Every year, we reflect on the moments that made us laugh, smile from ear to ear, or kept us gripped to our screens in our annual Year in Search. It was a year in which we were struck by the death of a beloved comedian, and watched news unfold about a horrific plane crash and a terrifying disease. We were captivated by the beautiful game, and had fun with birds, a bucket of ice, and a frozen princess. 

Watch our video to rediscover the events, people and topics that defined 2014:
           
Wishing the genie goodbye
“You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it.” The passing of beloved comedian and actor Robin Williams shook the world, bringing many people online to search for more information and to remember—and putting Williams in the #1 spot on our global trends charts. There was even an uptick in searches related to depression tests and mental health in the days following his death. We revisited his iconic roles in movies like Aladdin and Dead Poets Society and found solace in gifs and memes that captured Williams’ spirit.

All the world’s a stage
Nothing brings people together like sports, and 2014 had one of the biggest athletic events in recent memory. The World Cup in Brazil had its fair share of unforgettable moments and had everyone glued to their TVs and mobile devices all summer. From Luis Suarez’s bite heard around the world, to Tim Howard's superman performance vs. Belgium, to Germany’s incredible run to their fourth title, the competition certainly lived up to its reputation and topped the charts.

While sports brought people together, so did a good cause. This year, awareness for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, better known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s Disease, reached an all-time high around the world due to the viral ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. As celebrities and everyday people alike braved a bucket of ice cold water for a cause, donations to help find a cure for the illness hit almost $100 million.

Into the unknown How could a plane just vanish into thin air? In the wake of the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, that question propelled the mystery to the global trends charts. As the investigation continued on the ground and online, people stayed hopeful for a happy ending despite the dim odds: searches for “mh370 found” outnumbered searches for “mh370 lost.”

Here’s the full list of our top 10 global trending searches:

You can find more on these top searches and more at google.com/2014

Explore the stories from the year, one chapter at a time
On our Year in Search site, you can take an in-depth look at the stories that made 2014 unforgettable. From the rise of the selfie, to understanding if we search for “how” more than “why,” each chapter shares a glimpse into the people and events that drove this year forward.



We've also made it easier to find the trending topics of the year directly from Google Search. For the first time, a simple search for [google 2014] will give you a peek at what made the top trending lists from around the world. And you can follow more insights from the year with #YearInSearch. So take a moment to appreciate what this year had to offer. It’ll be 2015 before you know it.

Posted by +Amit Singhal, Senior Vice President, Search

Today we released our annual wrap up of top trending searches around the world. Once you've had your fill, you may be interested to check out some updates in Google Trends and in your search results.

2014 Trending Topics in Search

Sometimes you just want to know what's been trending -- and today we're rolling out a simple way to explore 2014 trending topics in Search. Search for [2014 trending topics], [2014 trends] or similar queries in 45+ languages and you'll discover a new feature listing the top trends of the year based on Google Trends data.


Click on any of the topics listed to quickly perform a search and learn more, or click the menu to explore trends in 61 countries around the world.

Trending on YouTube in 27 countries 

The web is about much more than searching—it's about reading, sharing, listening, watching, creating... What if you want to explore the pulse of everything happening online?

Last month we took a small step in that direction, introducing a new feature to explore videos Trending on YouTube in the United States. Now you can explore videos trending on YouTube in 27 countries. Visit google.com/trends and click on “Trending on YouTube” and you'll discover a list of videos spiking in popularity.



The new YouTube lists in Google Trends are our most comprehensive and dynamic yet, taking Google Trends technology and building on earlier efforts that started with YouTube Trends and the YouTube Popular Now Channel. Depending on the day, you'll find up to 200 newly trending videos, so you can keep a pulse on the latest trending game highlights, late night satires, and Minecraft voiceovers.

