The Most Asked Questions on Google in 2023

When you don’t know the answer to something, what do you do? Google it.

That is one question you, me, and even your old Aunt Jayne and Bob next door can all answer – without the need to tap it into our phones.

In fact, around 8% of search queries are phrased as questions.

But with that comes a lot of question queries on Google, and with those questions comes a lot of key search queries that SEO and marketing managers everywhere want to get their hands on.

And guess what? Similarweb has got that data.

Founded back in 1998, Google has answered its fair share of questions over time – but what we wanna know is: how’s 2023 looking so far?

Let’s check it out with the top 100 most-searched questions in 2023 worldwide (and top most-searched for US and UK just a few scrolls down for some more localized data).

What are the most Googled questions in 2023, worldwide?

Stats on the most-asked questions on Google globally

A list is a list, but what interesting facts and stats can we draw out from that top 100 most-asked questions on Google about 2023 so far? Answer: loads.

1) Screen time is on the up

Following the top searched question query of “what” (indicating distraction, laziness, the unknown, but pointing most towards Whatsapp Web) comes “what to watch”.

It’s a question many of us ask ourselves on a daily basis, and with an average monthly search volume of close to 2 million, it’s a question a bunch of us are asking Google.

Rather than sending most of us to a list of Netflix or Mubi’s newest and most popular numbers, the web traffic leader is actually YouTube. Hello, YouTube spirals, our old friend.

But further down the top 100, we’ve got the specifics. Our recent data, taking into account January to June 2023, shows your top to-watch list included:

• The World Cup (“world cup near me” to be precise, giving more bar and pub vibes than Netflix and chill)
• Everything Everywhere All At Once
• Super Bowl
• John Wick
• The Office
• Knives Out
• Young Sheldon

2) Bad times for social media (apart from one platform…)

In our lists of the most searched things on Googleand the most search questions, there are a lot of social media mentions.

By filtering down to just the question queries, these mentions aren’t so positive.

Just look at the top 10 most Googled questions, for example – you’ll find “how to delete instagram account”, “how to delete facebook account”, “how to deactivate facebook” and “how to deactivate instagram” all there. Sorry, Meta.

Twitter, LinkedIn and Spotify also get some of the same negativity.

But the one that you can’t see in the top 100? Tiktok. It looks like Gen Z and its obsession with new-wave social media ain’t going anywhere for 2023.

3) New year, new you

With the new year, sometimes comes a want (or need) for change.

In terms of career changes, it’s a time when budgets are considered, goals are reevaluated, job posts are published, and questions from candidates swarm Google.

The top 100 most Googled questions had a bunch of queries related to nailing interviews or getting a new job, from variations of “how to write a resume” and “how long should a cover letter be” to “how to tie a tie”, “how to introduce yourself” and “how to negotiate a salary”.

Yep, that’s right. Google is clearly on-hand to bring out the bad a$$ in you, and we’re here for it.

4) ChatGPT, obviously

If you haven’t been living under a rock since November 2022, you won’t be surprised to hear that ChatGPT – of course – managed to make its way into the top most-asked questions on Google.

Despite a slight drop in traffic in recent months, ChatGPT has owned people’s curiosity in 2023 so far, with “what is chatgpt” coming in at number 12.

The search term saw most of its 2023 searches coming in January and February, seeing a steep decline into April where it seems to have maintained its traffic. Because, as per usual, human curiosity wears off once knowledge is gained (and competitors swoop in).

Here’s a quick (and colorful) look into ChatGPT’s traffic and traffic distribution for 2023 so far:

5) Surprise guest for 2023: the Titanic

When it comes to an event that happened in June, it’s rare for it to make an impact on half a year’s worth of keyword data.

But seeing the search query “how deep is the titanic” at number 33 in the top most-asked questions, as well as the term’s search volume, it looks like one June event did.

The mystery-come-tragedy of the OceanGate Titan sub had many of us locked to our computer screens and mobile devices, waiting for more information to come through.

