How to find emerging audience needs using Google Trends

Focusing deeply on audience needs will fundamentally change the way you develop SEO strategies and improve long-term and short-term brand performance.

A bold statement?

I don’t think so.

Google integrates AI into the ranking system, allowing the algorithm to rate like a human.

You will have no choice but to understand the audience’s needs because Google uses this AI to improve how the content matches the audience’s intent.

This is why digital PR for SEO is an alternative to link building.

You even see it in enterprise SEO, integrating PR and SEO to reach and convert audiences into buyers.

My favorite method for identifying emerging audience needs is to use Google Trends.

Audience search behavior data in Trends clearly shows what’s important to a given audience.

Have you heard the expression “follow the money?” »

This trope emphasizes that when an audience takes a “meaningful” action, it shows their importance.

Meaningful action is spending money or attending an event you’ve heard about.

Behaviors are a window into intention.

Google Trends is a tool for businesses to analyze data about an audience’s search behavior. It reveals what your audience cares about, needs, or wants over time.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to using Google Trends and other techniques to find and meet the emerging needs of this audience.

Step 1: Select Audience Category

How does your audience refer to products/services in your category?

Analyze your site or that of your competitors to identify homepage keyword rankings for general keywords. Look for keywords that mention the general name of the product/service.

But don’t stop there. Search for product subcategories.

Some might call these niches, but that’s a silly term. These are audience categories with common interests and behaviors.

For example, Averton is an electric bike brand whose audience searches for the term “e-bike”.

However, their audience is also looking for more specific products like the “foldable electric bike”. This category could have hundreds of features.

Advice: The public can search the category with a branded term. For example, the public searches for “Averton eBike” on Google when searching for the brand.

With the target category in hand, dig deeper and discover the pain points or problems the audience is experiencing in that category.

Step 2: Identify weak points

What are the audience issues related to the category?

Each situation may require a different technique to better understand the audience’s needs. Here are some methods:

• Google Autocomplete: This may show issues with the query.
• Social surveys: Conduct a survey on LinkedIn, X, or other websites.
• Social post, then analysis: Analyze the audience who interacts with your social networks for weak points.

I’ve looked at the eBike category below to highlight how to quickly discover information.

First, using an autocomplete search for “eBike” reveals three potential problems:

• Course : Electric bikes are dangerous and people may not know how to ride them.
• Battery: This may be an ongoing expense
• Conversion kit: Instead of buying an electric bike, it is cheaper to convert a regular bike into an electric bike.

Determine whether audience interest is increasing or decreasing to get a deeper, more meaningful picture of audience search behavior.

Step 3: Analyze audience behavior around the topic

Are the issues trending upward, downward, or stagnant?

Digging into the example of “e-bike courses”, consumer interest in “courses” is increasing.

Given that consumer demand for e-bikes is increasing and Google Autocomplete includes “classes,” this seems like an important need to solve.

An e-bike company can use this information to develop a training course to improve safety. This could also lead to a new integrated drive function with a gyroscopic stabilizer.

Little advice: Use this litmus test to determine if this trend is seeing sustainable growth.

• Is the trend model scalable?
• Urgency and urgent deadline?
• Emotional problem or practical problem?
• Lack of existing solutions to solve the problem?

Using Google Trends, Autocomplete and Semrush significantly reduces the time needed to detect emerging needs and issues.

By systematically selecting your audience category, identifying their pain points, and analyzing behavioral trends, you can develop targeted strategies to build a strong, authentic connection with them.

And it’s money!