In our continuing series of examining Google Search Trends to gain insights into the most queried keyword phrases in the USA, we present our findings from September 2024.
Every day of the month, we collect three keyword phrases with the highest search volume reported by Google Trends – Trending Now (US Only). Google’s Trending Now tool provides the date when each phrase started to trend or when the phrase started to be “searched more than usual.” Each keyword phrase has an estimated query volume attached to it, which we also record. After the conclusion of the month, we review the entire list of phrases along with their volumes to understand what motivated people to enter those queries. Our series of reports gives a snapshot of the most important topics on the populace’s minds, sometimes with some year-over-year growth or decline analysis.
September 2024
September brings a change in the seasons and cooler temperatures to us here in the Northern Hemisphere. With these changes, so did the queries we saw in Google’s Trending Now tool, which had more NFL queries than we had seen since February. College football was also on the minds of searchers, as 10 of the top queries were related to NCAA teams and players. Beyond gridiron football, there were queries related to TV shows and movies. The US Presidential race continued to be a popular search topic, as were phrases associated with Apple’s new iPhone. We have a few holiday trends to dive into, and we will explore why three musical artists may have had a bad month. But first, we will start with the Paralympics.
The Paralympic Games
With some help from Google Doodles, this year’s Paralympics was a trending topic for search queries starting September 2024.
- Archery Paralympics – 09/01/2024 – 2,000,000+ queries
- Wheelchair Tennis Paralympics 2024 – 09/03/2024 – 5,000,000+ queries
- Equestrian Paralympics 2024 2024 – 09/07/2024 – 2,000,000+ queries
- Paralympics 2024 – 09/08/2024 – 5,000,000+ queries
Some of these queries were tied to not only a Paralympics event but also a Google Doodle, where if a person clicked on the updated Google logo, it presented a search result page. This action was counted as a query in Google’s Trending Now tool. Overall, Google’s promotion of this international event resulted in an all-time high in search interest, as noted in the screenshot below.
TV Shows
It’s always interesting to see the most popular Google Trends shows. We feel there is a direct correlation between search interest and viewership.
- bachelorette finale – 09/02/2024 – 500,000+ queries
- Anna Delvey – 09/03/2024 – 500,000+ queries
- Perfect Couple – 09/04/2024 – 500,000+ queries
- VMA winners 2024 – 09/11/2024 – 1,000,000+ queries
The final episode of Season 21 of “The Bachelorette” aired on September 3rd, but queries about the show began the day before. Anna Delvey, a noted con artist and fraudster, appeared in this season of “Dancing with the Stars.” “The Perfect Couple” premiered on September 5th, and MTV’s Video Music Awards aired on September 11th. People wanted to know who won this year.
Films
Here are the motion pictures that got the most attention from Google searchers last month.
- Minecraft movie – 09/04/2024 – 500,000+ queries
- The Substance – 09/18/2024 – 200,000+ queries
- Megalopolis – 09/26/2024 – 500,000+ queries
The teaser trailer for “A Minecraft Movie” dropped on September 4th. “The Substance” made its premiere on September 18th, and Francis Ford Coppola’s self-funded film “Megalopolis” debuted in theaters on September 26th
Bad Month For Musical Artists
Sometimes, we see musical artists’ names in the trending keywords data because they’ve announced a concert tour or a new album is being released. In September 2024, it seemed like bad news was driving queries for all three of these artists.
- Dave Grohl – 09/10/2024 – 1,000,000+ queries
- Perry Farrell – 09/13/2024 – 1,000,000+ queries
- Diddy – 09/16/2024 – 2,000,000+ queries
On September 10th.Dave Grohl announced on Instagram that he had a daughter outside his 20-plus-year marriage. On the 13th, Perry Farrell fought on stage with his Jane’s Addiction bandmate Dave Navarro during a performance in Boston. Lastly, Sean Combs was arrested for several charges on the 16th
Holidays
Labor Day Weekend marks the unofficial end of summer. Here are the two keyword phrases that were the most frequently used queries related to the holiday.
- Labor Day – 09/01/2024 – 5,000,000+ queries
- Costco hours – 09/01/2024 – 1,000,000+ queries
It’s important to know when Costco is open on Labor Day.
Another holiday that made our data collection was National Sons Day (September 28th), preceded by National Daughters Day (September 25th).
- National Sons Day 2024 – 09/25/2024 – 1,000,000+ queries
Interestingly, National Daughters Day did not make our list of the top queried phrases of September 2024, so we dug in more.
Because National Daughters Day occurs before National Sons Day, more people search for the latter holiday than the former. Since the trend for Sons Day begins on Daughters Day, it’s clear that search interest is spurred by the earlier holiday.
Presidential Race Keywords
The first and seemingly only presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump happened on September 10th. Here are the phrases related to that event.
