Google says the new Trends API is opening to a “quite small” set of testers at first, with access expanding over time. The company formally announced the alpha at Search Central Live APAC.
On Bluesky, Google Search Advocate John Mueller tried to set expectations for SEO professionals, writing:
“The initial pilot is going to be quite small, the goal is to expand it over time… I wouldn’t expect the alpha/beta to be a big SEO event :)”
Google’s own announcement also describes access as “very limited” during the early phase.
What Early Testers Get
The API’s main benefit is consistent scaling.
Unlike the Trends website, which rescales results between 0 and 100 for each query set, the API returns data that stays comparable across requests.
That means you can join series, extend time ranges without re-pulling history, and compare many terms in one workflow.
Data goes back 1,800 days (about five years) and updates through two days ago. You can query daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly intervals and break results down by region and sub-region.
At the launch session, Google showed example responses that included both a scaled interest value and a separate search_interest field, indicating a raw-value style metric alongside the scaled score. Google also said the alpha will not include the “Trending Now” feature.
Why There’s High Interest
If you rely on Trends for research, the consistent scaling solves a long-standing pain point with cross-term comparisons.
You can build repeatable analyses without the “re-scaled to 100” surprises that come from changing comparator sets.
For content planning, five years of history and geo breakdowns support more reliable seasonality checks and local targeting.
Looking Ahead
The small pilot suggests Google wants feedback from different types of users. Google is prioritizing applicants who have a concrete use case and can provide feedback.
In the meantime, you can continue to use the website version while preparing for API-based comparisons later.
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