Fresh design for a fresh new year Today we've also rolled out a number of design updates to the Google Trends website designed to make it simpler, cleaner, and more colorful. Among other tweaks, you'll notice an updated navigation menu, updated typography, spacing, and a refreshed design for Top Charts (home of our annual trending topics). Check it out and be sure to tell us what you think by clicking "Send Feedback" at the bottom of Google Trends pages.

Posted by Jake Hubert, Product Manager

Cross-posted from the Google Translate Blog

• Chichewa (Chinyanja) is spoken by 12 million people in Malawi and surrounding countries. It is one of 55 languages used in the greetings that now travel the galaxy on the Voyager interstellar probes.
• Malagasy is spoken by 18 million people in Madagascar, where it is the national language. It is one of only a few languages which puts the verb first in sentences, followed by the object and then the subject.
• Sesotho has 6 million native speakers. It is the national language of Lesotho and one of 11 official languages in South Africa.

• Malayalam (മലയാളം), with 38 million native speakers, is a major language in India and one of that country’s 6 classical languages. It’s been one of the most-requested languages, so we are especially excited to add Malayalam support!
• Myanmar (Burmese, မြန်မာစာ) is the official language of Myanmar with 33 million native speakers. Myanmar language has been in the works for a long time as it's a challenging language for automatic translation, both from language structure and font encoding perspectives. While our system understands different Myanmar inputs, we encourage the use of open standards and therefore only output Myanmar translations in Unicode.
• Sinhala (සිංහල) is one of the official languages of Sri Lanka and natively spoken by 16 million people. In September the local community in Sri Lanka organized Sinhala Translate Week, and since then, participants have contributed tens of thousands of translations to our system. We're happy to be able to release Sinhala as one of the new languages today!
• Sundanese (Basa Sunda) is spoken on the island of Java in Indonesia by 39 million people. While Sundanese does have its own script, it is today commonly written using the Latin alphabet, which is what our system uses.

• Kazakh (Қазақ тілі) with 11 million native speakers in Kazakhstan. We've received strong support from Kazakh language enthusiasts, and we hope to continue collaborating with the local communities in the region to add even more languages in the future, including Kyrgyz.
• Tajik (Тоҷикӣ), a close relative to modern Persian, is spoken by more than 4 million people in Tajikistan and beyond.
• Uzbek (Oʻzbek tili) is spoken by 25 million people in Uzbekistan. In addition to receiving Uzbek community support, we've incorporated the Uzbek dictionary by Shavkat Butaev into our system.

Think of it as our early holiday gift to you — today we’re releasing the rebuilt Google app for iOS. It’s ready for download in the App Store and will help you multitask more merrily this season. You can now see and return to your recently visited pages or start a new search with a single tap, as well as find nearby places and explore interactive maps right inside the Google app. All of this is wrapped up in the sleek packaging of Material Design.

When you’re busy searching for everything from your favorite online stores to the hours of the local ice skating rink to recipes for gingerbread cookies—likely all at the same time—the new “recents” button helps keep you organized. Tap it and you’ll find recently viewed pages open and waiting for you. Flip through them with a flick of your finger to juggle all your tasks.
You also no longer have to worry about how to get back to the mic (or search box if you’re more of a typing, um, type) to ask your next question. The new Google button at the bottom of the app will take you right back there with one tap.
Last but not least: you can now search Google Maps within the Google app! Now, whenever you search for a place—whether it’s a tree farm or a restaurant after a long day of shopping—you’ll see a map right there with the results. You can get a quick sense of where you’re headed, or even explore Street View if you want to take a closer look. When you’re ready to get going, your trusted Google Maps app will be waiting a tap away with directions.
Once your plans are made, Now cards in the Google app will help you keep track of it all: you can count on a notification letting you know when the perfect gift you ordered will ship, and the flight you booked or table you reserved for your office party will pop up in helpful cards as well.

With the Google app by your side, we hope your holiday season is a little less hectic, and a little more happy!

