while YouTube indicates early-stage interest and awareness.

 

 

 

Switch to Shopping Search to identify purchase intent. This view works well for SaaS or eCommerce brands tracking readiness to convert. Shopping trends often appear weeks before Web Search trends, which offer early signals of retail demand.

 

 

Then, use News Search to link media coverage with traffic spikes. This helps assess how publicity influences consumer perception.

 

 

Compare platform performance to adjust messaging tone and media spend. Each channel supports a different stage of the awareness-to-purchase journey.

Best Practices

  • Use platform trends to understand funnel stages. YouTube and News reflect top-funnel discovery, Web Search shows mid-funnel evaluation, and Shopping indicates purchase intent.
  • Match content formats to platform behavior. Use tutorials and explainers on YouTube, feature comparisons on the Web, and promotional offers on Shopping.
  • Watch for platform divergence to spot performance gaps. For example, strong YouTube interest but flat Shopping activity may suggest low conversion despite high awareness.
  • Review platform-level trends each quarter to adjust budget allocation across media and sales channels.

Use the Real-Time Search Trends section in Google Trends to track sudden shifts in consumer and media interest. These updates enable businesses to respond quickly to emerging topics or market changes.

Applying these insights allows for adjusting marketing, PR, and content strategies. Timely reactions improve relevance and audience engagement across channels.

Example Use Case – Business & Finance

Start by visiting Trending Searches → Real-Time, and enter a term to monitor hourly or daily changes in search interest.

Identify keywords or spikes linked to the topic to track shifts in public attention. Then, examine related queries to understand follow-up interest.

Apply country-level filters to see how context shapes interest across regions. Trending Now covers 125 countries, with deeper regional data available in 40.

Use the real-time insights to adjust press outreach, release content, or launch paid media to improve visibility and audience engagement.

For instance, selecting the United States region, choosing the Business and Finance category, and setting the time range to Past 24 hours gives trending topics such as American Airlines closing, AMC stock, or ARM stock with live search volume and growth percentages. These entries highlight short-term surges in public attention tied to breaking news or market events.

 

 

Best Practices

  • Use real-time data as an early signal for managing reputation or spotting emerging trends.
  • Monitor industry-specific terms daily or weekly and also set alerts to catch breakout activity as it happens.
  • Connect attention spikes with social sentiment or engagement metrics to confirm the trend before adjusting your response.
  • Apply short-cycle insights to launch reactive campaigns or product messages while interest remains high.
  • Finally, log major real-time trends in a tracker to build internal knowledge about timing and triggers. Also, Google’s updated forecasting engine refreshes every 10 minutes and detects more emerging trends.

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