Google Trends is a powerful Google website that analyzes the popularity of search queries across various regions and languages, displaying search volume comparisons over time through graphs. It evolved significantly, with Google Insights for Search launching on August 5, 2008, offering more advanced data, before being merged into Google Trends on September 27, 2012, forming a comprehensive tool. While not providing absolute search numbers, it shows relative search volumes, normalized to a highest value of 100, enabling direct comparison of multiple search terms or topics.
Initially criticized for infrequent updates, Google Trends now claims daily updates, with "Hot Trends" updated hourly and real-time data showing minute-by-minute updates. The platform has become a valuable resource for diverse applications, from Seth Stephens-Davidowitz's research on social behaviors like racism and parental attitudes, to forecasting economic indicators and detecting regional flu outbreaks. Increasingly, Google Trends data is also used in ecological and conservation studies, highlighting its versatility in understanding public interest and environmental issues.