Posted by Nick Hobbs, Product Manager, Search

Have you ever visited a website using Google Search on your mobile phone, only to find that the text was too small, the links were tiny, and the content could not be viewed without scrolling sideways? This usually happens when the website has not been optimized to be viewed on a mobile phone and can be a frustrating experience.
Surfing the web on your mobile phone should be enjoyable and effortless, which is why we’re now helping you find out in advance which websites offer a good experience on mobile devices. Look for the mobile-friendly label in our mobile search results like this:
We hope this helps everyone to have a better mobile web experience. You can hop on for the ride too! If you notice that your favorite websites don’t have the mobile-friendly label, reach out to the site owners or webmasters and let them know about your mobile experience on their sites. And if you want to make mobile-friendly websites, visit our Guide for mobile websites.

Let’s ditch the pinching, scrolling and aimless tapping, and welcome the new wave of mobile-friendly sites.
Posted by Javier Perez, Google Search Quality Team and Doantam Phan, Google Mobile Search

And, your Google app now doubles as a virtual coin

Cross-posted from the Google Shopping Blog.

Are you an Elsa, Olaf or Anna? Judging by the top trending searches for Halloween costumes on Google, you’re going to see a lot of each on the streets this October 31. The characters from Disney’s animated blockbuster make up three of the top five trending costumes this year.

While last year’s list featured popular choices from TV (Breaking Bad) and the viral video “What Does The Fox Say,” movie-themed costumes are dominating this year. Maleficent and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle costumes round out the top five. Costumes from Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain America and The Avengers take places 6 through 8, while video-game Assassin's Creed and pet costume were the only non-movie themed costumes trend to make the Top 10.


With more than half of their traffic coming from Google, online retailer BuyCostumes.com anticipated the surge in interest around these top costumes and tailored their Google Search advertising to ensure that they’re connecting with consumers as they’re looking for this season’s popular costumes.

“We watch the trends with a keen eye, especially around this time of year,” said Jennifer Dominiquini, chief marketing officer for BuySeasons, Inc., parent company to BuyCostumes.com. “It is important to us to leverage the trends and ensure those searching for them are finding our brand in their search.”

Trick or Doggy Treat? 
It’s no surprise that canine companions frequently join the family as they take to the streets, going door to door, but more and more people are looking to incorporate their dogs into the Halloween spirit. Searches for dog costumes are trending nearly 15% higher than last year, and one pet even costume managed to crack the Top Ten trending costumes. At number 9 on this is ‘spider dog’, no doubt inspired by the viral video sensation ‘Mutant Giant Spider Dog’, which has generated more than 99 million views on YouTube since the beginning of September. BuyCostumes.com has been seeing a surge in interest around pet costumes this season, with people also looking for ways to incorpoate their animal friends into themed costumes for the whole family.

Halloween, The DIY Way 
Halloween is one of those holidays filled with the do-it-yourself spirit, particularly if the DIY costume and general Halloween trends on Google Search are any indication:



But nowhere is the the DIY Halloween spirit more alive than on YouTube. Last year, nearly one out of three Halloween costume searches on YouTube were for DIY costumes. Searches for DIY costumes on YouTube grew more than 200% in 2013 compared to the previous year.

One DIY area on YouTube that sees a significant seasonal spike every year for Halloween is in makeup. Searches for makeup on YouTube hits a high each October as millions of people search for Halloween inspiration and tips.

Whether you’re looking to show off your inner Elsa, are searching for the best outfit for Fido, or are looking to wow your friends with your DIY prowess, there are tricks and treats available for everyone this Halloween.

Posted by Danielle Bowers, Data & Trends Manager

Ah, fall. It’s a time for apple cider, crunchy colored leaves and cozy sweaters (unless you’re here in California). It’s also the start of a busy time of year for most people— with kids to drop off at school, Halloween costumes to sew and holiday travels to plan. This year, Google can make your season a little less hectic. A few new updates to the Google app on your phone make it easier to plan anything—whether it’s an after-work happy hour or a romantic weekend to get a break from it all.

