• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, December 8, 2021

Marketers want to know the mindset of people worldwide. What better way than to analyze keywords and phrases from Google searches?

Google released its annual list of top trending year searches, providing insights into where the country stands, what captured public attention, and how people moved forward throughout the year.

The lists highlight the words and phrases people search for, describing the latest questions, fears and things people are too embarrassed to ask anyone but Google.

This year searches in the U.S. spoke to an interest in alternative assets like cryptocurrencies and NFTs. In February, there were more searches worldwide for how to buy bitcoin than searches for hot to buy stocks.

Dogecoin took the top trending topic in the “how to pronounce” and “where to buy” categories. The price of Ethereum was a top news search. 

People in the U.S. wanted to know whether they qualified for student loan forgiveness. They searched more for how to start a business than how to get a job this year. The top ask this year in the U.S. was how to ask for a raise.

Searches for “what is a hate crime” reached record highs in March worldwide. Switzerland had the most search interest in same-sex marriage.

In October, ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference held in Glasgow, “is climate change caused by humans” and “how does eating less meat help climate change” became breakout searches in the U.K.

When it came to health and wellness, the world searched for affirmations like “I am worthy, I am loved” more than ever before. The most search interest came from within Kazakhstan.

As new COVID-19 vaccine eligibility guidance was released in August, global searches for “when can i get a COVID booster” increased 10 times compared with July searches.

Some of the most interesting trending searches focused on “how to be.” Some included how “how to be eligible for stimulus check,” “how to be more attractive,” “how to be happy alone,” “how to be baddie,” “how to be a good boyfriend,” ‘how to be a good kisser,” “how to be a flight attendant,” “how to be happy with yourself,” “how to be a good kisser,” and “how to be romantic.”

Near me searches that topped the list include “COVID vaccine near me,” “COVID testing near me,” “movies near me,” “bars near me,” “bowling near me,” “brunch near me,” “COVID booster near me,” “massage places near me,” “aquarium near me,” and “buffet near me.”