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 June 2020.
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.
June 2020 Overview
June 2020 was another month where keywords related to a current event news story. Of the 90 phrases we captured over the month, a third of them were news-related. Before the pandemic, the most popular keyword category was “sports”. In June, there were a few sports-related terms that we will examine later on in the article. Beyond news keywords, we saw a few holidays drive users to search as well as a few gaming-related phrases specifically related to PlayStation 5 or PS5. Here are our takes on the keywords driving the most queries in June 2020.
Google Doodle
The keyword that drove the most queries last month was connected to a Google Doodle.
- Marsha P. Johnson – 6/29/2020 – 10,000,000+ queries
Quoting from the Doodle Page, the illustration featured “LGBTQ+ rights activist, performer, and self-identified drag queen Marsha P. Johnson, who is widely credited as one of the pioneers of the LGBTQ+ rights movement in the United States.” The timing of the Doodle was to commemorate the one year anniversary of Marsha being posthumously honored as a grand marshal of the New York City Pride March.
Google publishing this Doodle during Pride Month inspired us to view the 5-year trend for this phrase.
Based on this graph, the search interest is continuing to grow for Pride Month, although the biggest jump occurred between 2018 and 2019. We believe that marketers should be aware of the increasing interest and align campaigns accordingly and authentically.
June Holidays
Last month had a few holidays that drove users to Google to search for more information. There were three on our list that we wanted to analyze further to understand the year-over-year trends:
- National Best Friends Day – 6/8/2020 – 500,000+ queries
- Juneteenth – 6/18/2020 – 5,000,000+ queries
- Happy Father’s Day – 6/21/2020 – 2,000,000+ queries
The first holiday that cracked the top 3 most queried terms of the day was National Best Friends Day that brands like Starbucks and ProFlowers have used in ad campaigns. This year, the search interest for this lighthearted, social-media-friendly holiday hit a new peak.
The volume isn’t large for this holiday as compared to other, more established holidays but it has been trending up over the past three years. It could be considered for content calendar planning for 2021.
With the protests for racial equality and justice being in the forefront of peoples’ minds over the past six weeks, it makes sense there would be a very large increase in search volume around the holiday of Juneteenth:
Looking at Google search trends data from 2004 to present, you can see that this year may have been a watershed moment for this holiday – and we may see more governments recognize it as an official holiday.
Lastly, Father’s Day had its top query day on the 21st. Father’s Day-related keywords also made the top 3 for the days of June 19 (Happy Father’s Day – 1,000,000+ queries) and June 20 (Father’s Day message – 500,000+ queries). This year appeared to be a down year for queries related to this holiday as the peak occurred in 2017.
A Few Keywords Related To Sports
In pre-pandemic days, most of the searches we collected were sports related but now they are a minor category of keywords. Here are the most queried phrases related to sports in June 2020:
- Drew Brees – 6/3/2020 – 2,000,000+ queries
- Bubba Wallace – 6/21/2020 – 2,000,000+ queries
- Cam Newton – 6/28/2020 – 2,000,000+ queries
Searchers were interested in what Drew Brees had to say in terms of other players kneeling during the National Anthem before games. Bubba Wallace, who is a NASCAR driver, may have been the victim of a hate crime. Lastly, Cam Newton became a top searched sports-related query when he signed with the New England Patriots. It’s telling that without live games, sports queries have decreased over the past three months. With the major professional leagues set to resume play in July and August, it will be interesting to see if sports-related terms drive users to search like they did earlier in the year. Marketers should keep a close eye on sports keyword volume if live games resume.
PlayStation 5 Is a Big Deal
Sony revealed many details about their new gaming console and many people choose to learn more about it.
- PS5 – 6/10/2020 – 5,000,000+ queries
- PS5 Price – 6/11/2020 -2,000,000+ queries
We have seen gaming become more popular as a keyword category over the months we have collected data. It seems the pandemic has driven more interest in gaming topics. Marketers should be aware of this growing trend and see if it continues to grow at the same rate in 2021.
Thanks for reading. If you liked this article, we utilize search trends data for all of our clients and we invite you to learn more about our SEO services.
