How should you use keywords with different search trends?

How you use keywords with different search trends depends on the observation period and content goals. Terms with relatively stable interest throughout the year suit long-term content. Those that gain interest during particular seasons or events suit content timed to those occasions. Rising search terms can help identify relevant new topics, while steadily declining interest calls for a check on whether demand or terminology has changed. The topic must be relevant to the business and readers’ needs. Do not write about something simply because it is popular, or assume that rising search interest will necessarily increase traffic or sales.

Define the time period and region before comparing keywords

Google’s official guidance explains that Google Trends uses aggregated, anonymized, and categorized random samples of searches to show interest in queries or topics across regions. Before planning, clarify which market you serve, which period you are examining, and whether the content should meet long-term information needs or increase visibility for a short-term campaign.

• Long-term content: examine changes throughout the year and over longer periods to determine whether interest is relatively stable.
• Seasonal content: compare similar periods across different years to check whether peaks recur.
• Recent topics: examine recent changes, then look back over a longer period to avoid making decisions based solely on a brief spike.

When two terms are both worth considering, compare their trends using the same region and date range. When choosing a primary keyword, you still need to consider relevance and competition, not just which term has the higher trend line.

Use stable terms for long-term content and seasonal terms for seasonal campaigns

A 2024 article on Neil Patel’s website describes evergreen keywords as terms with relatively stable search volume throughout the year, making them suitable for long-term content and SEO strategies. The focus should be on consistently answering questions that matter to the audience, rather than chasing a one-time surge in interest. Relative stability does not mean search volume is exactly the same every month.

At Procrustes, we continually plan, write, and update articles around the questions customers genuinely care about.

Seasonal keywords gain interest around occasions such as holidays or the start of the school year, making them suitable for content and promotions tied to those occasions. For example, gift guides or back-to-school shopping topics can be planned around the relevant season. Evaluate them against visibility and traffic goals for that period, rather than treating peak-season performance as the year-round norm.

Use rising terms to find new topics, but first consider what useful information your brand can offer

Google Trends can help you explore rising search terms and related topics. Google’s official guidance also explicitly cautions against writing about a topic solely because it is trending. First ask: how does this question relate to your products or services? Can you provide information that is useful to readers? If these conditions are met, consider adding content or optimizing relevant pages.

A rising trend can suggest topics to cover, but it does not guarantee results. After publishing, continue tracking your website’s actual performance rather than treating search interest as a measure of its success.

Investigate declining terms before switching to popular ones

A 2022 article by Welly suggests that when search interest in a keyword declines, you can examine whether people are using different search terms or whether the product or service is becoming less popular. These are possible explanations that require verification; a declining trend line alone cannot establish the cause. In practice, start by comparing related terms and looking at trends over a longer period. If you consider changing the content’s focus, the new terms should still fit your existing services and readers’ needs, rather than simply attracting greater interest.