Google Year in Search 2025: What Trends Reveal About Consumer Behaviour and Marketing Strategies

As this year comes to close, we've all surely checked our spotify wraps and probably had Pritam or Taylor Swift as our #1 artist…maybe. But we've got a new list for you. “Google’s Year in Search 2025”- Spotify wrapped but the Google version. 

2025 has undoubtedly charted as the year full of whimsy, political and economic turmoil, internet slangs that give you a headache, and to summarize it- crazy events that were totally not on our 2025 Bingo Card. The year did go full circle with the catastrophic wild fires that swept across California in January and ending with the Hong Kong fire in early December, but the events that occurred within the duration of these 12 months have been no less mind boggling. With Dubai matcha chocolate Labubu Stanleys taking over the internet and shaping consumer behaviour that has moved towards hoarding of trending items propelled by ideas of FOMO;  and Zohran Mamdani taking over New York, reflecting the increasing political awareness, here are your curated lists of unique but most searched queries on Google.

Top 10 Trending Searches in India

1. IPL

2. Google Gemini

3. Asia Cup 

4. ICC Champions Trophy 

5. Pro Kabaddi League 

6. Maha Kumbh 

7. Women’s World Cup

8. Grok

9. Saiyaara

10. Dharmendra

The top Indian searches of 2025 reflect a marketplace driven by emotion, technology adoption, nostalgia, and collective cultural moments. Cricket-related spikes reaffirm that sports remain India’s most powerful engagement engine, influencing advertising calendars, viewership patterns, and brand activations across sectors, from FMCG to fintech. Searches for Google Gemini, Grok, and AI tools highlight accelerated AI curiosity and early adoption, signalling that Indian consumers are increasingly comfortable with automation and digital assistance in education, productivity, and entertainment. Meanwhile, trends like the Maha Kumbh and the sudden popularity of Saiyaara demonstrated India’s behavioural duality of a population deeply rooted in tradition, yet highly responsive to emerging digital pop culture. For businesses, this search behaviour signals a 2026 market where emotion-driven campaigns, AI-integrated products, regional content, and pop-culture-led storytelling will shape demand patterns and redefine consumer loyalty.

Top 10 Trending Global News Searches

1. Charlie Kirk Assassination

2. Iran

3. US Government Shutdown

4. New Pope

5. LA Fires

6. Hurricane Melissa

7. TikTok Ban

8. USAID

9. Zohran Mamdani

10. Kamchatka Earthquake and Tsunami

We can definitely agree that this year was WILD, especially when it came to politics. It was messy, loud, and unpredictable but also a year that showed how deeply people care, how quickly communities mobilise, and how much global politics now lives directly in our search bars. And most importantly a reminder of how deeply individual lives are inevitably intertwined with politics. 

Global news searches reveal a consumer landscape shaped by instability, uncertainty, and information urgency. Major political incidents and climate-related crises signal that consumers are increasingly aware of how global events impact their daily lives, finances, and long-term security. This heightened awareness often results in shifts in spending behaviour, with people prioritising essential purchases, trusted brands, and sustainable products during periods of volatility. Searches around the New Pope and USAID reflect an appetite for social, humanitarian, and policy-related content, indicating that social consciousness is influencing purchasing decisions. In 2026, businesses should expect a consumer base that values transparency, ethical practices, crisis responsiveness, and real-time communication, as global instability increasingly shapes brand trust and economic behaviour.

Top 10 Trending Searches for People

1. D4vd

2. Kendrick Lamar

3. Jimmy Kimmel

4. Tyler Robinson

5. Pope Leo XIV

6. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

7. Sheuder Sanders

8. Bianca Censori

9. Zohran Mamdani

10. Greta Thunberg

The most-searched personalities of 2025 show a market influenced by celebrity controversies, cultural leadership, authenticity, and narrative-driven fame. From musician turned murderers like D4vd,  and Kendrick Lamar dominating cultural conversations to public figures like Pope Leo XIV and Greta Thunberg shaping global discourse, audiences are drawn to personalities who represent strong emotion, transformation, or social impact. This trend signals that influence is no longer limited to traditional celebrities. Political figures, activists, and even emerging creators like Vaibhav Sooryavanshi command significant consumer attention. For brands, this means 2026 will reward partnerships with individuals who have purpose-driven identities, strong community engagement, and authentic storytelling abilities. As the “attention economy” grows more volatile, businesses must align with personalities who reflect consumer values rather than purely popularity metrics. In such a landscape, off-page SEO techniques like guest posting wield enough power to positively impact growth and bring brands into mainstream conversations.

