So you want to learn how to find trending keywords? These types of SEO keywords not only help you stay relevant but also allow you to capture search demand when it's at its peak.
Whether you're running a local business, an e-commerce store, or a niche website, keeping an eye on trending keywords can give you a slight edge over your competitors.
In this article, we’ll share eight top ways to discover trending keywords for SEO so you can maximize your content's potential and stay ahead of market shifts.
Let's begin by clarifying what trending keywords are.
What are Trending Keywords?
Trending keywords are search terms that experience a surge in popularity over a specific period. These keywords often reflect current events, seasonal interests, or popular topics in media and culture.
For SEO, targeting trending keywords can help you create content that taps into the latest search demand, giving your website a chance to rank higher in search engine results.
Trending keywords are like hot topics that everyone is talking about at a given moment. They don’t stay popular forever, but using them while they’re trending can boost your visibility and improve your SEO performance.
An great example of a trending keyword from not so long ago is "Paris 2024." As you can see in the Google Trends screenshot below, the keyword (search term) gained a lot of interest around the time of the Paris Olympics.
Trending keywords shouldn't get confused with seasonal keywords which are more relevant to specific times of the year or recurring events, such as holidays or yearly festivals.
Like "Christmas gift ideas" is an example of a seasonal keyword since it repeats at a specific time of the year.
Are Trending Keywords Useful for SEO?
Yes, trending keywords can be useful for SEO. When you target trending keywords, you’re tapping into what people are actively searching for at that moment.
This can help your website rank higher in search results, bringing in more traffic. Since trending keywords are often tied to current events or popular topics, creating content around them can also make your site appear more relevant and timely to users.
However, it’s important to remember that unlike evergreen content, trending keywords can lose popularity quickly.
While they can give you a temporary boost in traffic, they may not provide long-term results.
That’s why it’s a good idea to balance trending keywords with evergreen keywords.
Evergreen web content has (virtually) no expiration date and ideally will retain its value over the long-term.
- Megan Marrs, WordStream
Let's look at some ways on how to find trending keywords for your SEO and content marketing.
How to Find Trending Keywords for SEO
Google Trends
Google Trends is a free tool from Google that shows how often specific keywords are being searched for over time. It helps you track the popularity of a keyword and see whether it’s rising or falling in search interest.
Google Trends offers you an invaluable window into real-time public interest.
- Chris Bross, Partner and COO at Evereffect
You can also compare multiple keywords and view data for different regions, time frames, and categories.
To find trending keywords using Google Trends, simply enter a topic or search term into the tool.
Google Trends will show you how that keyword is performing, highlight any spikes in interest, and suggest related trending terms.
For instance, let's imagine that you're in the fitness niche and you'd like to use Google Trends to find some trending keywords.
Just enter "at home workouts" in the search bar and scroll down until you see "Related queries", here you will see some of the rising searches that are gaining popularity.
Here you can see searches such as "lateral raises" and "arm workout at home without equipment" has been gaining a lot of traction in the last year.
You can take it a step further by looking at the Google Trends for those specific queries to get even more insights.
Google Trends is quite helpful when you want to create content around popular or emerging topics that people are searching for right now. It’s a quick and easy way to identify keywords that can give your SEO a boost by aligning with current search trends.
Google Keyword Planner
Google Keyword Planner is a tool designed to help you find relevant keywords for your content, especially if you're running paid ads and it’s also useful for identifying trending keywords for SEO.
The tool provides data on search volume, competition levels, and keyword trends over time, giving you insights into which keywords are gaining popularity.
To use Google Keyword Planner for finding trending keywords, start by entering a seed keyword or topic related to your niche in the "Discover new keywords" section.
Enter the keyword and the respective country and language you want to see keyword data for.
Let's take the example of the fitness blog, I want to find keywords relevant to "at home exercises."
The tool will then generate a list of keyword ideas along with metrics like average monthly searches and competition.
Next, I'd soft the list of keywords from descending order in the "YoY Change" column, these are the keywords that have gained the most searches over the last year.
From the above screenshot, I can see a few great keyword ideas that have exploded in search volume over the last year.
This indicates that these keywords are trending and can be great opportunities for your content.
Additionally, you can filter the results by time period to spot keywords that have recently gained momentum, helping you stay ahead of the curve.
Google Search Bar
One simple way to find trending keywords is by using the Google Search Bar.
When you click on the search bar on Google.com, you'll see a list of trending searches based on what people are currently looking for.
These topics change frequently, giving you insight into what's popular at that moment. While the trending searches might not always be relevant to your niche or business, they can spark ideas or lead you to a keyword that fits your content.
To get more accurate results, use Incognito mode when doing this. Incognito mode prevents Google from showing you personalized search results based on your past searches.
This way, you'll see fresh, unbiased trending keywords, helping you discover what’s hot across the web.
People Also Ask Questions
Another free method on how to find trending keywords is using Google’s People Also Ask (PAA) feature.
