2017 Year in Search: Google Australia’s top search terms
When Google released Australia’s #yearinsearch for 2017, we couldn’t wait to get our hands on the data.
The search engine marketing team at iFactory spend a lot of their time obsessing over the most hilarious, bizarre and enlightening Google search trends. So much so, that we run a search trends visualiser on a large TV to see what people are Googling in real time for search engine optimisation and content marketing reasons. When Google released Australia’s #yearinsearch for 2017, we couldn’t wait to get our hands on the data.
What were some of the findings? It comes as no surprise to anyone that Australian’s were obsessed with sport, mesmerised by fidget spinners, confused by bitcoin and sadder about Chris Cornell than Hugh Hefner. Much like 2017 itself, the results slanted a little gloomier than previous years but were peppered with whimsy and progressive moments.
Why are following internet search trends important for search engine optimisation companies and their clients? It can be a unique and useful tool for SEO marketers to stay well-informed about their brand’s health and analyse consumer interests for content creation and on-site search engine optimisation purposes. Trending searches are an insightful indication of what’s going to be popular in the future or what’s going to pick up momentum yet fizzle out quicker than the time it takes to send an email.
Australian’s had plenty of sport talk to keep them occupied throughout the year, with the most searched queries for the year including the Australian Open 2017, Melbourne Cup 2017, Wimbledon 2017, followed by every kid (and adults) favourite distractor – the Fidget Spinner.
Overall searches
1) Australian Open 2017
2) Melbourne Cup 2017
3) Wimbledon 2017
4) Fidget spinner
5) Cyclone Debbie
6) iPhone 8
7) North Korea
8) Chris Cornell
9) iPhone X
10) Amazon Australia site
On a global scale, searches for Hurricane Irma peaked in August/September with 1 million searches per month in the USA, closely followed by interest in the latest iPhone releases.
On the news front, Cyclone Debbie and the devastation it caused to Queensland and New South Wales was the top search for the year. North Korea, Amazon Australia site, Hurricane Irma and the Bali volcano rounded up the top five news stories.
Slime, along with the varieties on how to make it, was the most searched keyword in the “How to” section. It’s still currently averaging around 148,000 searches per month in Australia alone. The following table shows slimes interest over 2017.
In the “what is” category, “what is MSG?” peaked in January, followed by everyone’s “should I invest, should I sell, can I get rich quick?” queries around Bitcoin. And while President Donald Trump didn’t get a mention in this year’s top trending results, his tweet that baffled the internet “despite the constant negative press covfefe” saw search queries for “covfefe” soar. The following table shows Bitcoins search results over the year.
See what was trending in Australia in 2017, or see the full list here. Lists are based on search terms that had a high spike in traffic in 2017 compared to 2016.
The top global searches
1) Hurricane Irma
2) iPhone 8
3) iPhone X
4) Matt Lauer
5) Meghan Markle
6) 13 Reasons Why
7) Tom Petty
8) Fidget Spinner
9) Chester Bennington
10) India National Cricket Team
The top 10 overall searches in Australia
1) Australian Open 2017
2) Melbourne Cup 2017
3) Wimbledon 2017
4) Fidget spinner
5) Cyclone Debbie
6) iPhone 8
7) North Korea
8) Chris Cornell
9) iPhone X
10) Amazon Australia site
Top 10 news searches in Australia
1) Cyclone Debbie
2) North Korea
3) Amazon Australia site
4) Hurricane Irma
5) Bali volcano
6) London
7) Las Vegas
8) Manchester
9) UK election
10) Schapelle Corby
Global people searches in Australia
1) Harvey Weinstein
2) Ed Sheeran
3) Kevin Spacey
4) Gal Gadot
5) Floyd Mayweather
6) Jake Paul
7) Post Malone
8) Pippa Middleton
9) Boy George
10) Macklemore
Aussies searches in Australia
1) Sophie Monk
2) Kate Fischer
3) Schapelle Corby
4) Ben McCormack
5) Dustin Martin
6) Cassie Sainsbury
7) Lisa Wilkinson
8) Paul Hogan
9) Katherine Langford
10) Amber Sherlock
Loss searches in Australia
1) Chris Cornell
2) Hugh Hefner
3) Chester Bennington
4) Tom Petty
5) Bill Paxton
6) David Cassidy
7) Nicky Hayden
8) John Clarke
9) Rich Piana
10) Malcolm Young
Sporting events searches in Australia
1) Australian Open 2017
2) Melbourne Cup 2017
3) Wimbledon 2017
4) Mayweather McGregor fight
5) AFL Grand Final 2017
6) US Open 2017 Tennis
7) Mundine vs Green 2
8) ICC Champions Trophy 2017
9) AFL Fixtures 2017
10) Rugby League World Cup 2017
Top how to…? searches in Australia
1) How to make slime
2) How to make a fidget spinner
3) How to make fluffy slime
4) How to watch Mayweather vs McGregor
5) How to buy Bitcoin
6) How to make slime without borax
7) How to use Snapchat map
8) How to unblock people on Instagram
9) How to make slime without glue
10) How to vote for gay marriage
Top what is…? searches in Australia
1) What is MSG
2) What is Bitcoin
3) What is kimchi
4) What is a publican
5) What is covfefe
6) What is a fidget spinner
7) What is MSG and why is it bad
8) What is Sharia law
9) What is DACA
10) What is Good Friday
Why is…? searches in Australia
1) Why is Pandora shutting down
2) Why is Club Penguin shutting down
3) Why is Australia Day on 26 January
4) Why is it called Good Friday
5) Why is Nathan Lyon Garry
6) Why is my poop green
7) Why is Messenger crashing
8) Why is Snapchat down
9) Why is two up illegal
10) Why is my internet so slow
At iFactory, our search engine optimisation services are just one part of a wholesome, integrated digital marketing strategy we offer to our clients. To find out more about what our search engine optimisation Brisbane team can do for you, contact us today.