Let’s say, optimistically, that you’re planning a last-minute getaway weekend (hello, leaf-peeping!), but all you’ve got so far is a hotel reservation. Don’t despair—with the Google app in your pocket, the rest is easy.

Step 1—Find a spot for dinner. Just say, “Ok Google, show me restaurants near my hotel”—et voilà, you’ll get a selection to choose from. (You don’t even need to remember your hotel name, as long as your hotel reservation is saved in your Gmail, so Google has something to work with.) Is your date dessert crazy? Quickly make sure the restaurant has a good selection by just asking “Ok Google, show me the menu for the first one”.


Step 2—Make a reservation. When you’ve found the restaurant you like, you can just say: “Ok Google, make a reservation there for 7 p.m.” If the restaurant is on OpenTable, you’ll see a reservations screen pop up with the details already filled out - no need waste those precious moments on hold with a restaurant.

Step 3—Once the bill is paid and you’ve set your napkin down, find the perfect place for that after-dinner Manhattan. Just say “Ok Google, show me some bars near here” then follow up with a simple “give me directions to the first one.” You’ll be good to go.

Step 4—Don’t fret the small stuff. The Google app can help you with the rest of your trip, too. Get reminders on where to pick up your rental car or (if you’re really getting away) when it’s time to leave to catch your flight. (It’ll even give you alternate options should your flight be delayed or canceled.) You might see your hotel reservation pop up as you walk out of the airport, get a notification about your dinner reservation—and even fun spots to explore and take photos.

Nothing ruins a great weekend like, well, having to plan it. So let Google help with the planning, so you can kick back and enjoy.

Posted by Pravir Gupta, Senior Engineer, Conversational Search

For many people out there, speaking just one language isn’t enough. More than half the world’s population speaks two or more languages—and now Google can keep up. With the Google Search app on Android, you can speak in multiple languages and Google will understand you no matter which one you choose. So you can fire off a search for nearby restaurants in English, then dictate a text to your friend in French.

You can use voice search in more than 50 languages and dialects already, but previously you had to change your settings if you wanted to switch languages. Now, you can just make a small, one-time change to your settings, and then you can switch back and forth easily. Google will automatically detect which language you’re using. (For now, you need to stick to one language per sentence though.) You can select up to five languages total—enough to satisfy all but the most advanced polyglots. Whether you get a spoken response from Google depends on the language you use and your query (and you’ll see more languages and features added over time).

Give it a try on your Android device—make sure you have the latest Google Search App (version 3.6) from the Play Store. Then, open Google Settings from your device’s apps menu, tap Search & Now -> Voice -> Languages, and select your languages.

Posted by David Eustis, Software Engineer, Android

Cross-posted on the Translate Blog.

Yesterday, Germany won their fourth world championship, and, over the course of the last month, the world watched them do it—in Brazil, in bars and living rooms around the world, on their phones and laptops and tablets. This World Cup was the most digital, most connected, and most searched global event we've seen to date. There were more than 2.1 billion tournament-related searches on Google, many of which we shared on our trends hub.

Looking at the trends from each match, you’ll see some topics that you’d expect to catch the world’s attention, such as top players and highly-anticipated matches. But who would have guessed that there were 10x more searches in the U.S. for the World Cup than for the NBA Playoffs? Or that Clint Dempsey, American soccer star who also has a rap single, had 2x more search interest than Jay-Z? Or that after Ángel di María's divine goal against Switzerland, he netted 4x more global searches than his fellow countryman, Pope Francis?



Mexico’s Guillermo Ochoa was the most searched goalie in the tournament, but Tim Howard’s heroics could hardly be forgotten. German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer not only snagged third place in search, but took home the 2014 Golden Glove award and a World Cup championship to boot.



The Germany vs. Brazil semifinal was the most searched match throughout the tournament, leaving many people around the world asking, “What is the biggest win in World Cup history?” Meanwhile, some countries were ready to move on to the next opportunity: after the third place game, Brazilians searched more for “World Cup 2018” than for the final game between Argentina and Germany.



