This is our comprehensive list of the most popular Google searches in January 2026.
Google receives over 100 billion visits per month, and we've analyzed the top searches.
Specifically, we're going to list:
- The top 100 keywords in the US
- The top 100 keywords globally
- Selection of popular keywords that are also trending
The data for the lists below was largely derived from Semrush, a keyword research and digital marketing platform.
Please note that we cleaned up the list to remove keywords that were inappropriate (NSFW), misspelled, or repetitive.
Top 100 Google Searches In the US
| # | Search | Search Volume | Search Intent |
| 1 | YouTube | 185 million | Navigational |
| 2 | Amazon | 124 million | Navigational |
| 3 | 101 million | Navigational | |
| 4 | 83.1 million | Navigational | |
| 5 | Gmail | 55.6 million | Navigational, Transactional |
| 5 | Wordle | 55.6 million | Informational |
| 7 | ChatGPT | 45.5 million | Navigational, Commercial |
| 7 | Google Translate | 45.5 million | Informational, Navigational |
| 7 | Walmart | 45.5 million | Navigational |
| 10 | Weather | 37.2 million | Informational |
| 10 | News | 37.2 million | Informational, Commercial |
| 12 | Translate | 30.4 million | Informational |
| 12 | Food Near Me | 30.4 million | Transactional |
| 12 | Chat GPT | 30.4 million | Navigational |
| 12 | Home Depot | 30.4 million | Navigational, Commercial |
| 12 | Yahoo | 30.4 million | Navigational |
| 12 | Yahoo Mail | 30.4 million | Navigational |
| 12 | NFL | 30.4 million | Informational, Navigational |
| 19 | NBA | 24.9 million | Informational, Navigational |
| 19 | Ebay | 24.9 million | Navigational |
| 19 | Target | 24.9 million | Navigational, Commercial |
| 19 | Amazon Prime | 24.9 million | Navigational |
| 19 | Calculator | 24.9 million | Informational |
| 19 | Eight Sleep | 24.9 million | Navigational |
| 25 | 20.4 million | Navigational | |
| 25 | ESPN | 20.4 million | Navigational, Commercial |
| 25 | Fox News | 20.4 million | Navigational |
| 25 | CNN | 20.4 million | Navigational |
| 25 | 20.4 million | Navigational | |
| 25 | Google Flights | 20.4 million | Informational, Transactional |
| 25 | Costco | 20.4 million | Navigational |
| 25 | Election Results | 20.4 million | Informational, Commerical |
| 25 | Canva | 20.4 million | Navigational |
| 34 | Lowes | 16.6 million | Navigational, Commercial |
| 34 | Zillow | 16.6 million | Navigational |
| 34 | NFL Scores | 16.6 million | Informational |
| 34 | USPS Tracking | 16.6 million | Navigational |
| 34 | Blooket | 16.6 million | Navigational, Transactional |
| 39 | Restaurants Near Me | 13.6 million | Transactional |
| 39 | Google Maps | 13.6 million | Navigational |
| 39 | Indeed | 13.6 million | Navigational |
| 39 | StreamEast | 13.6 million | Informational |
| 39 | Netflix | 13.6 million | Navigational |
| 39 | Walgreens | 13.6 million | Navigational, Commercial |
| 39 | Connections | 13.6 million | Informational |
| 39 | Best Buy | 13.6 million | Commercial |
| 39 | X | 13.6 million | Navigational |
| 39 | USPS | 13.6 million | Navigational |
| 39 | Spotify | 13.6 million | Navigational, Transactional |
| 50 | Roblox | 11.1 million | Navigational |
| 50 | Traductor | 11.1 million | Navigational |
| 50 | CVS | 11.1 million | Navigational |
| 50 | Dow Jones | 11.1 million | Informational |
| 50 | Wells Fargo | 11.1 million | Navigational, Commercial |
| 50 | English to Spanish | 11.1 million | Informational |
| 50 | Spanish to English | 11.1 million | Informational |
| 50 | Solitaire | 11.1 million | Informational |
| 58 | Shein | 9.1 million | Navigational |
