Google Trends is the overlooked weapon in any SEO's free toolkit. While it doesn't show search volumes, its relative interest data is uniquely valuable for identifying seasonal patterns and validating whether a topic is growing or declining.
Best for
Validating keyword seasonality, identifying trending topics, and comparing brand interest over time
Skip it if
You need actual search volumes or keyword difficulty for content investment decisions
Google Trends pricing plans
Not sure which plan covers your sites and keywords? Use the plan finder
- Prices read from vendor site; some terms not published thereGoogle Trends: source information reviewed from trends.google.com and support.google.com on .
What Google Trends shows and what it does not
Shows
- Relative interest over time
- Seasonal patterns
- Comparisons between terms and regions
Does not show
- Absolute search volume
- Ranking difficulty
- Keyword lists at scale
Strengths and drawbacks
What you get
- Completely free, no account needed
- Shows seasonal trends and growing vs declining keyword interest
- Geographic breakdown shows where interest is strongest
What holds it back
- Shows relative interest (0-100) only: no actual search volume numbers
- Cannot compare absolute traffic between different keywords
- No keyword difficulty, SERP data, or competitive intelligence
The verdict
Google Trends is uniquely useful for understanding whether a keyword is growing or declining. Pair it with Mangools or Semrush for actual volume data. Trends tells you the direction, paid tools tell you the size.
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Google Trends compared with its rivals on price
Each row shows the cheapest plan that publishes its site and keyword limits, so the prices compare like with like.
| Tool | Price of that plan | Sites or projects | Tracked keywords | Full comparison |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Trends | no published price | not published | not published | This page |
| MangoolsBasic plan | $61/mo | not published | 200 | Mangools vs Google Trends |
Prices are shown in the currency each vendor published. Swipe sideways to see every column.