No World Cup would be complete without a few surprises—and the creative people of the web were ready to weigh in. Uruguay's Luis Suarez was the most searched player meme, and at the time of the Uruguay-Italy game, there were 20x more searches globally for “Suarez Bite” than for snake, spider, tick, fly, dog and mosquito bites combined.


And if a search Dream Team was created, you’d see these 11 players strutting their stuff on the field. While German star Mario Götze didn’t make this list, he was a favorite on search. Even before his goal won it all in the final, he attracted 4x more search attention than Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bündchen, who presented Germany with the championship trophy.

Beyond the impressive stats on the field, we’ve got some numbers of our own to share:
Our team watched 107+ hours of football (we didn’t even need a water break!) and spent 250+ hours bringing you regular insights from our first ever World Cup trends hub. We hope you enjoyed the excitement of the tournament as much as we did, and for more trends, visit google.com/worldcup or check out our Google+ album.

Posted by Roya Soleimani, Google Communications Manager, who searched for [iran vs. argentina], [brazil’s 12th player], and of course [world cup schedule] throughout the tournament

Whether you’re getting the latest news about the World Cup or trying to find showtimes for 22 Jump Street, many of you kick off your search with a simple “Ok Google” from the Google Search app or the Google home screen widget. Now voice search is going to be even easier to get to.

Starting today, you can say “Ok Google” on your Android device whenever the screen is on or your device is charging. If you’re reading your email, browsing the web or using any app that doesn’t actively use the microphone, saying “Ok Google” will get you the answers you need and let you take actions like set an alarm or call a friend.

So the next time you’re in the Google Maps app looking at places to visit for your upcoming trip, just say “Ok Google, what is the weather in Dallas?” and Google will display the weather forecast right on your screen. Once you’ve decided to pack shorts this time around, you can tap the back button to finish what you were doing in the Maps app. So feel free to say “Ok Google” anytime and anywhere—and Google is there to help.


Give it a try on your Android device running KitKat -- make sure you have the updated Google Search app (version 3.5). Then find the “Google Settings” icon and go to:

Google Settings -> Search & Now -> Voice -> “Ok Google” Detection and check “From any screen”.

To respond to your voice better, you’ll be prompted to turn on Audio History and then say “Ok Google” 3 times. This way, Google will do a better job recognizing your voice and helping out when you ask.


Finally, if you’d like to be able to search even when your device is locked, just enable the “From lock screen” option.

“Ok Google” from any screen will be rolling out on most Android devices running KitKat over the next week, and will initially be available in the US for English speakers.

Check out this page to learn more about what you can do with voice search.

Posted by Jakob Foerster, Product Manager, Android

Sometimes the best answer is on a website, and sometimes it's in an app. That’s why since last December, when you search with Google on your Android device, you may see results from your apps that let you jump right to relevant content in those apps.

We added more apps with this capability in April and May, and this week we’ve just enabled our biggest batch yet, including apps like ABC News, Airbnb, AutoTrader, BuzzFeed, CBS, Cookpad, Crackle, Daily Mail Online, Dailymotion, The Economic Times, Fox News, francetv info, Hot Pepper Gourmet, Houzz, KASKUS, Kompas.com, musiXmatch, NDTV, Orbitz, RetailMeNot Coupons, Shazam, Strava, Subito.it, The Guardian, The Washington Post, ViewRanger GPS, Viki, and many more. We’re also announcing today that any Android developer can now participate in app indexing, which means that even more of your favorite apps will soon become search-friendly and can organically appear in search results—just like websites.

In addition to seeing more app content in Google search results, you may also notice that the apps now appear differently: app result title links take you directly to the content inside the app. This makes it even easier to access apps from Google. You can tell if a result will take you to an app by looking at the green text just below it. If the green text is the name of an app you've installed and has an app icon next to it, then you’ll know the result will link to an app. If the green text is a website URL, then you know the result will link to a webpage. (Remember that you have to sign in to Search in order to see these app results.)