| 58 | Google Docs | 9.1 million | Navigational |
| 58 | Capital One | 9.1 million | Navigational, Commercial |
| 58 | Craigslist | 9.1 million | Navigational |
| 58 | Etsy | 9.1 million | Navigational |
| 58 | Facebook Marketplace | 9.1 million | Navigational |
| 58 | MSN | 9.1 million | Navigational, Commercial |
| 58 | Bank of America | 9.1 million | Navigational, Commercial |
| 58 | MLB | 9.1 million | Navigational |
| 58 | Speed Test | 9.1 million | Informational |
| 58 | 9.1 million | Navigational | |
| 58 | American Airlines | 9.1 million | Informational |
| 58 | Airbnb | 9.1 million | Navigational, Commercial |
| 58 | TikTok | 9.1 million | Navigational |
| 58 | FedEx Tracking | 9.1 million | Navigational, Transactional |
| 73 | Kahoot | 7.5 million | Navigational, Transactional |
| 73 | 7.5 million | Navigational | |
| 73 | Dominos | 7.5 million | Navigational |
| 73 | Donald Trump | 7.5 million | Informational |
| 73 | AOL Mail | 7.5 million | Navigational, Transactional |
| 73 | Real Madrid | 7.5 million | Informational |
| 73 | Gmail Login | 7.5 million | Navigational, Transactional |
| 73 | AutoZone | 7.5 million | Navigational, Commercial |
| 73 | Harbor Freight | 7.5 million | Navigational |
| 73 | Old Navy | 7.5 million | Navigational |
| 83 | Outlook | 6.1 million | Navigational |
| 83 | Premier League | 6.1 million | Informational, Navigational |
| 83 | Dollar Tree | 6.1 million | Navigational, Commercial |
| 83 | Ikea | 6.1 million | Navigational |
| 83 | McDonald's | 6.1 million | Navigational, Transactional |
| 83 | Pizza Hut | 6.1 million | Navigational, Commercial |
| 83 | Starbucks | 6.1 million | Navigational |
| 83 | Taco Bell | 6.1 million | Navigational, Commercial |
| 83 | PayPal | 6.1 million | Navigational |
| 83 | Twitch | 6.1 million | Navigational |
| 83 | Poki | 6.1 million | Navigational, Commercial |
| 83 | Nvidia Stock | 6.1 million | Informational |
| 83 | Cool Math Games | 6.1 million | Navigational |
| 96 | Google Drive | 5.0 million | Navigational, Transactional |
| 96 | DuckDuckGo | 5.0 million | Navigational |
| 96 | Daily Mail | 5.0 million | Informational, Navigational |
| 96 | Temu | 5.0 million | Navigational |
| 96 | Taylor Swift | 5.0 million | Informational |
The Search Intent column tells us the likely purpose of the search. This data is taken from the Semrush Keyword Magic Tool.
The four types of search intent in Semrush are:
- Navigational: The searcher wants to find a specific website or web page.
- Informational: The searcher would like to learn more about something.
- Commercial: Indicates that the searcher is researching a product, service, or brand.
- Transactional: Indicates that the searcher is ready to make a purchase.
It's notable that many of the top searches on Google are "branded searches": terms like YouTube, Amazon, and the NFL. In other words, the majority of searches in the top 100 are navigational or informational.
These kinds of keywords attract millions of searches per month.
But ranking for the top Google searches is impossible for most brands. There is simply too much competition.
Semrush calculates competition using a Keyword Difficulty score. It’s a 0-100 metric showing how tough it is to rank in Google’s top 10 for any keyword, based on factors like backlinks and domain authority.
The 6 levels of keyword difficulty in Semrush are:
- 0-14 = Very easy. It’s possible to rank new pages quickly with minimal effort.
- 15-29 = Easy. Some competition, but ranking is possible with quality, intent-focused content.
- 30-49 = Possible. More competitive and requires quality, highly optimized, and well-structured content to rank.
