2022 Google Trends: What Are They and How Can You Use Them?

From optimizing for zero-click search to finding the best trending keyphrases, learn how to harness the latest Google trends in your content strategy with GPO.

When writing content for the web, you have to consider supply and demand — you don’t want to create content that your customers won’t engage with. Thankfully, search trends can help you identify and pinpoint exactly what (and how) your consumers are searching.

If you’re not yet harnessing the power of popular search topics, it’s time to make a change. Read on to find out what’s trending and how searcher behavior is shifting.

From finding the best keywords for SEO to securing your place in consumers’ online comparative shopping efforts, GPO can help your brand capitalize on search trends with high-performing content.

Getting Out of These Four Walls

After 2020’s “shelter in place” advisories and self-isolation periods, consumers wanted to emerge from their homes in 2021— but with safety still at the forefront of their minds. Here’s how that’s reflected in current search trends:

• Outdoor activities
• Live events
• Travel

Shifting Lifestyle Priorities

It’s no secret that 2020 led many of us to closely examine what is — and isn’t — truly important to us. Over the last year, Google trends have shown that users took their reflections to heart and began looking for tangible ways to prioritize what matters most.

Wellness

After 2020’s “shelter in place” advisories and self-isolation periods, consumers wanted to emerge from their homes in 2021— but with safety still at the forefront of their minds. Here’s how that’s reflected in current search trends:

Time Saving & Convenience

When many brands pivoted to online, virtual, and no-contact options in 2020, users jumped on board out of necessity. However, as these options have improved and evolved, consumers have continued using them — because, well, they’re convenient! Search terms like “takeout restaurants” increased a whopping 400% from 2020, while “shopping apps” have remained popular. Additionally, searchers are frequently using non-branded search terms accompanied with qualifiers like “open now near me” to find restaurants and other businesses they can access ASAP. These types of searches offer opportunities for “zero moment of truth” brand exposure — but only if your brand has the high-quality content users want.

Improving Everyday Life

Many industries shifted to remote work in 2020, leading many consumers to DIY home improvement projects and maintenance at the time. — But, 2021 had them looking for help. While searches related to home renovations and improvement continue to trend upward, search terms like “handyman near me,” “house cleaning services near me,” and “lawn mowing services near me” indicate that users are delegating home tasks to the pros — and using Google to do their comparative shopping for those services.

Learning New Skills

“Give a man a fish, and he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he’ll never be hungry.” In 2021, more search users wanted to learn to “fish” for themselves, so to speak. Queries for “online learning” increased by 70%, and trends indicate that many consumers want to up their financial acumen, as reflected by searches related to investing, as well as “low- budget” and “no fees” purchase options.

Making Major Changes

2020 required us to shift our perspectives and pushed many people to make substantial changes that contributed to their overall health, well-being, and happiness. Many re- entered the job market, others searched for things like “how to write a resignation letter”. Many contemplated their long-term goals with searches like, “good career path.”

Consumers were eager to become homeowners (“calculator for home loan” saw a 200% spike in search volume compared to 2020). Terms like “furniture shop near me” and “tv wall design” saw significant increases as consumers opted to pour time and effort into their new or existing homes.

Looking at the Bigger Picture

Sustainability and Environmental Concerns

Consumers are looking closely at the impact of their purchase and lifestyle decisions — as evidenced by an uptick in sustainable and environmentally-focused searches, like secondhand shopping and electric cars.relatedSearchers are showing an increased interest in sustainably made goods from nearly every sector, from activewear and cleaning products to engagement rings and shoes.

Community Activism

Sure, being “together” might look different these days, but that hasn’t stopped many searchers from finding ways to connect with their community. More searchers are looking for ways to give back, as evidenced by increased search volume related to “Volunteer opportunities”. Other searchers are showing they care by self-isolating, donating, or shopping to support a local charity. Recent search trends prove that activism — on both a local and global scale— is on consumers’ minds.

[blockquote_large]Trends Can Help You Can Find the Best Keywords for SEO… But Is That Enough?[/blockquote_large]

As search engines continue to grow and evolve, so does searcher behavior. While you can generate a list of keywords to attract your ideal customers, your digital search-friendly content strategy shouldn’t stop there. You’ll also want to consider how users are searching and take into account the behavioral trends we’ve seen recently.

Zero-Click Searches

Consumers want information at their fingertips, and they want it fast. In more than half of searches, users don’t even bother to click on a search result, leading to what’s called a “zero-click search.” Do you know how to optimize for zero-click searches?

When users initiate an unbranded search, is your brand at the forefront to provide a quick, reputable answer? When it comes to local non-branded search queries, many Google searches direct users to other aggregators, which provide a subpar user experience (and often out-of-date information). Capitalize on zero-click searches and provide your consumers with a branded snippet that builds trust and improves your brand positioning in a matter of seconds.

Voice Searches

More and more consumers have smart speakers in their homes and vehicles, resulting in increased voice searches and purchases. Voice search isn’t going away in 2022. Therefore, it’s more important than ever to use natural phrasing, anticipate customer needs, and optimize your content for geographical searches.

Shifting Lifestyle Priorities

You know your brand can offer value to searchers — you just need to get that value into their hands. With scalable eCommerce content and local-search-optimized content from GPO, harnessing search trends to connect with consumers doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming. Contact the GPO team today and start turning online search trends into bottom-line results for your brand.