The Top YouTube Searches in 2023

‘YouTube’ itself was officially the most searched term on Google globally this year – and for the third year running – showing just how influential the platform is.

It also means that the top YouTube searches give us a window into the collectiveinterests ofmillions worldwide... 

That’s why we’ve tapped into Similarweb’s first-rate search volume data – based on real user searches – to uncover the most searched keywords on YouTube.

We’ll dive headfirst into the top 100 YouTube searches globally in 2023, as well as for the US and the UK.

Spoiler alert: the most searched term on YouTube is ‘ASMR’, a sure sign that we’re all on a quest for anxiety-relieving content (and who can blame us?). But let’s see what else created some buzz on YouTube last year.

The top YouTube searches in the world

Key stats about the most searched keywords on YouTube worldwide

• • ASMR is the most searched keyword on YouTube globally by a long way with 79.5m total searches in 2023.
  • The 2nd most searched term is ‘mr beast’, a YouTuber with a mind-blowing 229 million subscribers, who is known for his daring video challenges and notable philanthropy. The video short ‘Would you fly to Paris for a baguette?’ is his most watched video and currently has a staggering 1 billion views and over 40 million likes!
  • NBA is the most searched sport-related term at 7, amassing over 25.2m searches. The UFC and WWE are the next most popular at number 8 and 14
  • Andrew Tate, a highly controversial figure in 2023, is the most searched person (who isn’t a YouTuber) with 19.8m total searches
  • Taylor Swift is the second most searched person at 16, with 19m searches in 2023. The pop Queen’s Eras Tour took the world by storm, as did her blossoming romance with NFL player, Travis Kelce
  • The top 100 is brimming with YouTube creators. 40% of the top 20 alone feature popular YouTubers like Sidemen, markiplier and pewpiedie, and they make up 22% of the total top 100
  • Football team Arsenal is the most searched for sports team on YouTube at 41
  • Ukraine is the 15th most searched term on YouTube with 19.5m searches, and ‘ukraine war’ is at 86, showing that the world is still keenly following the war in Europe

The top YouTube searches in the USA

Key stats about the most searched keywords on YouTube in the US

• ASMR was in the spotlight again as the most popular keyword on YouTube in the US with 21.6m total searches, and ‘MrBeast’ was at number 2
• America loves basketball , with the NBA as the 6th most searched thing with 9.3m total searches. The Lakers were the most searched-for basketball team at 45
• Entrepreneur-turned-YouTuber, Dhar Mann, made the top 10 thanks to the ongoing popularity of his inspirational and motivational short videos
• Gaming-related terms made up an impressive 29% of the top 100, which is more than 23% worldwide and 22% in the UK
• Among the most searched people, they were almost all surrounded by controversy this year: Ben Shapiro (5.9m), Andrew Tate (4.2m), Trump (4m) and Colleen Ballinger (3.5m)
• Fox News was America’s most searched news channel, just outside the top 20 with 5.4m total searches

The top YouTube searches in the UK

Key stats about the most searched keywords on YouTube in the UK

• • The group of YouTubers, Sidemen, is the most searched term on YouTube in the UK with 7.4m total searches this year. The British group that have become hugely popular for their videos of challenges, comedy sketches and video game commentaries. One of the group’s members, KSI, is also 3rd on the list.
  • ASMR takes the 2nd spot with 5.8m total searches.
  • The most searched person (who isn’t a YouTuber), Andrew Tate, really got Brits flocking to YouTube, making the top 10 and getting 2.11m searches.
  • It’s no secret that Brits love soccer, with soccer-related terms making up 10% of the top 100, including Arsenal at 4 and Manchester United at 10.
  • They’re also known to be generally sports crazy: 18% of all searched terms on YouTube in the UK are to do with sport, and Sky Sports is the favorite sports channel with 1.39m searches.
  • While ‘gothamchess’, a successful chess channel on YouTube, features on every list, it was the most popular in the UK at 74 with 691.4k searches.
  • Brits love rap music more than any other type. Ice Spice is the top artist on the list at 63, followed by fellow rapper Central Cee at 69

What do the top searches on YouTube tell marketers?

Uncovering the most popular searched keywords on YouTube is not only interesting (who doesn’t love to spy on people?) but also super useful for marketers looking to boost their content strategies.

By looking into the psychological triggers and viral sensations creating buzz on the biggest platform in the world, you can tap into the minds of a global audience to understand what captivates them. You can then leverage these insights to create superior video content and more engaging experiences for your target audience.

Key points on search behavior and current trends on YouTube:

1) People love gaming content ️ 

A clear sign that immersive content is the present and the future. People will watch gaming-related videos even if it’s just watching others play, listening to their commentary or experiencing the gameplay before buying.