Top trending TV show searches:

1. "The Hunting Wives"
2. "The White Lotus"
3. "The Pitt"
4. "The Summer I Turned Pretty"
5. "Squid Game"
6. "Severance"
7. "MobLand"
8. "Adolescence"
9. "Andor"
10. "IT: Welcome To Derry"

From killer clowns to killer teens, the TV shows that dominated searches indicate a global audience hungry for intense emotional storytelling, escapism, youth-centric narratives, and high-stakes drama. Series like “The Hunting Wives,” “Squid Game,” and “IT: Welcome to Derry” highlight a continued appetite for dark, psychological, and thriller-driven content. Meanwhile, shows like “The Summer I Turned Pretty” reaffirmed the commercial strength of young adult emotional drama, which continues to dominate short-form content virality. These patterns signal that OTT platforms will shape consumer behaviour around binge culture, community discourse, merchandise ecosystems, and fandom-driven marketing. For advertisers and streaming services, the takeaway is clear: 2026 will reward genre diversification, regional adaptations, character-driven campaigns, and micro-community targeting, as viewers increasingly choose content that matches their emotional and escapist needs.

So are you team #Jelly or team #Bonrad?

Top 10 Trending Internet Slang Searches

1. 6-7
2. Sigma
3. 41
4. Skibidi
5. Ohio
6. Rizz
7. Good boy
8. Skibidi toilet
9. Aura
10. Chat

From “6-7” memes to the eternal reign of “Skibidi Toilet,” 2025 was basically one giant inside joke the internet refused to explain. We really turned random syllables into cultural pillars. The timeline was a fever dream, TikTok ran on unhinged energy, and honestly? Chat, we really been aura farming out here.

The year’s most-searched slang terms revealed how deeply Gen Z internet culture drive purchasing trends, micro-movements, and viral behaviours. Slang like “sigma,” “rizz,” “aura,” and “Ohio” reflect the rise of identity-based humour and meme-driven self-expression, while the continued dominance of “Skibidi Toilet” reflects the irrational yet powerful speed of digital virality. These trends show that consumer behavior, especially among younger audiences is shaped less by logic and more by community belonging, in-jokes, and fast-moving digital identities. Brands looking to tap into these audiences must adopt agility, humour, and culturally aware communication, rather than traditional marketing language. In 2026, consumer engagement will be shaped by brands that understand how internet slang signals shifts in identity, community formation, microtrend adoption, and digital purchasing intent, especially in fashion, beauty, gaming, and entertainment sectors.

Unfortunately, some events didn’t make the list. I mean, how could we forget Luigi Mangione, the Louvre heist, and of course… Labubus, which had the entire internet in absolute hysterics? But while the internet was busy laughing, spiraling, meme-ing, and womp womp-ing its way through the chaos, many of the truly important issues slipped under the radar- gender-based violence, unjust court hearings, rising AQI levels, deforestation, and so much more. And that absence is telling. It shows that even as we move toward a more politically alert and digitally informed mindset, a large share of the population remains disengaged from the systemic issues shaping their everyday lives at the smallest, most intimate levels.

For businesses, this imbalance between entertainment-driven virality and low awareness of structural challenges is a behavioural signal. It suggests that the 2026 consumer will continue to be heavily influenced by immediacy, distraction, and digital noise, often prioritising short-term emotional triggers over long-term societal concerns. This will shape market growth by rewarding brands that tap into cultural momentum while also creating space to educate, empower, and build trust through responsible communication. As we step into a world increasingly shaped by AI acceleration and an economy obsessed with speed and profit, the onus on brands will be clear: meet consumers where their attention already lives, but also guide that attention toward awareness that truly matters. Here’s hoping we carry that balance into a safer, more conscious, and more socially responsible 2026.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.