When you search for something on Google, the PAA box appears with a list of related questions that other users are frequently asking. These questions give you valuable insight into the topics and keywords people are searching for, often reflecting current trends or popular interests.
The PAA results are a goldmine of information.
- Helen Pollitt, Head of SEO at Car and Classic
To use this method, simply enter a topic or keyword into Google’s search bar, and scroll down until you see the People Also Ask section. The questions listed there can serve as inspiration for trending keywords and content ideas.
For example, if you search for “discgolf,” you might see PAA questions like “How do you play disc golf?” or “What are the basic rules of disc golf?”
These questions can help you identify keywords and create content around topics that are generating a lot of interest.
The best part is, the more you click on these PAA questions, the more related questions will appear, giving you an ongoing list of potential trending keywords to explore.
Find Trending Keywords using SEOptimer
You can also find trending keywords using SEOptimer's Keyword Research tool.
Another way to find trending keywords is by using SEOptimer’s keyword research tool.
Our tool generates keyword suggestions based on the broad keyword you enter, helping you uncover popular and relevant search terms.
Once you input a keyword, SEOptimer will provide you with valuable data, such as the monthly search volume for each keyword, the level of competition, and even the SERP (Search Engine Results Page) result for each term.
This data allows you to quickly assess which trending keywords are worth targeting.
For example, if you enter a broad keyword like "digital marketing," SEOptimer will suggest related keywords and show how many people are searching for them each month.
You can also check how competitive each keyword is, giving you an idea of which ones might be easier to rank for.
Additionally, viewing the SERP results lets you analyze what content is currently ranking, helping you optimize your own content for those trending keywords.
Monitor Social Media Keywords
Social media is a great tool for finding trending keywords because it reflects real-time conversations and interests.
Platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok are constantly buzzing with the latest topics, making them great places to discover what’s currently popular.
You can monitor the keywords people are using in their posts, discussions, and comments to identify trends that are gaining traction.
One way to find trending keywords through social media is by tracking hashtags. Hashtags are keywords or phrases preceded by the “#” symbol that group conversations around a specific topic.
Popular hashtags often indicate what’s trending in real time.
By monitoring these hashtags, you can get ideas for keywords that are relevant to your audience and create content that taps into those trends.
Use Reddit to Find Trending Keywords
Reddit is an excellent platform for finding trending keywords because it’s a hub of real-time discussions, opinions, and questions from people across the world.
Users openly share their thoughts on products, complain about issues, or seek advice on Reddit.
By browsing through different subreddits (topic-specific forums), you can discover what’s trending in your niche and find keyword ideas that reflect what people are talking about or need help with.
To find trending keywords on Reddit, start by searching for topics related to your niche. You can use the search bar to enter a broad keyword and browse through relevant subreddits.
Pay attention to popular threads with a lot of upvotes and comments, as these often highlight current trends.
You can also filter posts by “hot” or “top” to see what’s gaining attention at the moment.
Let's take a look at how to find trending keywords on Reddit. Imagine that you run a gardening blog and you want some ideas for trending keywords for a blog post.
Begin by typing "gardening" into the search bar on top.
You'll see a bunch of topics and different communities (subreddits), these include:
- gardening
- OrganicGardening
- GardeningUK
- vegetablegardening
You can browse through each of these subreddits to find recurring topics and keyword ideas.
For this example, I'm going to choose the /gardening subreddit since it has the most active members.
As I mentioned, you can sort the topics in each subreddit using the drop-down button on top of the subreddit.
There are several posts in this subreddit from people asking if they're using too much water or not enough food for their plants.
This could be a great keyword idea for an SEO blog post. Just do proper keyword research to find the best target keyword for this topic.
You can also use a Reddit specific keyword tool called Keyworddit to find some of the most popular keywords and their search volumes.
Of course, be sure to add these keywords into your favorite keyword research tool to check for accuracy since this tool is pretty basic and has limited functionality.
Stay in the Loop with Current Events
Another useful tactic to find trending keywords is by staying in the loop with current events since major news stories and events drive search interest.
When a big event happens—like a sports tournament, a product launch, or a cultural trend—people flock to search engines to learn more. By keeping up with the latest news, you can identify keywords that are rapidly gaining popularity and create timely content around them.
To do this, regularly check news websites, follow industry blogs, and set up Google Alerts for topics related to your niche. This will notify you whenever something important happens in your field.
And you don't have to be a news site to create content on these "event keywords" that are trending.
For instance, when Google released their AI Overviews earlier this year, it was big news in the SEO world.
We capitalized on this opportunity by creating a detailed blog post explaining Google AI Overviews and it will change SEO.
I can think of similar examples in different niches outside of SEO.
For instance, if you run a local dental practice, then you can publish blog posts on new research and findings within the field of dentistry.
Conclusion
Finding and using trending keywords is a great way to stay ahead of the curve and improve your SEO strategy.
By using the methods listed in this post, you can uncover valuable insights into what people are currently searching for.
Leveraging these trends allows you to create timely, relevant content that captures more traffic.