To incorporate elements of gaming into your strategies, turn to more experiential marketing tactics that will stimulate and engage your target audience’s senses in a similar way. Using virtual/augmented reality and interactive storytelling is a great way to do this.

2) Video is King

Obvious, we know. But we can’t forget that video content remains the preferred way of consuming content, particularly on social media. A key takeaway from the most searched terms above is that people really engage with inspirational and motivational content (Dhar Mann featured on every list).

Audiences connect best with videos that tell a story, evoke emotions (whether positive or negative), educate them or solve their problems. Here’s a guide on how to up your video marketing game.

3) Keeping up with trends is key

Keeping a tab on current trends means you’ll be on the pulse by creating the most engaging and captivating content possible. You’ll be giving your audience exactly what they want (and ideally quicker than the competition.) So, capitalize on trending keywords, events and viral sensations to tailor content to be even more relevant and shareable.

4) Authenticity and reliability rule

YouTube creators dominate the most searched terms lists because they’ve gained huge, loyal followings by streaming unscripted content that often features their most raw, honest and unfiltered moments. This builds deep connections with subscribers and makes their content relatable and trustworthy.

While this may not be as easy to achieve in a business sense, it shows that authenticity and reliability are crucial in connecting emotionally and building brand loyalty. Invest more in authentic storytelling, user-generated content, live Q&A sessions and behind-the-scenes content to give your audience a glimpse into the human side of your business.

5) Collaborations = greater reach

Based on their widespread popularity, businesses can partner with YouTube creators to gain more market share on the platform and tap into a large, engaged audience. With collaborations, you leverage the trust creators have built with their subscribers to make their endorsements of your product or service super effective.

But how do you know who to work with? To find the right YouTuber to collaborate with, start by using Similarweb to validate their popularity by seeing how many searches they are getting every month. Here we’ve used Mr Beast as an example, but you should find a YouTuber that suits your product or service.

Methodology

To gather the most searched terms on YouTube we analyzed keyword data from Similarweb Digital Marketing Intelligence for January – December 2023. We ordered the list based on the search volume for each term across the 12 month period.

Similarweb’s monthly search volume for YouTube is based on real-user data, not like most tools, which get averages from publicly sourced data.

How can you find YouTube keywords?

We already know that video marketing is important, and as we can see from the data, YouTube is at the very forefront of the video world. It’s also the second most popular search engine after Google. Talk about a powerhouse platform!

That’s why finding the right YouTube keyword data can really boost your engagement levels, help you capture trends and offer new ideas to freshen up your content.

Enter: Similarweb’s YouTube Keyword Generator! With this tool, you can pull accurate, targeted, and trending YouTube-specific keywords to energize your video marketing strategy.

Get started by heading over to Similarweb’s Digital Marketing Intelligence platform. Find the YouTube keyword tool under Search > Keyword Opportunities > Keyword Generator.

Select the YouTube option, add in your seed keyword, and start generating thousands of YouTube keywords!

Once here, you’ll see a load of phrase-matched and related keywords, and the associated search volume and volume trend, so you can hit your target audience with the right thing at the right time.

To sum up…

There’s no denying that YouTube is kind of a big deal. By exploring and analyzing real-user YouTube search data on one of the biggest platforms in the world (and with a little help from Similarweb’s YouTube Keyword Generator) marketers can get their hands on the trends that are captivating a global audience.

Just by looking at the top 100 YouTube searches here, we’ve learned the types of videos that people respond to, and that emotionally-led, authentic content is the key to building genuine (and lasting) connections with a target audience.

Learn more about how YouTube search data can supercharge your digital strategies with some extra reading:

YouTube Keyword Research and Optimization Done Right

YouTube SEO Guide: How to Rank on YouTube and Attract Viewers

How to Get More Views on YouTube

7 Little-Known Tips for YouTube Competitive Analysis

FAQs

What are the most searched keywords on YouTube in 2023?

The most searched thing on YouTube in the world was ‘ASMR’ with 79.5m total searches. YouTuber ‘mrbeast’ was the second most searched term with 54.1m searches.

What are the most searched keywords on YouTube in the USA in 2023?

‘ASMR’ was the US’ most searched term on YouTube, with 21.6m total searches. The second most searched term was ‘mrbeast’ (14.1m) followed by ‘lofi’ (11.2m)

What is the most searched term on Youtube in the UK in 2023?

‘Sidemen’ was the UK’s most searched YouTube term, with 7.4m total searches. The second most searched term was ‘ASMR’ (5.8m) followed by ‘KSI’ (6.3m)