Year in Search: the top Google Search trends for 2018

Whether you’re working in marketing, SEO or content, it’s useful to know the top search trends for 2018 to learn more about your audience.

2018 is almost over and Google has compiled a list of the most popular search trends for the year.

Google search has turned 20 years old in September and it’s interesting to think how our searching habits have changed in these two decades.

That’s why their annual Year in Search is a good reflection on the changing search trends, the latest cultural moments or events that shaped the most popular searches, but also what we can learn from all of these.

Here are the most popular search trends of 2018.

People search for good

According to Google, the world was searching for “good” in 2018 in a higher frequency than the previous years. The trend was popular enough to inspire their video’s story for the year.

People searched for different kinds of queries, from “how to be a good dancer” to “what makes a good role model.”

It has been a busy year full of unexpected and sad stories but it’s interesting to notice that people are searching for good news, inspiring stories and positive ideas.

There are many brands that already benefit from this trend by focusing on social good and how they can make an impact while increasing their brand awareness.

What it’s useful to remember is that ‘good stories’ cannot be forced. If your brand is trying too hard to inspire its audience, then the result might not be successful.

What are the most popular searches of 2018?

The most popular search queries have to do with:

• big events
• people who were in the spotlight
• practical ‘how to’ questions
• help to find a location
• bigger questions answered briefly

It’s common every year to see on the top searches popular actors, singers, movies, sudden losses, or sports events so the most popular searches are not always really surprising. However, they can still give us an idea of what makes a ‘popular search’ or how one search term is more popular than another at a global level.

Search is direct and simple

What we can also notice is that the ‘how-to’ and ‘what is’ search queries are simple and direct. People are not typing complicated queries when looking for an answer. They want to find the result as fast as possible and it’s useful to keep it in mind when updating your SEO strategy.

Even if you’re not aiming for a popular and general keyword, it’s still a good way to understand how to simplify your keywords.

We search for answers to all kinds of questions

We have reached a point in our online habits that we use online searches to find the answer to any question. Whether it’s a practical question or a query to find a specific location, Google search is what comes to our minds first. Our mobile-first world makes us seek answers to all our questions as fast as possible.

Location-based marketing is becoming more popular every year and it’s useful to notice how people use the ‘where’ search queries to find either practical answers to a location or just to satisfy their curiosity about something that they’ve come across. Croatia’s popularity as a location, for example, had probably to do with the national team’s success in the recent World Cup.

Moreover, people also search locally to find their polling place, which is part of the trend of increasing local searches. Searches are not always general but they can be very specific and it’s useful for a marketer to consider all the opportunities that come along with local search marketing.

In a year of ups and downs, the world searched for “good” more than ever before. Here’s to all the good moments from 2018 and all the people who searched for them. #YearInSearch https://t.co/hj2FnX4mR4

— Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) December 12, 2018

Overview

A closer look at this year’s search trends show that the queries are becoming more direct, specific, personal and even conversational.

People are using Google Search in a functional way and they need to find an answer to their question as fast as possible.

Marketing is pushing us to predict the search trends before they even happen or simply to act faster than our competitors.

These trends can help us plan better campaigns, content, or ads by understanding what people search for, how the search queries are changing and how we can predict their search journey.

You can explore the trends in more detail here.

If you want to keep up with what people search for, here are the right tools to try out.

The post Year in Search: the top Google Search trends for 2018 appeared first on Search Engine Watch.

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