How to compare more than 5 keywords in Google Trends with an anchor keyword
To compare more than 5 keywords in Google Trends, put one anchor keyword in every request: split the list into batches of the anchor plus 4 keywords, then rescale each batch so the anchor reads the same everywhere. Each Google Trends request is scaled to its own maximum, so the shared anchor is what turns separate requests into one 0–100 ranking.
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Why does Google Trends limit a comparison?
Google Trends has to limit a comparison because every request is scaled to its own maximum. The new Explore compares up to 8 groups of terms and Classic Explore compares 5, according to Google Trends Help, and the values of 2 separate requests do not share a scale unless one keyword appears in both.
How to compare more than 5 keywords in Google Trends, step by step
There are 5 steps to compare more than 5 keywords in Google Trends.
- Pick an anchor keyword of medium popularity from the list.
- Split the other keywords into batches of 4, and add the anchor to every batch.
- Run one Google Trends request per batch, with the same location, time range and category.
- Rescale every batch: multiply its values by the anchor’s total in the first batch divided by the anchor’s total in that batch.
- Rank the keywords by their average on the common scale.
Example: 10 skincare keywords on one scale
10 skincare keywords took 3 requests with «azelaic acid» as the anchor, for the United States over the past 12 months, measured on September 30, 2026.
| Rank | Keyword | Average on the common scale |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | sunscreen | 41.44 |
| 2 | peptides | 30.27 |
| 3 | retinol | 16.63 |
| 4 | hyaluronic acid | 9.38 |
| 5 | niacinamide | 8.83 |
| 6 | tretinoin | 8.07 |
| 7 | salicylic acid | 7.47 |
| 8 | azelaic acid (anchor) | 5.77 |
| 9 | vitamin c serum | 5.36 |
| 10 | ceramides | 1.19 |
Sunscreen is searched about 35 times as often as ceramides on this scale, a ratio that no single 5-term request could show next to 8 other keywords.
How to choose the anchor keyword
The anchor keyword works best at medium popularity, because Google Trends rounds every request to whole numbers. A keyword that never reaches 5 in its own batch has too few steps to measure precisely, and the Google Trends API marks it lowPrecision. An anchor far larger than the list pushes small keywords toward that floor, and an anchor far smaller makes the rescaling factor noisy.
How to compare keywords without doing the math
To compare keywords without doing the math, use one of 2 routes: Google Trends compare runs the anchor method in the browser for up to 100 keywords, and an API run with compareKeywords returns comparison.rank and comparison.averageOnCommonScale for every keyword.
- The Kwerix Google Trends API runs the anchor method for any keyword list with compareKeywords, and flags low-precision keywords.
Google Trends comparison FAQ
Can Google Trends compare more than 5 terms?
Yes, up to a point. The new Explore compares up to 8 groups of terms with up to 50 terms in each group, and Classic Explore compares 5 groups of up to 25 terms; longer lists need an anchor keyword across requests.
Does the anchor keyword change the ranking?
No. The anchor sets the common scale, and the order holds with any anchor that every batch measures precisely; an anchor far larger than the list only costs precision on the smallest keywords.
Sources
- Google Trends Help. Compare Trends search terms (8 groups in the new Explore, 5 in Classic Explore)
- Google Trends Help. FAQ about Google Trends data (normalization per request)
- Google Trends, 10 skincare keywords, United States, past 12 months, anchor «azelaic acid» (measured September 30, 2026)
- Kwerix, Google Trends API examples: compare_keywords.py (GitHub)