Everything You Need to Know About Google's Related Searches
Created August 18, 2022
Updated March 11, 2024
7 min read

Everything You Need to Know About Google’s Related Searches

When you go to Google and do a search, there’s a huge amount of analysis that’s actually done.

The results may appear in less than a second, but in that short time Google will perform in-depth analyzes using their powerful algorithms. 

It is also thanks to these algorithms that associated searches are generated and made available to you at the bottom of the page of Google search results. 

This is the main subject of this article and therefore we will see in detail how Google analyzes your searches and how, thanks to this, they offer you the famous associated searches.

Searching products on Google
Searching products on Google

Related searches or Google alternative searches are associated keywords, generated by an algorithm, at the bottom of the search engine results pages. 

These related searches are automatically generated by a Google algorithm to suggest keywords related to the query typed in the search bar by a user.

Google offers these associated searches in order to give Internet users an idea of an answer that they would not have thought of.

Semantic search is the technology behind these related searches offered by Google to Internet users. 

Thanks to semantic search, search engines are not just content to give answers based on the keywords typed in the search bar, but today they try to decipher the real intention of the Internet user and the meaning exact information about each query, in order to provide the most relevant search results possible. 

We also talked in an article about semantic link building and semantic cocoon which may be an interesting subject for you if you are interested in web semantics. 

But, let’s come back to Google’s semantic search, if today, Google takes semantic search into account. 

This is because it turns out to be essential for understanding the exact nature of what a user is searching for on Google. 

Semantic research consists of examining the basic idea which will potentially be implied behind the words used, but also the oral language which is decisive in the understanding of words and their contexts, hence the appearance of assistive technologies voice.

Google search quarries are indexed by number of web searches and connected to URLs of websites that have content that matches the intent that the internet user was searching for. So Related Searches can give you a additional boost to what your on-site SEO would give you.

Related searches not only give you quality content ideas and keywords for your articles, but also massive insight into who your customers are and what their intentions are. 

Thanks to these associated searches, you will therefore be able to improve your organic referencing since you have at your disposal a powerful algorithm which will create associated searches for you, and then relevant keywords for your website. 

With these associated searches, you will be able to:

  • Plan much more relevant keywords around your website
  • Learn to know the intentions of users and therefore of your potential customers
  • Find out what kind of questions people are asking on Google

As we saw previously, Google relies on a powerful algorithm based on semantic search, but here we will ask how semantic search is carried out to generate Google’s associated searches. 

In reality, the Google algorithm will search for and draw information from very large networks, which will form naturally by association between “crossroads of ideas” and attributes.

Take a look at the infographic below to understand how associated searches are generated and how semantic search works:

In reality, today, search engines have become answer engines, since they use machine learning to refine their results and attempt to decipher the logic and questions of human beings to then offer the best results and associated researches.

Google’s Objective with these Associated Searches

Here are Google’s associated search suggestions for a user searching for “cheap laptop”:

See more results for "cheap laptop"
Results on the bottom of the search page for cheap laptop

Google also sometimes generates these related searches based on “popular” queries in the same domain. 

In addition, they add personalized elements based on the information they have about a user such as their location, search history, frequency of online purchases, etc.)

We note that the associated Google queries are mainly intended to guide the Internet user in their search.

When he does not find any website that matches what he is looking for and arrives at the bottom of the search results page, he has the choice between 2 options:

  • Go to the 2nd page of Google’s proposals
  • Or choose to refine or change their query to better guide Google in its results

The associated searches therefore guide the user towards this second option by offering more relevant and refined queries.

  • Locate related searches with Google Trends
Related Searches terms comparisson
Related Searches terms comparisson

It is possible to search for a term, or even several, on Google Trends to know the number of times these are typed into the Google search bar by Internet users. 

Once this is done, Google Trends also shows you the searches associated with your terms in the “related searches” section.

  • Most frequent searches with Google Trends
Top searches with Google Trends
Top searches with Google Trends

In this section, Google Trends will show you the most frequently typed terms in the Google search bar based on the terms you entered. 

Once again, this part gives you an idea of possible future related searches thanks to the most frequent searches which you can refine by choosing different categories, country or region of your choice.

  • Associated Topic Searches on the rise with Google Trends
Related Topic searches on Google Trends
Related Topic searches on Google Trends

The growing searches section gives us the queries that were typed into the Google search bar containing the keyword you entered in Google Trends and that saw the highest search increase in the time period you selected. 

In addition, if the word “Record” is displayed instead of a percentage then it is because this term has experienced an increase of more than 5000% and therefore it may be interesting to take into account to find out new associated researches.

What are the Advantages of Associated Searches for SEO on Google?

You are aware that if your goal on the Internet is to attract people to your website, sell products or make yourself known, then it is important to be well referenced on Google

To do this, you need to have content on your website around keywords that are important to you so that your website can stand out in search engine results. 

SEO is a strategy that will allow you to improve the notoriety of your website with Google so that it ranks it in the best results. 

It is an effective way for search engines to improve the Internet user’s searches by offering them relevant results corresponding to their query first.

The associated searches come into play now, in the case where it is actually an interesting tool to optimize your web referencing since you have a powerful Google algorithm at your disposal for free.

So these proposed associated searches are very interesting to use as a keyword for your content.

Conclusion

That’s it, I hope I’ve given you all the information you need to understand related searches and how to use them to your advantage. If you need help improving your SEO contact us for a free consultation.

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