Keeping up with YouTube search trends is how successful creators stay ahead of the curve. Which brings up an important question:
What is trending on YouTube?
YouTube trending topics change fast, and knowing what’s trending today can help you create videos that hit while the interest is hot.
The truth is that, sometimes, you have to look outside the platform. The best trending topics on YouTube are also all over the internet, and the more places you look, the more trends you'll find!
If you’ve ever wondered how to find trending topics for YouTube, this guide breaks down exactly where to look and how to spot opportunities before they peak.
One of the best ways to spot YouTube trends, Google Trends will help you discover those moments. This tool shows the popularity of any topic on the internet over an extended period of time.
Here’s how to use Google Trends for YouTube purposes.
1. Go to Google Trends and click Trending Now in the left navigation bar.
2. Select a country, then browse the first two tabs on the screen: daily search trends and real-time search trends.
The daily option shows what’s been trending in the last few days, and the real-time option shows searches that are trending right now. Both results should give you a general idea of what’s popular online.
1. On the Google Trends homepage, type something into the search bar, preferably a topic related to your channel. As an example, we’ll use “pumpkin spice latte.”
2. Choose a region, time period, category, and then select YouTube for the search type.
Analyze the graph to see how popular your topic is. In this example, “pumpkin spice latte” is picking up steam as fall approaches.
Want to go even deeper? Scroll down and view the related topics/queries panel. You’ll find even more topics related to your original search that could spark great video ideas.
If you're wondering how to see trending YouTube videos, look no further than the explore section. Below that, there's a trending tab showing the most popular videos on YouTube right now.
Head to the YouTube homepage, then click Trending on the left navigation bar.
This page will show you the top trending topics for YouTube by category: music, movies, gaming, and more. It’s not as detailed as Google Trends, but it’s a great place to see what’s happening within different niches.
As a busy content creator, sometimes you just need to know what are people searching for on YouTube. vidIQ's Keyword Research Tools help you find what trends are falling. One tool in particular, Rising Keywords, shows you the top searches on YouTube, including the volume of searches, so you can take advantage of them!
The tool will show you:
For example, the search term "Colorado vs. Oregon" (referring to U.S. football) rose in popularity by 1,200% today! The keyword score is 61, which means it has high search volume and not much competition! You'd have a decent shot at getting more YouTube views.
By far, this is the best way to see YouTube search trends on the rise. Click here to sign up for vidIQ for free, then navigate to our web app to see the data you need!
TikTok is where trends are born. If you want to know what’s trending right now (or will soon be trending content for YouTube), it makes sense to open TikTok.
But “watching videos” is only the first step. If you want to get up to speed much faster, explore trending videos and hashtags in the TikTok Creative Center.
Go to the TikTok Creative Center, then select the Trends tab. From there, you can view trending hashtags, songs, videos, and creators who also end up on YouTube!
If you’re looking for video ideas that fit your channel, Daily Ideas from vidIQ can help. Every day, you'll get three video ideas when you sign up for a free vidIQ account.
But these aren’t just any old ideas. We use artificial intelligence trained on the latest YouTube trending topics to suggest video ideas that match your content!
Plus, each video idea comes with a performance prediction: low, medium, high, or very high views. With that type of data, you can choose in-demand topics for your channel. You can even see top-ranked videos for a particular subject.
Here’s how to get Daily Ideas for your YouTube channel:
1. First, sign up for vidIQ.
2. Go to the YouTube homepage and click Daily Ideas in the left navigation bar.
3. Browse the idea cards. Click Save to store ideas for later or Dismiss to send them to the dismissed collection.
4. Click the list icon in the top right corner to see more video ideas at once. Select any idea to see top-ranked videos for the topic!
People go to X (formerly Twitter) to see what’s happening now – as in right now. That makes it the perfect place to learn how to find trending topics for your videos.
If you haven’t already, join X and follow some topics that relate to your YouTube channel.
For any topics you follow, you'll begin to see tweets related to those subjects in your feed. That makes it easier to see trends that would make great YouTube videos.
Check for trending topics at least once a week. For fast-moving areas like news or entertainment, checking 2-3 times a week or even daily works best.
Decide if the topic fits your channel and if you can add your own twist. Also, look at the competition using tools like vidIQ to see if it is a good match.
You can find trending topics for YouTube by checking the YouTube Explore tab, monitoring trending searches on YouTube, and using vidIQ’s keyword tools. These show what’s performing right now so you can plan your next upload around current viewer interests.
Try to publish within 24-48 hours after spotting a trend. Acting fast gives you a better chance to capture viewers while the trend is fresh.
Absolutely. Seasonal trends like holidays and annual events often see high search numbers. Planning ahead lets you make the most out of these predictable topics.
Browse trending Shorts on YouTube to see which formats and ideas are going viral. Combine this with vidIQ’s Keyword Generator to uncover trending topics on YouTube Shorts before they peak.
Lydia Sweatt is a writer who loves balancing her article/blog time indoors with a healthy dose of nature. She bikes, hikes, and identifies edible plants along the way.
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