This is an example of a search term that, otherwise, had a relatively small search volume, but a timely event changed that and changed the intent behind the keyword. Prior to June, searchers were more interested in the history or the general depth of the ocean, whereas around June, it was to get more information on this tragic news story.

News-related and trending keywords can often come as a surprise to even Google, but with Similarweb, you can capture that trend when it matters: the moment it happens, and before your competitors. This works for news and media businesses, as well as for other industries too.

What are the most Googled questions in 2023, in the US?

Stats on most-asked questions on Google in the US

1) More social media avoidance

It looks like the US has its part to play in the worldwide-want to deactivate social media accounts.

In just the top 20 most Googled questions in the US, we’ve got “how to delete instagram account”, “how to delete facebook account”, “how to deactivate facebook”, “how to deactivate instagram”.

TikTok, again, yet to make an appearance in the top 100 most-asked questions – its users clearly know what they’re doing and don’t need Google’s help.

2) Finance fun for all

In a time of economic crisis around the world, it’s no real surprise that Google has had to answer a few questions (and panics) about finances.

The top 100 sees a lot of queries like “how much house can I afford” (2), “when are taxes due 2023” (8), “what is a good credit score” (18), “how much rent can I afford”, and “how to make money” (77).

Is the last one related to number 59 in the list, “why are eggs so expensive”, that sees an average monthly search volume of 50,620? Quite possibly.

3) Health, fitness, and sickness

It’s clear that health and fitness are on the minds of many searchers in the US. Weight loss is a big topic, including searches for how-tos and information on calories, but “how to gain weight” does make an appearance at number 75.

A desperate need to get rid of hiccups comes up a couple of times too, and guess what? Sipping water upside down is clearly as impossible as it sounds, as this tactic is not mentioned in the SERP feature. But in case you’re interested…

4) Super Bowl 2023

We’re talking US traffic, so of course, the February 2023 Super Bowl was gonna be up there in the top most-searched questions on Google.

For the non-sports fans: the game was Philadelphia Eagles vs Kansas City Chiefs.

For the sports fans, or the fans of a Super Bowl event full of food and beer: You guys wanted to know when it was (no.16) and where to watch it (no.66).

This event is also where Rihanna revealed her pregnancy, which we think you might be able to tell by looking at the boost in global traffic for the search term “rihanna pregnant” in February 2023.

5) Top stories in the news

Then, again, we’ve got some more timely stories that made their way into the topics of the top question queries on Google. Namely:

• “what happened to jamie foxx”: Jamie Foxx was admitted to hospital earlier in April for a ‘medical complication’, and it’s still a term that’s being regularly searched in the US.
• “what happened to damar hamlin”: Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest after making a tackle in a game, and the public have used Google to search about his well-being and future in football.
• “what does indicted mean”: A phrase that hit its peak in March 2023, the same time Donald Trump’s indictment was announced. Coincidence? We think not.

What are the most Googled questions in 2023, in the UK?

Stats on most-asked questions on Google in the UK

1) It’s a cost of living crisis

Never ones to take themselves too seriously, British people have – they really have – devised a new slang term for the cost of living crisis: ‘cozzie livs’.

Well, we say slang. But here you can see the search term’s traffic distribution moving from the slang dictionary, Urban Dictionary (seen in orange), into the realms of news and social media.

Anyway, this cost of living crisis (cozzie livs) has hit the UK pretty hard, thanks to high inflation prices and a housing crisis on top. And the question queries from UK-based searches shows it:

• “How much can I borrow for mortgage”
• “How much is my house worth”
• “How much is my car worth”
• “How much tax will I pay”
• “How much mortgage can I get”
• “How much can I borrow”
• “When is the next cost of living payment”
• “How to save money”

… you get the jist.

2) Say hello to King Charles III

The new King of England was crowned in May 2023, and there were a lot of Google searches asking questions about it. In fact, “when is the coronation” made it to number 5 in the list, and “what time is the coronation” to number 20. How very organized.

Throw in a few variations of the same question, including specifically “when is king charles coronation” and there are a few coronation questions royally sprinkled throughout our list of the most Googled questions.

