Lookback: The Most Searched Keywords of 2022 on Google

Keywords have long been an important part of SEO as a means of connecting with your audience. As users enter certain words and phrases into the search field of Google and other search engines, they are matched with the sites and pages that use those words.

Because they bring visitors to websites, knowing the most searched keywords is an important part of content creation. But keywords can do more than just tell you what your customers are looking for. They can also tell you what is important to the people around you, what they are thinking, and how they feel about many things.

With 2022 now in the rear view mirror, Google has provided some insights into the most searched keywords of this past year, giving some insight into what has been on the minds of Canadian users. The list covers a wide range of topics, ranging from celebrities and entertainment, to sports, athletes, world events, and more.

Here is the list of the most searched keywords of 2022 on Google.

Top Trends of the Year 

This category includes the popular game Wordle and its Canadian spinoff, Canuckle. It also features the World Cup, the war in Ukraine, and notable figures who have passed on.

• Wordle

• Ukraine

• World Cup

• Queen Elizabeth

• Betty White

• Bob Saget 

• Anne Heche

• Canuckle

• Johnny Depp

• Will Smith

News Highlights

News searches have unsurprisingly focused on the situation in Ukraine. Locally, searches focused on the Rogers outage, in which a software update on the Rogers core IP network caused an overload of the company’s internal network, resulting in a shutdown. 

Some other trending searches included “monkeypox” after it began to spread across the country, “Lisa Laflamme,” whose firing sparked controversy and allegations of sex, age, and even grey hair being factors in her dismissal, and “Freedom Convoy 2022,” a series of protests and blockades that effectively turned Ottawa into a parking lot.

Popular Questions

As always, many searches concerned themselves with the “why” of certain events, often triggered by or related to other top searches. For example, the interest in Ukraine resulted in many seeking more in-depth answers about not only what was happening, but why. Many concerned parents also wanted to understand the reason behind shortages of baby formula and medications for their children.

Here are the top “why” questions asked by Canadians in 2022:

1. Why is Russia attacking Ukraine?
2. Why is Rogers down?
3. Why did Will (Smith) slap Chris (Rock)?
4. Why is Ukraine not in NATO?
5. Why is there a formula shortage?
6. Why is gas so expensive right now?
7. Why are truckers protesting?
8. Why is there a Tylenol shortage?
9. Why is crypto currency going down?
10. Why did Liz Truss resign?

In addition to wanting to know “why,” many had questions on “how”. This touched on many subjects, such as how to pronounce certain names, and how to evolve their Pokemon. The top “how” questions were:

1. How to watch the World Cup
2. How to do a rapid COVID test
3. How to help Ukraine
4. How to get vaccine QR code
5. How to create an NFT
6. How to pronounce Kyiv
7. How to evolve Charcadet
8. How to respec in Elden Ring
9. How to evolve Cosmog in Pokémon Go
10. How to pronounce Qatar

Entertainment and Culture

Not all searches were so focused on the news and current events. According to Google, many Canadians were performing searches related to their favourite movies, TV shows, and celebrities. 

The top movie searches were:

1. Encanto
2. Top Gun
3. The Batman
4. Thor: Love and Thunder
5. Turning Red
6. Black Adam
7. Everything Everywhere All at Once
8. Morbius
9. Uncharted
10. Don’t Worry Darling

The top TV searches were:

1. Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
2. Euphoria
3. Stranger Things
4. Inventing Anna
5. The Watcher
6. House of the Dragon
7. Moon Knight
8. Yellowstone
9. The Boys
10. The Summer I Turned Pretty

The top celebrity searches were:

1. Johnny Depp
2. Will Smith
3. Amber Heard
4. Chris Rock
5. Adam Levigne
6. King Charles
7. Jada Pinkett Smith
8. Julia Fox
9. Bruce Willis
10. Mary J. Blige

While celebrities and scripted entertainment were popular, so too were sports and athletes.

Top sport searches:

1. World Cup
2. Olympic medal count
3. Calgary Flames
4. Olympics
5. CFL scores
6. T20 World Cup 2022
7. Asia Cup 2022
8. Canada Soccer
9. Golder State Warriors
10. Indian Wells tennis

Top athlete searches:

1. Guy Lafleur
2. Novak Djokovic
3. Antonio Brown
4. Serena Williams
5. Eileen Gu
6. Kamila Valieva
7. Felix Auger Aliassime
8. Mitchell Miller
9. Johnny Gaudreau
10. Kirby Dach

Obviously, Canadians had a wide range of interests in 2022. What will the top trends be for 2023?

Only time will tell.