# Extracting Google Trends interest over time: what it is and how to get it

> Google Trends interest over time is the series of 0–100 values that shows how search interest in a term changes across a time range: weekly points for 5 years, monthly for the full history since 2004 and hourly or daily for short ranges. An API run returns it per keyword with a summary: average, peak, trend per year and year-over-year change.

Canonical: https://kwerix.com/trends/interest/

## What is Google Trends interest over time?

Google Trends interest over time is the chart of search interest in a term across a time range, where each point is a share of the term's peak on a 0–100 scale. For «sunscreen» in the United States, the 5-year series has 261 weekly points, averages 26.75 and rises 21.6% per year, with interest 57% higher in the last 12 months than in the 12 months before, measured on September 30, 2026.

## Which granularity does Google Trends interest over time use?

Google Trends interest over time uses a granularity that depends on the time range, and a time zone that depends on its length.

| Time range | Points | Time zone |
|---|---|---|
| Past hour to past 7 days | Hourly or by minutes | Local time of the browser |
| Past 30 or 90 days | Daily | UTC |
| Past 12 months to 5 years | Weekly | UTC |
| 2004 to present | Monthly | UTC |

The time zone rule comes from Google Trends Help: UTC for ranges of 30 days or longer, local time for 7 days or shorter.

## How to extract Google Trends interest over time via API

There are 3 steps to extract interest over time via the Google Trends API.

1. **Send** the keywords with `geo` and `timeRange`, such as `today 5-y`.
2. **Read** the summary fields in each row: `averageInterest`, `latestInterest`, `peakInterest`, `peakDate`, `trendSlopePctPerYear` and `yoyChangePct`.
3. **Switch on** `includeInterestOverTime` when the full series is needed for a chart.

```json
{
  "keyword": "sunscreen",
  "averageInterest": 26.3,
  "peakInterest": 100,
  "trendSlopePctPerYear": 21.6,
  "yoyChangePct": 55.9
}
```

`trendSlopePctPerYear` is the linear trend of interest as a percentage of the average per year, and `yoyChangePct` compares the average of the last 12 months with the 12 months before.

## Interest over time vs interest by region

Interest over time answers «when» a term is searched, while [Google Trends interest by region](/trends/regions/) answers «where», on the same 0–100 logic for places instead of weeks. A seasonal term shows both: sunscreen peaks from April to June and leads in Wyoming and Hawaii.

## How to get interest over time for a keyword list

Interest over time for a list of keywords comes back in one run, one row per keyword, with the trend already computed.

## Google Trends interest over time FAQ

## Frequently asked questions

### Can Google Trends return daily data for 5 years?

No. A 5-year range comes back as weekly points, and daily or hourly points come with short ranges.

### Does interest over time use my time zone?

Yes, for ranges of 7 days or shorter. Ranges of 30 days or longer use Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), according to Google Trends Help.

## Sources

- [Google Trends Help. FAQ about Google Trends data (normalization and time zones)](https://support.google.com/trends/answer/4365533)
- [Kwerix, Google Trends API & Scraper (README: fields and granularity)](https://apify.com/kwerix/google-trends-api)
- [Google Trends, «sunscreen», United States, past 5 years (measured September 30, 2026)](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?q=sunscreen&date=today%205-y&geo=US)