Google Trends is a powerful tool for understanding search interest, but it doesn't show absolute search volume by default. Here's how you can access this valuable data and understand what the numbers mean.
Getting Absolute Search Volume in Google Trends
To view actual search volume numbers in Google Trends, simply install the Glimpse Chrome extension. This tool overlays absolute search volume data onto Google Trends charts, giving you a clearer picture of search popularity.
With Glimpse, you'll see:
Actual search volume numbers along the y-axis
Percent change over the past year
Growth trends at a glance
Glimpse adds absolute search volume numbers along the y-axis, supercharging Google Trends to show more than the default normalized 0-100 relative values. It also displays the rate of change of the topic over the past year to help you better understand its growth or decline over time.
Understanding Google Trends' Default 0-100 Index
By default, Google Trends displays relative search volume on a 0-100 scale. This normalized data compresses a keyword's peak search volume to 100, making it challenging to compare keywords with vastly different search volumes.
For example: "Bitcoin" reached 34 million searches in December 2017 (shown as 100 on Google Trends y-axis). When searches dropped to 5.7 million in May 2018, Google Trends displayed this as “12” (12% of the peak). This relative scale can significantly distort the perception of search volumes, especially when keywords or topics have varying magnitudes of search activity.
What Does "Breakout" Mean in Google Trends?
"Breakout" indicates exponential growth in search volume. It appears when a term goes from very low or no search volume to a significant number of searches in a short period. Google uses this term because calculating the exact growth percentage would involve dividing by zero, which is mathematically undefined.
What Does "Search Interest" in Google Trends Mean?
Google uses the term "search interest" instead of "search volume" because the default view shows normalized data rather than absolute numbers. This relative scale allows for easy comparison of search trends over time, regardless of the actual search volume.
To get the full picture with absolute search volumes, simply use the Glimpse Chrome extension with Google Trends. This combination provides both the trending data and the concrete numbers you need for in-depth analysis.
By using Glimpse with Google Trends, you'll gain deeper insights into search behavior, helping you make more informed decisions in your research, marketing, or business strategies.