2015 in Search

Top searches overall

1. Lamar Odom

2. Jurassic World

3. American Sniper

4. Caitlyn Jenner

5. Ronda Rousey

6. Paris

7. Agar.io

8. Chris Kyle

9. Fallout 4

10. Straight Outta Compton

Top ‘How to….?’ searches

1. How to use the new Snapchat update?

2. How to solve a rubix cube?

3. How to get legendary marks?

4. How to play Charlie Charlie?

5. How to upgrade to Windows 10?

6. How to get the new emojis?

7. How to authorize a computer on iTunes?

8. How to hit the quan?

9. How to lose 10 pounds in a week?

10. How to use Apple Pay?

Top movie searches

1. Jurassic World

2. American Sniper

3. Straight Outta Compton

4. 50 Shades of Grey

5. Furious 7

6. Pitch Perfect 2

7. Inside Out

8. Avengers Age of Ultron

9. Minions

10. Mad Max

Top beauty question searches

1. How to do the Kylie Jenner lip challenge?

2. What are lip fillers?

3. How to remove gel nail polish?

4. How to remove acrylic nails at home?

5. How to use beard balm?

6. How to do a french braid?

7. How to pop a deep zit?

8. How to get glowing skin?

9. How to put braids in a bun?

10. How to make your hair not staticy?

Top car searches

1. 2016 Chevrolet Malibu

2. 2016 Chevrolet Silverado

3. 2016 Toyota Tacoma

4. 2016 Chevrolet Camaro

5. Honda HR-V

6. FIAT 500X

7. Jeep Renegade

8. Chevrolet Colorado

9. Lexus NX

10. Hyundai Tucson

Top natural events

1. Hurricane Patricia

2. Hurricane Joaquin

3. Tropical Storm Erika

4. Tropical Storm Bill

5. Nepal Earthquake

6. Butte Fire

7. Tropical Storm Danny

8. Chile Earthquake

9. Hurricane Ignacio

10. Valley Fire

Why is this data important for marketers?

Google internal data (from July 2015) shows that more than a billion searches are conducted on the search engine each month – meaning we turn to Google throughout the key moments that define each day, week and year.

Google calls these micro moments. They are the spaces in time when users turn to the search engine to find out more about a key event, breaking news, a sporting event or simply to find out how to do something, how to get somewhere, what to watch or where they are in that very moment.

Image source: Google

Writing on its Think With Google platform, the search engine says,

“These micro-moments when people act on a need with intent, immediacy, and within a particular context are rich opportunities for brands to engage. And they're increasingly happening on the small screen: mobile. In 2015 mobile searches surpassed desktop searches. For marketers, it's these multiplying micro-moments of intent that represent the search story of the year. And these moments are the new battleground for brands”

Leveraging this for 2016

There are three key ways you can use trending and top searches to inform your SEO, social media and content marketing for better engagement and connections in 2016.

1. Be present: being aware of the search trends and keywords that are important within your category means you are there when the moments occur. For example, if you sell cosmetics, you’ll want to focus on the beauty questions searches.

2. Be useful: knowing what your consumers are asking Google takes the work out of your content marketing – simply create useful content around the trending questions to offer real value to your customers. Don’t short change readers with light and filler content. The trending questions represent a real need so create useful content which explores the subject, answers the question or provides a solution.

3. Be timely: the growth of mobile search brings quick, fast and reactive brands to the fore. Make sure you keep pace with search to help your consumers find what they want quickly, exactly when they want it.

To find out more visit https://www.google.com/trends/story/2015_GLOBAL

What trends do you predict will top the 2016 search lists? Will you use trending topics in your New Year search marketing to add relevance? Let us know in the comments.