- 50-69 = Difficult. Strong content and quality backlinks are essential to rank and see traffic.
- 70-84 = Hard. Highly competitive keywords that require extensive effort, many quality backlinks, and unique content to rank.
- 85-100 = Very hard. Elite SEO, link building, and promotion are needed to rank. Top searches like YouTube, Amazon, and the NFL fall into this difficulty level.
That's why marketers look for low-competition keywords that are easier to rank for.
What are the top searches on Google?
As of January 2026, the most searched thing on Google is YouTube.
The next most popular searches are Amazon, Facebook, Google, Gmail, and Wordle.
Before moving on to our list of top global searches below, it’s worth quickly explaining what “search volume” means.
Search volume is the average number of people who search for a term in a given month. For example, a search volume of "500" means that a specific keyword is searched for around 500 times each month.
Different platforms measure search volume in different ways. But most (including Semrush, the platform we used to generate this list) calculate search volume as a rolling 12-month average.
This helps even out seasonal spikes for terms (like "Halloween costume"), which may get 90% of its search volume in October.
To get access to more Google search data, sign up for Semrush today.
With that, let’s dive into the most popular Google searches worldwide.
Top 100 Google Searches Globally
Our search volume statistics are based on January 2026 data from Semrush.
| # | Search | Search Volume | Search Intent |
| 1 | YouTube | 1.3 billion | Navigational |
| 2 | 589.6 million | Navigational | |
| 3 | WhatsApp Web | 476.1 million | Navigational |
| 4 | 411.8 million | Navigational | |
| 5 | Translate | 383.6 million | Informational |
| 6 | Gmail | 364.1 million | Navigational, Transactional |
| 7 | 359.1 million | Navigational | |
| 8 | Amazon | 345.8 million | Navigational |
| 9 | Google Translate | 298.9 million | Informational, Navigational |
| 10 | Weather | 290.5 million | Informational |
| 11 | Cricbuzz | 257.7 million | Navigational |
| 11 | Clima | 257.7 million | Informational, Commercial |
| 13 | IG | 251.5 million | Navigational |
| 15 | ChatGPT | 213.1 million | Navigational, Commercial |
| 16 | Traductor | 204.9 million | Navigational |
| 17 | Canva | 163.7 million | Navigational |
| 18 | Satta King | 151.4 million | Informational, Commercial |
| 19 | Chat GPT | 150.8 million | Informational |
| 20 | Google Maps | 128.3 million | Navigational |
| 21 | 116.3 million | Navigational | |
| 22 | 105.5 million | Navigational | |
| 23 | Yahoo | 104.8 million | Navigational |
| 24 | FB | 103.9 million | Navigational |
| 25 | TikTok | 101.3 million | Navigational |
| 26 | Sarkari Result | 101.2 million | Informational |
| 27 | погода | 96.5 million | Informational, Commercial |
| 28 | Poki | 96 million | Navigational, Commercial |
| 29 | Weather Tomorrow | 95.4 million | Informational |
| 30 | Yahoo Mail | 95.2 million | Navigational |
| 31 | Wordle | 94.3 million | Informational |
| 31 | Restaurants | 94.3 million | Commercial |
| 33 | X | 94 million | Navigational |
| 34 | Netflix | 93 million | Navigational |
| 35 | NBA | 88.3 million | Informational, Navigational |
| 36 | Hotmail | 85.9 million | Informational |
| 37 | переводчик | 82.3 million | Informational, Transactional |
| 38 | IPL | 81.9 million | Informational, Navigational |
| 39 | Roblox | 81.7 million | Navigational |
| 40 | Real Madrid | 81.6 million | Informational |
| 41 | Speed Test | 81.3 million | Informational |
| 42 | Instagram Login | 79.6 million | Navigational, Transactional |
| 43 | Speedtest | 71.4 million | Informational |
| 44 | News | 70.1 million | Informational, Commercial |