- Presidential Debate 2024 – 09/03/2024 – 500,000+ queries
- David Muir – 09/09/2024 – 500,000+ queries
- who won the debate – 09/10/2024 – 10,000,000+ queries
People started to query about the debate a full week before it happened. The moderator, David Muir, was also a subject of queries the day before. Lastly, people wanted to know who won the debate after it was finished. According to Google’s Trending Now tool, it was the most queried phrase in September 2024.
Right after the event, Taylor Swift announced who she supported for president.
- Taylor Swift endorsement – 09/10/2024 – 1,000,000+ queries
Based on the debate, Taylor Swift is voting for Kamala Harris. Five days later, there was another assassination attempt on Donald Trump.
- Trump assassination attempt – 09/15/2024 – 5,000,000+ queries
Finally, there was a significant surge in queries about registering to vote in the US on the 17th.
- how to register to vote in U.S. – 09/17/2024 – 5,000,000+ queries
The NFL Is Back Along With College Football
The National Football League is back with another season, and keyword phrase queries related to the league took up most of the spots in our collection. Here is the list of phrases in chronological order:
- Ravens vs Chiefs – 09/05/2024 – 5,000,000+ queries
- Jordan Love – 09/05/2024 – 5,000,000+ queries
- Tyreek Hill – 09/08/2024 – 2,000,000+ queries
- Tua Tagovailoa – 09/12/2024 – 2,000,000+ queries
- Saints vs Cowboys – 09/14/2024 – 2,000,000+ queries
- 49ers vs Vikings – 09/14/2024 – 1,000,000+ queries
- Eagles vs Falcons – 09/15/2024 – 2,000,000+ queries
- Patriots vs Jets – 09/18/2024 – 2,000,000+ queries
- Chiefs vs Falcons – 09/22/2024 – 2,000,000+ queries
- Ravens vs Cowboys – 09/22/2024 – 1,000,000+ queries
- Eagles vs Saints – 09/22/2024 – 1,000,000+ queries
- Jaguars vs Bills – 09/23/2024 – 1,000,000+ queries
- Commanders vs Bengals – 09/23/2024 – 1,000,000+ queries
- Cowboys vs Giants – 09/25/2024 – 2,000,000+ queries
- Vikings vs Packers – 09/28/2024 – 1,000,000+ queries
- Chiefs vs Chargers – 09/28/2024 – 500,000+ queries
- Bills vs Ravens – 09/29/2024 – 2,000,000+ queries
For the most part, team vs team phrases are the most popular type of NFL-related keywords.
College football is also quite popular, proven by the number of phrases related to the collegiate sport.
- Texas vs Michigan – 09/06/2024 – 2,000,000+ queries
- Colorado vs Nebraska – 09/06/2024 – 1,000,000+ queries
- Oregon football – 09/07/2024 – 1,000,000+ queries
- Northern Illinois football – 09/07/2024 – 500,000+ queries
- Arch Manning – 09/14/2024 – 1,000,000+ queries
- USC vs Michigan – 09/20/2024 – 500,000+ queries
- Tennessee vs Oklahoma – 09/21/2024 – 1,000,000+ queries
- Baylor vs Colorado – 09/21/2024 – 1,000,000+ queries
- Alabama vs Georgia – 09/26/2024 – 2,000,000+ queries
You can see there is a pattern here with more team vs team phrases
MLB
Major League Baseball did capture the attention of people searching on Google last month. These three phrases represent what people wanted to know the most about MLB topics in September 2024.
- Shohei Ohtani – 09/20/2024 – 1,000,000+ queries
- MLB playoff bracket – 09/24/2024 – 1,000,000+ queries
- Padres vs Dodgers – 09/24/2024 – 200,000+ queries
Shohei Ohtani is the first 50 Steals and 50 home runs club member. He also broke a record by homering and stealing a base for the 14th time on September 20th.
At the end of the regular season, there were queries about how the playoff picture was shaping up. The only game that drove enough search interest to make our list was the showdown between the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers on the 24th. The Padres were victorious and clinched a postseason berth.
Federal Interest Rate Cut
With inflation cooling and unemployment rising, the Federal Reserve announced it would cut interest rates by 50 basis points.
- fed rate cuts – 09/16/2024 – 1,000,000+ queries
We will see if the Fed cuts rates again before the end of the year.
Apple’s New Phone
- iPhone 16 pro max – 09/09/2024 – 5,000,000+ queries
- ios 18 features – 09/16/2024 – 500,000+ queries
The iPhone 16 was introduced on the 9th, and it will showcase the company’s AI capabilities. On the 16th, the newest operating system, which includes Apple Intelligence features, was released.
Hurricanes
Two major hurricanes were searched in September 2024
- Hurricane Francine – 09/08/2024 – 2,000,000+ queries
- Helene tracker – 09/24/2024 – 5,000,000+ queries
- Asheville NC – 09/26/2024 – 5,000,000+ queries
Hurricane Francine landed on September 11th, but queries started to rise on the 8th. The tracker for Hurricane Helene’s path was a top search term, and people wanted to know more about its effect on Asheville, NC. As of this writing, the cleanup continues in parts of the country affected by the storm.
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