{"id":4403,"date":"2025-01-02T08:27:38","date_gmt":"2025-01-02T08:27:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.elixirrdigital.com\/us\/2025\/01\/02\/googles-year-in-search-2024-what-does-it-teach-us-about-search-habits\/"},"modified":"2025-07-03T11:33:38","modified_gmt":"2025-07-03T11:33:38","slug":"googles-year-in-search-2024-what-does-it-teach-us-about-search-habits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.elixirrdigital.com\/us\/2025\/01\/02\/googles-year-in-search-2024-what-does-it-teach-us-about-search-habits\/","title":{"rendered":"Google\u2019s Year in Search 2024: What Does It Teach Us About Search Habits?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Google recently released it\u2019s annual \u201cYear in Search\u201d data, detailing the top ten searches across a range of topics. As well as the global overview, users can drill down into individual countries to find out what the top searches were in their region.<\/span><\/p>\n

All very interesting data in isolation, a little bit like a nationwide \u201cSpotify Wrapped\u201d for Google searches, but by scratching away at the data and making a few connections, you can quickly build up a picture of how people search and how marketers could use this logic to influence our own efforts.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take a dive into some of the information for the UK and consider what it means.<\/p>\n

The top ten searches<\/h2>\n

Starting with the top ten searches gives us a really strong insight into what people in the UK really cared about during 2024, and immediately starts to link to other categories:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Euros<\/li>\n
  2. Liam Payne<\/li>\n
  3. Jay Slater<\/li>\n
  4. Michael Mosley<\/li>\n
  5. US election<\/li>\n
  6. Kate Middleton<\/li>\n
  7. Baby Reindeer<\/li>\n
  8. Olympics<\/li>\n
  9. Oasis tickets<\/li>\n
  10. Fool Me Once<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \u201cEuros\u201d<\/h3>\n

    The number one position was unlikely to be anything else. The UK is a nation of football fans, so searches around the Euros were a sure bet for dominating search in 2024.<\/p>\n

    As well as the overall search term for \u201cEuros\u201d, we can see further top searches within other categories, notably:<\/p>\n

    When is\u2026<\/p>\n

      \n
    • The Euros final<\/li>\n
    • England playing next<\/li>\n
    • The World Cup<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      In isolation, these searches teach us about the mindset of searchers. They\u2019re looking for specific information about their <\/em>team. Given that England made it through each stage, people were also more interested in when they would be playing next. In a year when England notably reached the final, interest in the final was bound to be high. Then, we have to assume that when England lost in the final, people started looking for the next opportunity for football to \u201ccome home\u201d.<\/p>\n

      This information perhaps won\u2019t be particularly useful to marketers, who are already used to coming up with related questions against broader topics. However, of the top searched athletes in the UK during 2024, five were European footballers.<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Lamine Yamal<\/li>\n
      2. Jude Bellingham<\/li>\n
      3. Ollie Watkins<\/li>\n
      4. Cole Palmer<\/li>\n
      5. Nico Williams<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Looking at Google trends data shows a very clear picture: Searches for the five footballers peaked during the Euros.<\/p>\n

        \"\"<\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        Ollie Watkins notably scored a last-minute winning goal against Netherlands in the Euro semi-final on 10th<\/sup> July, matching up perfectly to his spike in search. Jude Bellingham, meanwhile, was mostly being searched so people could find out what gesture he made in the England vs Slovakia game.<\/p>\n

        The takeaway:<\/strong><\/p>\n

        So, what can we learn from all this? There\u2019s no doubting that the main topic was hugely popular, but there were clear human<\/em> stories which grew as a result of the Euros. People wanted to be involved, and interest in some of the footballers became mainstream, if only for a short period. The lesson for marketers is: Find the human-interest point, and you can capture attention. Also, embrace reactive content as quickly as you can, you might be the best resource for the information everyone else hasn\u2019t thought to search for yet.<\/p>\n

        Liam Payne, Jay Slater, Michael Mosley & Kate Middleton<\/h2>\n

        If there is one thing people invest time and emotion into, it\u2019s a mystery. People hear news about a person, and they want to know more. In this case, we\u2019re dealing with:<\/p>\n