| 44 | Proxy | 70.1 million | Informational |
| 46 | Flipkart | 69.3 million | Navigational |
| 47 | Tradutor | 68.9 million | Informational |
| 48 | Xổ Số Miền Nam | 68.3 million | Informational, Commercial |
| 49 | Lottery Sambad | 68.2 million | Informational, Transactional |
| 50 | BBC News | 65.2 million | Navigational, Commercial |
| 51 | Restaurants Near Me | 64.3 million | Transactional |
| 52 | Premier League | 63.7 million | Informational, Navigational |
| 53 | Tiempo | 63.2 million | Navigational |
| 54 | Yandex | 63 million | Navigational |
| 55 | Map | 62.2 million | Informational |
| 56 | çeviri | 61 million | Navigational |
| 57 | Ebay | 60.5 million | Navigational |
| 58 | Spotify | 59.8 million | Navigational, Transactional |
| 59 | Betano | 56.6 million | Navigational |
| 60 | Outlook | 56.5 million | Navigational |
| 60 | Walmart | 56.5 million | Navigational |
| 62 | ютуб | 56.4 million | Navigational, Transactional |
| 63 | Dpboss | 56.2 million | Informational |
| 64 | Calculator | 53.1 million | Informational |
| 64 | Facebook Login | 53.1 million | Navigational, Transactional |
| 66 | Hotels | 52.7 million | Transactional |
| 67 | 51.7 million | Navigational | |
| 68 | Live Score | 50.5 million | Navigational |
| 69 | Serie A | 49.3 million | Informational |
| 70 | DuckDuckGo | 49.1 million | Navigational |
| 70 | Meteo | 49.1 million | Informational, Commercial |
| 72 | Ikea | 48.9 million | Navigational |
| 73 | Hava Durumu | 47.8 million | Informational |
| 74 | Google Traduction | 47.5 million | Navigational, Transactional |
| 75 | E Devlet | 45.9 million | Navigational |
| 75 | Futbol Libre | 45.9 million | Informational, Transactional |
| 75 | NFL | 45.9 million | Informational, Navigational |
| 78 | ترجمة | 44.4 million | Navigational |
| 79 | Shein | 43.9 million | Navigational |
| 80 | Google Flights | 43.3 million | Informational, Transactional |
| 81 | Champions League | 43.1 million | Informational, Navigational |
| 82 | Airbnb | 41.9 million | Navigational, Commercial |
| 83 | Twitch | 40.1 million | Navigational |
| 84 | Temu | 39.9 million | Navigational |
| 85 | Amazon Prime | 39.4 million | Navigational |
| 86 | Indeed | 38.7 million | Navigational |
| 87 | Ibomma | 38.4 million | Informational, Transactional |
| 88 | Telegram | 38.2 million | Navigational, Commercial |
| 89 | Google Scholar | 37.7 million | Navigational |
| 90 | Food Near Me | 36.7 million | Transactional |
| 91 | Cricket | 36.5 million | Informational |
| 92 | Home Depot | 36.4 million | Navigational, Commercial |
| 93 | Gmail Login | 34.5 million | Navigational, Transactional |
| 94 | Flashscore | 34 million | Navigational |
| 95 | WP | 33.9 million | Informational |
| 96 | Flamengo | 32.2 million | Informational |
| 97 | Discord | 31.9 million | Navigational |
| 98 | Costco | 30.3 million | Navigational |
| 99 | CNN | 28.7 million | Navigational |
| 100 | Eight Sleep | 26.6 million | Navigational |
Most of these heavily searched brands have often been around for years or decades. So while they are extremely popular, they’re not really trending upward anymore.
This is why we thought we’d highlight a few trending topics from the top 100 list.
1. Discord
5-year search growth: 18%
Search growth status: Exploding
Search Volume (US): 5 million
Search Volume (Global): 31.9 million
Description: Discord is a text and voice chat platform that's popular in gaming communities. Users can join different communities (called “servers”), which are similar to subreddits in that they’re designed for people seeking to discuss specific topics.
Search intent data suggests that "Discord" is a navigational keyword, meaning most people who search for this term are looking to visit the site and sign in.
