Trends in Search for 2021
Paying attention to Google search trends holds much potential value for content marketing. It all starts with identifying trends at the query level. Once you have those, you can create content that focuses on a query you know will be trending and strategically leverage a surge in search activity.
Let’s examine the Google search trends for 2021 and their impact on trends for 2022.
First Quarter
January brought some record-breaking searches in Google Trends.1
- In 2021, “doomscrolling” was a top search query globally
- Searches for affirmations reached an all-time high worldwide
- Global searches for sea shanties were higher in 2021 than any other time
- Due to the infamous Bernie Sanders meme, searches for mittens reached an all-time high globally
- Searchers in the U.S. were interested in the odds of winning the Mega Millions
- Amanda Gorman was the top-searched poet of 2021 worldwide
- Vaccine volunteer was the top-trending volunteer opportunity worldwide
- The world searched for how to get a job and how to start a business in 2021
In February, current events inspired a lot of searches, including “how to help Texas” and searches for power outages. February also saw some spikes in other searches, including:2
- How to conserve, which reached an all-time high worldwide
- Search interest around plumbers, which hit an all-time high in the U.S.
In March, many of the searches once again related to current events, including the Meghan and Harry interview, which became the most searched interview in Google Trends history. The world also looked up more about climate change impacts than any other year.
Searchers also looked for “how to move with plants” more than “how to move with kids” and “how to move with pets.” The film Minari was the top trending Oscar-nominated film in the U.S., and searchers looked for how to watch it.
Some other trending searches in March include:3
- U.S.-based searches for “Asian owned”
- “What is a hate crime” hit record highs
- “Suez canal” became a breakout search worldwide
Second Quarter
April’s trending search terms were diverse and included:4
- “Love you in sign language,” which was searched more than ever before worldwide
- “Child of a deaf adult” was searched more in 2021 than in the past four years in the U.S.
- “Arun Jaitley stadium” searches hit an all-time high worldwide
May brought a renewed interest in current events, which the breakout search worldwide “how to help Palestine.” Here are some other notable trends:5
- “When is nurses week” was searched at an all-time high worldwide
- “Sustainability” was searched at record highs worldwide
- In the U.S., “what is aapi heritage month” was searched for the first time
- “How to maintain mental health” was searched more globally than any other year
- “Miss universe Mexico winners” searches spiked 3,450% worldwide
In June, the world searched for “body positivity in 2021” more than ever before, and for the second year in a row, searchers looked up “when is Juneteenth.” More searches centered around current events, including:6
- “New Zealand national cricket team” and “Southampton weather”
- “What is meme stock” was searched 10X more than the previous year
- “Race” was searched more than “economy” or “healthcare”
- Users also searched for “pride events near me,” which increased 5,000% worldwide
Third Quarter
July’s searches focused on global events and news, such as the “spelling bee winner,” which reached a five-year high, and “fire” and “flood.” People were also interested in travel information, with “where can I travel” searches increasing 3X compared to pre-pandemic levels.
Some other notable trends for July include:7
- “Road trip,” which was searched more in 2021 than ever before
- “Simone biles” was the top trending person
In August, many search trends focused on outdoor activities and sports, including “gold medal” in India and searches for “skate park,” which hit a five-year high. Users also searched for “pre-dawn hours,” which spiked 4,000%.
Some other notable searches include:8
- “y2k”
- “How to help Afghanistan,” which was a breakout search worldwide
- “When can I get a covid booster,” which increased 10X month to month
- “How to help Haiti”
In September, users in the U.S. looked for job interview information, which surpassed pre-pandemic levels. They also looked for “second hand shop,” exceeding pre-pandemic levels, and “women’s health.”
Some other notable trends include:9
- “missing indigenous women”
- “red light green light” and “honeycomb cookies,” which are related to Squid Game
- Switzerland also had the most search interest in same-sex marriage
Fourth Quarter
October saw many unique trends, including “oil spill volunteer” as a breakout search in California and “down today,” a global breakout search that increased 5,000% from the previous month.
Some other notable trends include:
- “Is climate change caused by meat” was a breakout search in the U.K.
- “Filipino bakery near me” was a breakout search in the U.S.
- “Which colour dress to wear in Navratri” search doubled in 2021 in India
- Worldwide, “mammography” reached an all-time high
Based on the current trends data from Google, food and job information were dominants searches for the remainder of the quarter. Examples include:
- “Vino vegano” grew 3,800% globally
- The U.S. search interest for potluck nearly doubled
- “Small business Saturday near me” was a global breakout search in November
- “How to become a volunteer firefighter” was a breakout search in the U.S.
Use Google Search Trends to Inform Your Content Marketing
The Google Search Trends report is a comprehensive and nostalgic look at the previous year, but it can serve larger purposes for businesses. When you mine these trends for insights into search patterns and behaviors, you can create a content plan that’s targeted to the searcher’s interests. If you’re looking for guidance with your content marketing strategy, Full Circle SEM can help! Contact us to learn more about our content creation services!
Sources:
[1] https://about.google/intl/ALL_us/stories/year-in-search-2021/?utm_source=trends_site&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=yis2021
[2] https://about.google/intl/ALL_us/stories/year-in-search-2021/?month=february
[3] https://about.google/intl/ALL_us/stories/year-in-search-2021/?month=march
[4] https://about.google/intl/ALL_us/stories/year-in-search-2021/?month=april
[5] https://about.google/intl/ALL_us/stories/year-in-search-2021/?month=may
[6] https://about.google/intl/ALL_us/stories/year-in-search-2021/?month=june
[7] https://about.google/intl/ALL_us/stories/year-in-search-2021/?month=july
[8] https://about.google/intl/ALL_us/stories/year-in-search-2021/?month=august
[9] https://about.google/intl/ALL_us/stories/year-in-search-2021/?month=september