3) Banking more bank holidays

Whether people were Googling the coronation because they love the Royal family or whether they were wondering about the extra bank holiday, we’ll never know.

….. But with “how many bank holidays in [year]” being a guaranteed question query every year (number 86 for this year so far), we’re going to say there’s definitely some bank holiday lovers in there.

And for those that aren’t aware: May was full of ‘em.

Honorable mention to “why are they called bank holidays” and “bank holiday why monday” being in January to June 2023 question queries too – for the people who don’t want to ask out loud because it sounds like they’re complaining, but feel it’s a fair question to silently ask Google.

4) Go sports!

What would a list of top search terms or most-asked questions be without a heavy focus on sport?

And judging by the top 100, football (or soccer) and boxing win the trophy for the UK’s favorite sports. Rugby and cricket don’t make an appearance until much, much further down.

Again, it’s a lot about times – we love the organization, people. Here are a few of the fan’s favorites in terms of questions (with F1 zooming into the top 100):

• “where to watch the world cup near” (44)
• “what football is on today” (26)
• “what time is the jake paul fight” (29)
• “what time is the aj fight” (87)
• “what time is f1 today” (99)

5) Curiosity into neurodiversity

It’s also great to see internet users in the UK wanting to know more about things like ADHD and autism. In the top 100, you’ll find “what is adhd” (43), “do I have adhd” (27), and “what is autism” (49).

In fact, in May 2023, the term “adhd” alone saw a huge spike in traffic:

And the same with “autism”. Does this have something to do with the neurodiversity movement that can be seen on the likes of TIkTok and Instagram? We think so. And if it’s raising awareness in a positive way, we’re here for it.

How to find the most-asked questions on Google

Our Digital Marketing Intelligence helps you discover the questions people are asking (you can filter by industry or country, too). Our data covers over 40 billion keywords worldwide – and that keyword list is constantly growing as we analyze over 2 terabytes of data each day.

Here’s a quick breakdown of how to find the top 100 most Googled questions (and beyond):

• Head to our Keyword by Industry feature in the Keyword Research Tool
• Apply the Question Queries filter (without this, we’d get a list of the most searched things on Google in general)
• Pick your date range and region
• Play around with the other filters here too – here, we went for All Industries
• Organize the data by search volume to see the most searched questions on Google

It really is that simple. Here’s what that will look like:

Keep your keyword strategy on track with Similarweb

By using our Keyword Research tools, you take the guesswork out of your keyword strategy. We’ll help ensure you identify and target keywords that make a difference.

Have a go and get started:

• Keyword Generator: Find relevant keywords that are related to a seed word or phrase, or filter by question to see a website’s top keywords and questions keywords
• Keyword Gap: Use a competitor-focused approach to analyze keyword gaps and identify keywords sending traffic to your competitors.
• Seasonal Keywords: View seasonal keywords by industry and see top trending keywords to get ahead of the curve.
• Keywords by Industry: Uncover the top keywords for your industry and peak under the hood to see the distributions of paid vs. organic traffic, search traffic by channel and by source, and many insights on volume, leaders, and trends for the top keywords in the industry.

FAQs

What is the most searched question on Google for 2023 so far? 

The most Googled question for 2023 so far is, quite simply, “what” which takes most traffic through to Whatsapp Web. This is followed by “what to watch”, the second most-searched question on Google this year.

What are the top questions searched on Google in the United States? 

The top questions searched on Google in the US are “what to watch”, “how much house can i afford”, “how to delete instagram account”, “how to screenshot on windows” and “how to screenshot on mac”.

What are the top questions searched on Google in the UK?

The top 5 most searched questions on Google in the UK are “what” (nice), “when is ramadan 2023”, “how much water should you drink a day”, “when do the clocks change” and “when is the coronation”.

Are there any seasonal or event-related spikes in the most searched questions on Google? 

Yes, absolutely! Google search trends often experience fluctuations based on seasons, holidays, major events, and other news. Monitoring these trends will help marketers and content creators tailor their strategies to meet the current demands of their target audience, and stay relevant (and ranking).