Related keywords with significant volume in the US:
- Discord login (1,830,000)
- Discord download (1,000,000)
- Discord servers (450,000)
- Is Discord down (110,000)
2. TikTok
5-year search growth: 85%
Search growth status: Regular
Search Volume (US): 9.1 million
Search Volume (Global): 101.3 million
Description: TikTok is a now-mainstream short video-sharing platform owned by China-based ByteDance. The platform has grown tremendously since its release in 2016 and has now amassed over 1.6 billion users.
In January 2025, TikTok users flocked to the Chinese social media app RedNote ahead of a proposed US TikTok ban. Search volume data reveals that interest in RedNote is still tiny in comparison, although it has jumped to 165,000 monthly searches in the US.
3. Facebook Marketplace
5-year search growth: 28%
Search growth status: Regular
Search Volume (US): 9.1 million
Search Volume (Global): 14 million
Description: Facebook Marketplace is a peer-to-peer marketplace similar to eBay and Craigslist. Facebook has around 3 billion monthly active users, and the addition of its marketplace allows those users to discover, buy, and sell products to one another.
eBay still leads the way in the US in terms of search volume, but Facebook Marketplace now receives equivalent monthly searches to Craigslist and Etsy. That's despite the fact that many users will access Marketplace through Facebook, rather than a direct search.
4. Canva
5-year search growth: 555%
Search growth status: Exploding
Search Volume (US): 20.4 million
Search Volume (Global): 163.7 million
Description: Canva is an online graphic design platform aimed at non-designers. This easy-to-use tool has a simple drag-and-drop interface with over 250,000 pre-made templates and has embraced AI tools to democratize the design process.
5. Telegram
5-year search growth: 121%
Search growth status: Regular
Search Volume (US): 1.0 million
Search Volume (Global): 38.2 million
Description: Telegram is an encrypted instant messaging service that offers additional privacy features (Secret Chats and Self-Destructing Media) compared to other alternatives. Telegram has over 1 billion users as of the latest reported figures in March 2025.
[list=topic number=5 category=lifestyle]
6. WhatsApp
5-year search growth: 8%
Search growth status: Regular
Search Volume (US): 2.2 million
Search Volume (Global): 141.3 million
Description: WhatsApp is a massively popular text and VoIP mobile app owned and operated by parent company Meta. WhatsApp currently has over 2.5 billion users who, on average, send out 100+ billion messages a day. Semrush traffic data estimates that WhatsApp generates over 2.8 billion visits per month.
And while "WhatsApp" receives more than 100 million global monthly searches, WhatsApp Web is receiving close to 500 million.
7. ChatGPT
5-year search growth: 7,600%
Search growth status: Regular
Search Volume (US): 45.5 million
Search Volume (Global): 213.1 million
Description: ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence chatbot developed by OpenAI. As one of the first (and most advanced) AI language models of its kind, it quickly picked up 1 million users in just 5 days.
Currently, more than 180 million people use ChatGPT. And the tool's popularity is only expected to continue to grow as we await the release of GPT-5.
The search volume for ChatGPT massively exceeds the number of monthly searches for its parent company, OpenAI.
8. Shein
5-year search growth: 7%
Search growth status: Peaked
Search Volume (US): 9.1 million
Search Volume (Global): 43.9 million
Description: Shein is an online fast-fashion retailer founded in Nanjing, China. The brand uses a real-time retail strategy, which allows it to create and launch new designs in less than 3 days. It's reported that Shein does over $30 billion in annual sales.
Shein is just one Chinese retailer in the top 100 globally. It's joined by Temu (37.9 million monthly searches).
Key Takeaways
This concludes our list of the top 100 keywords searched globally and in the US.
There's a common theme among many of the most popular Google searches: most tend to be fairly tech-related (YouTube, Twitch, Netflix, etc.).
Additionally, most are so-called “navigational” searches that are meant to help someone find a specific website (Yahoo, eBay, etc.).
This list will continue to be updated on a monthly basis to include updated data and potentially new keywords.