In our continuing series of examining Google Search Trends to gain insights into the top keywords queried in the USA, we present our findings for April 2021.
Every day, we capture the top three keyword phrases in terms of search volume as reported by Google Trends (US Only). Each term has an estimated query volume attached to it, which we also record. The number scale tops out at 10,000,000+ with a lower limit of 200,000+. After the conclusion of the month, we look at the phrases we collected along with their volumes to get an understanding of what drove queries for the month.
The 10 Million Plus Group
The highest number of daily queries that Google Trends reports is 10,000,000+. Here are the keywords that made that grade last month.
- Covid-19 prevention – 4/5/2021 – 10,000,000+ queries
- DMX – 4/8/2021 – 10,000,000+ queries
- Prince Philip – 4/9/2021 – 10,000,000+ queries
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art – 4/12/2021 – 10,000,000+ queries
- Johannes Gutenberg – 4/13/2021 – 10,000,000+ queries
- Derek Chauvin – 4/20/2021 – 10,000,000+ queries
- Anne McLaren – 4/25/2021 – 10,000,000+ queries
There were seven phrases that were reported to have been queried over ten million times in one day in the month of April. Some of these were related to news items, like the Derek Chauvin verdict and the deaths of DMX and Prince Philip. The other phrases were connected to Google Doodles. On the 5th, Google pointed its logo to search results for COVID-19 prevention as vaccines rolled out across the country. The 151st anniversary of the Metropolitan Museum of Art was celebrated along with two important historical figures: Johannes Gutenberg, who invented the printing press in the 15th century, and Anne McLaren, who was an important 20th century reproductive biologist.
Spring Holidays
Because there are a large number of people searching for more information about special occasions, phrases related to holidays tend to make the daily top 3 in Google Trends.
- Happy Easter – 4/4/2021 – 1,000,000+ queries
- Easter – 4/4/2021 – 500,000+ queries
- Ramadan 2021 – 4/11/2021 – 1,000,000+ queries
- Earth Day – 4/22/2021 – 2,000,000+ queries
The subject of Easter made the list twice on the 4th. Clearly, some people were seeking a happy one while others just wanted the plain variety. We’re joking about that assessment, but it is interesting to see that variation during that day. There could be queries related to holiday wishes or gifts being picked up by the search engine that are different from queries with strict informational intent. The query volume associated with the beginning of the month of Ramadan was reported on the 11th and Earth Day, which happens every April 22nd, was supported by a Google Doodle this year.
What Are We Watching?
Over the last few months, Google Trends has been giving us a good sense of what the most popular new video entertainment is. Here’s a chronological list of queries related to TV shows and movies that premiered in April 2021:
- Law and Order: Organized Crime – 4/1/2021 – 500,000+ queries
- Thunder Force – 4/9/2021 – 500,000+ queries
- Cruel Summer – 4/21/2021 – 200,000+ queries
- Mortal Kombat – 4/23/2021 – 2,000,000+ queries
- Shadow and Bone – 4/23/2021 – 500,000+ queries
Of that list, the Mortal Kombat film reboot got the most daily queries, indicating that the popularity of the ‘90s video game has not waned.
Events and awards shows drive people to search, too. Here’s our list for April 2021:
- WrestleMania 37 – 4/10/2021 – 500,000+ queries
- ACM Awards 2021 – 4/18/2021 – 1,000,000+ queries
- Oscars 2021 – 4/25/2021 – 5,000,000+ queries
- Oscar winners 2021 – 4/25/2021 – 1,000,000+ queries
Although it is interesting to see the continued popularity of the WWE and Academy Of Country Music Awards, the one item we wanted to investigate further from this list was the popularity of the Oscars. This year, the awards show received the lowest TV ratings in its history with its viewership dropping 56% from last year. The one question we wanted answered was, “Would search interest also be down YoY?”
Yes, it appears that search interest has dropped considerably on the search term “the oscars” from last year. The search volume on the term is at its lowest level in 5 years.
Google Trends does have special groupings of keyword phrases as a part of its tool that allows us to see the trends across multiple related terms to a topic in a selected timeframe. The AMP team looked at the special “Award” grouping of the topic “Academy Awards” to see if the trend was the same.
Yes, quite. We wonder if this trend is a temporary one and the interest will come roaring back in 2022. We’ll have to wait and see. For marketers, this award show may not be the advertising boon as it once was if the audience continues to dwindle.
So Much Sports
As promised in our March 2021 article, we learned who won the NCAA Basketball Championships in April:
- UConn women’s basketball – 4/2/2021 – 500,000+ queries
- Gonzaga – 4/3/2021 – 5,000,000+ queries
- Gonzaga University – 4/3/2021 – 500,000+ queries
- Stanford women’s basketball – 4/4/2021 – 200,000+ queries
- Gonzaga – 4/5/2021 – 5,000,000+ queries
We did find it fascinating that losing teams made the top 3 (UConn, Gonzaga) more often than winning ones (Stanford, Baylor (men). It could be a sign of bigger fan bases driving more searches, no matter the game outcome.
Jake Paul was back in the top 3 in April with his Pay-Per-View fight against Ben Askren.
- Jake Paul vs Ben Askren – 4/16/2021 – 2,000,000+ queries
- Ben Askren – 4/16/2021 – 2,000,000+ queries
- Jake Paul vs Ben Askren – 4/17/2021 – 5,000,000+ queries
Historically, boxing events of all kinds drive a large number of queries. Search interest in this match was powered not only by Jake Paul’s notoriety, but also because it was the inaugural event of Triller Fight Club, promoted by the video sharing app Triller.
The NFL Draft had people searching. Here are the top queries related to activities of the teams choosing new players.
- NFL Draft 2021 – 4/28/2021 – 5,000,000+ queries
- Aaron Rodgers – 4/28/2021 – 2,000,000+ queries
- Trevor Lawrence – 4/29/2021 – 2,000,000+ queries
- Mac Jones – 4/29/2021 – 1,000,000+ queries
Overall, the general subject of the draft was the biggest driver of search, but word of Aaron Rodgers’ unhappiness in Green Bay drove interest in his situation. Ultimately, it was nice to see the New England Patriots top pick make the daily top 3, since the fans on the AMP team need to move on from the Tom Brady era.
Lastly, the Kentucky Derby was run on the 30th of April and not on its traditional first Saturday of May. The pandemic is still shifting schedules and affecting search interest.
- Kentucky Derby 2021 – 4/30/2021 – 2,000,000+ queries
- Kentucky Derby 2021 horses – 4/30/2021 – 500,000+ queries
- ESPN – 4/30/2021 – 500,000+ queries
As social distancing mandates start to ease, will these traditional annual events (Kentucky Derby, The Oscars) regain their search popularity? We’ll have to continue to track this data to see.
Who’s Hungry?
We love when food related queries make Google Trends’ daily top 3 because they don’t happen often and they’re alway fun to report. Here’s one about the launch of a YouTube star’s virtual restaurant chain.
- MrBeast Burger – 4/26/2021 – 100,000+ queries
Ok – with query volume somewhere between 100-200K, the topic is not a search powerhouse as compared to other phrases that made the daily top 3 (the 26th may have been a slow search day). Still, the AMP team is always looking for new and interesting topics that pop up in the Trends data, and here’s an example. Could this virtual restaurant concept be a start of a new business trend? There also seems to be a connection between YouTube stars and Google Trends (see also: Jake Paul) that we’ll continue to investigate as time goes on.
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Until next month.
