As has become customary at this time of year, search giant Google has released its annual analysis on what users have been typing into its iconic search engine over the past 12 months.
The creation of this list has been an annual occurrence for Google since the first one in back in 2001 and it gives an insight into the major events of the year.
Google covers a variety of topics and gives lists dedicated to a number of different nations, as well as a global list.
What has the UK been searching for in 2018?
Britain’s top 10 searches this year were:
1. World Cup
2. Meghan Markle
3. Royal Wedding
4. Black Panther
5. Roxanne Pallett
6. Fortnite
7. Demi Lovato
8. Ant McPartlin
9. A Star Is Born
10. Khloe Kardashian
As has been the case in previous years, the list is populated by a variety of different topics. The number one search this year was the FIFA World Cup, which took place in Russia over the summer and saw England fans believe that football was coming home after their first ever win on penalties in the competition’s history, beating Colombia in the Round of 16 before going on to beat Sweden in the Quarter Final, winning 2-0. However, it was not to be for the Three Lions who lost to Croatia in the Semi Finals after extra time. England’s extended run in the competition, and best run in the tournament since 1990, had British people Googling more than anything else in 2018.
The second and third most Googled items in the UK this year would suggest that the country was highly enthusiastic about the Royal Wedding between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in Windsor back on a sunny Saturday in May. Markle drops one place to number two after topping the chart in the 2017 edition of the list.
What were the big news searches?
In terms of news topics, the Royal Wedding does take the top spot, ahead of the Royal Baby news, where Kate Middleton and Prince William welcomed Prince Louis to the world.
1. Royal Wedding
2. Royal Baby
3. GDPR
4. Jeremy Thorpe
5. Spice Girls
6. Carilion
7. Australian Flu
8. Hurricane Florence
9. Stormy Daniels
10. iPhone XR
In third spot in the trending news topics of the year is the new data protection law, the GDPR. This came into effect the week after the Royal Wedding on May 25th. Businesses need to ensure that they remain compliant with these laws, as failing to do so could end up with them facing huge financial penalties. Google itself is finding itself in a squabble over compliance showing that all companies need to adhere to the tune of GDPR.
What about global searches?
Here’s what the world was Googling in 2018:
1. World Cup
2. Avicii
3. Mac Miller
4. Stan Lee
5. Black Panther
6. Meghan Markle
7. Anthony Bourdain
8. XXXTentacion
9. Stephen Hawking
10. Kate Spade
As with the UK list, the top search is the World Cup, showing that this sporting event was eagerly anticipated and watched by billions across the world.
The majority of the top 10 global searches features people who sadly passed away this year, including a host of musicians, film icon Stan Lee, and physicist Stephen Hawking.
To take a look at this year’s trending topics for yourself and to explore the variety of topics analysed, click here.
As 2018 comes to an end, we can look forward to seeing what will dominate the world of search in 2019.
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