Experiments With Trending Topics, Popular Blogs, and SEO Chaos
Let’s talk trends—the hot, weird, and occasionally baffling topics that are dominating Google search and turning small blogs into traffic juggernauts. Everyone wants to know: what’s blowing up, how do you ride the wave, and how do you actually rank for these trending topics before they fizzle out?
Spoiler: You need speed, guts, and a willingness to experiment with some truly bizarre content. Buckle up, because this is going to get wild.
Step 1: Find the Trends Before They’re Trends
By the time something’s trending on Twitter, it’s probably too late. You need to catch the wave before it crests. Here’s how:
Tools for Spotting Trends:
- Google Trends: Obvious but powerful. Look for upward spikes in niche topics.
- AnswerThePublic: Type in a broad keyword and get hundreds of real questions people are asking.
- SubredditStats: Track emerging topics on Reddit (because Reddit is where the internet’s weird ideas are born).
Example:
I spotted the term “AI baby monitors” trending last month. Wrote a blog post about it in a day, and guess what? It hit #1 in search because nobody else was writing about it yet. Once I've found a trending topic, I'll use Wordstream to research SEO keywords.
Step 2: Leverage Pop Culture and Fads
People are obsessed with pop culture, and it drives massive traffic. But the key is to niche it down so you’re not competing with BuzzFeed or whatever corporate monster owns 90% of trending topics.
How to Niche It Down:
- Instead of “Taylor Swift,” write about “Taylor Swift’s Secret SEO Skills (Based on Her Lyrics).”
- Instead of “Barbenheimer,” go with “What Barbenheimer Teaches Us About Viral Marketing.”
Crazy Popular Blog Niches in 2025:
- “Vintage AI”: Blogs about retro-futurism and old AI predictions.
- “Pet Astrology”: Yes, people want horoscopes for their dogs.
- “Micro-Tiny Living”: Not just tiny homes—people living in vans inside tiny homes.
Step 3: Experiment With Content Formats
If you’re just churning out 1,000-word blog posts, you’re already behind. People want visuals, interactivity, and short-form content that doesn’t waste their time.
Formats to Try:
- Infographics: Use tools like Canva or Visme to turn boring stats into shareable visuals.
- Quizzes: Everyone loves a quiz—“What Kind of SEO Strategy Are You?” will get clicks, I promise.
- Short Videos: Even a 15-second TikTok or YouTube Short can drive traffic to your blog.
Experiment:
I turned one blog post about “weird SEO tools” into a short quiz and a TikTok video. The TikTok got 50k views, and the quiz brought in 2,000 email subscribers.
Step 4: The SEO Strategy Behind Trending Topics
You don’t just write about trending topics—you optimize the hell out of them. Here’s how:
Keyword Research on Steroids:
- Use Ubersuggest or SEMrush to find low-competition keywords related to the trend.
- Add LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing) keywords to catch all the related search traffic.
Publish FAST:
- Trends move quickly. If you’re waiting for the “perfect post,” someone else is already ranking. Get it out there and refine it later.
Step 5: Link Out to the Weirdest Stuff (And Watch Your Engagement Soar)
People love being taken down rabbit holes. Linking to unexpected or “crazy” content keeps readers on your page longer.
Examples of Crazy Trending Topics to Link To:
- “AI Dungeon Masters”: Yes, D&D campaigns run by ChatGPT are a thing now.
- “Microplastics in Everything”: Scary, trending, and guaranteed to get clicks.
- “Human-Clone AI Avatars”: People are obsessed with virtual versions of themselves.
Pro Tip:
When linking out, use descriptive anchor text like “the AI clone that looks just like your ex” instead of generic stuff like “click here.”
Real-Life Experiment: Testing Clickbait vs. Evergreen Titles
Last year, I ran a test with two blog posts:
- Clickbait Title: “Why Everyone’s Wrong About AI in 2025 🚨”
- Evergreen Title: “The Role of AI in Content Marketing”
Results:
- Clickbait post: 2x the traffic in the first week but fizzled out fast.
- Evergreen post: Slow start but kept climbing and still ranks today.
Moral of the story? Use clickbait for trends and evergreen titles for long-term traffic.
Step 6: Ride the Wave, Then Pivot
Trends die. What’s hot today will be forgotten in three weeks (RIP “NFT art”). The key is to milk the traffic while it lasts, then pivot that momentum into evergreen content.
How to Do It:
- Use your trending topic post to funnel traffic to your email list or flagship product.
- Update the post later with a new angle to keep it relevant.
Final Thoughts: Experiment Like a Maniac
Blogging in 2025 isn’t about playing it safe. It’s about trying weird formats, jumping on trends before they explode, and being bold enough to link out to a blog about dumpster diving luxury goods.
If you’re not experimenting, you’re not growing. So get out there, write some wild posts, and see what sticks. Or sit back and let your competitors steal the spotlight. Your call.
PS - I run a ton of creative experiments over on my main blog, and follow a six-step plan to creative independence.