Sometimes you may prefer to go to a website instead of an app, even though you have the app installed. To do this, just tap on the link to the website below the result snippet.

Finally, if you’re looking for new apps to install, you’ll now be able to find more apps through Google. We started clustering app results together in the U.S. last December, and now we’ve rolled this feature out globally. For example, if you’re searching for photo editors in Japanese [写真編集], you’ll see results for apps like the following:


Post Content Posted by Toshiaki Fujiki, Software Engineer

When you look up musicians and bands on Google, you often want to play their songs right away. Say you’re curious about your favorite pop artist’s latest hits, or you’re with friends chatting about the newest indie rock group and want to play some of their music. Starting today, when you ask Google about a musician, you can simply tap a link to play their music right in one of your installed apps.



This feature is available for Android devices in the U.S. and will work with the following:



We’re working to expand this feature to users worldwide, with their local services like Deezer. We hope all this makes finding and exploring artists and music on Google more fun now that you can listen to the music right away.

Posted by Jason Douglas, Group Product Manager, Google Search

Celebrate the biggest event in sports with a little help from Google Search. For the first time, you'll find up-to-the minute live scores, team stats, and highlights. You can also explore what's trending with a new World Cup experience powered by Google Trends.

Every match, every highlight
With your phone, tablet or desktop, real-time updates in Google can help you stay on top of the tournament. Simply search for [world cup] or [world cup usa] to get the team lineup, live scores, and even up to the minute information about attempted goals and player stats. Click or tap or switch between standings, schedules, specific teams, players and more. During live matches, you'll also find a timeline with all major moments so you can follow along with the action.


Also new for this year’s tournament, you don't even have to search to get updates on your favorite teams—just open Google Now. You'll be given an option to start seeing cards with stats about each match that you can tap for more detail.


What’s trending?
For the first time, you'll find a Google Trends experience designed specifically to help you explore the players, teams and moments that are capturing the world's attention. Check out google.com/worldcup and explore trends from all 32 competing countries.

On the site, we’ll explore the areas below, and also look at surprising highlights leading up to and after each match.

• Sentiment: Explore how an entire country is feeling—whether optimistic or anxious—as reflected through search trends and public Google+ conversations.
• World Focus: For every match, discover which team is capturing the world's attention in Search.
• Top Questions: Want to know more about a penalty kick? Likely you’re not alone. Check out trending questions from every competing country before and after kickoff.
• Rising Players: Find out who are the players to watch and how they rank in search compared with their teammates.

As you gear up to cheer on your favorite team, we’re excited to help you discover, share and connect with the moments that matter most. For more on the World Cup, visit our Official Google Blog.

Posted by Lea Stolowicz, Product Manager

Google Trends is a helpful place to see what people are searching for around the world. You can keep up with hot searches in real time, or take a historical look at trends dating back to 2004. Trends can be really useful if you're a business owner trying to understand what people are saying about your brand, if you're a student researching a topic for sociology class, or if you’re simply trying to figure out when "doge" became a thing. But without doing your own exploration on the Trends website, it can be tough to find the interesting—and sometimes surprising—topics the world is searching for. Starting today, it’s easier to get just the right insights at just the right time with email notifications.

You can now "Subscribe" to any search topic, Hot Searches for any country, or any U.S. monthly Top Chart.

For example, I lived in the U.K. for three years and I wanted a way to quickly and easily keep up with the really big things happening there. I set up an email notification to tell me about the "hottest" Hot Searches in the U.K. and now I get occasional emails about major local trends -- from the London Marathon to Britain's Got Talent.

Navigate to any part of Google Trends and you'll see a new option to "Subscribe"

You can also subscribe to email notifications about search interest in any topic you'd like. I'm a Liverpool F.C. fan, so I set up a subscription to get notifications about searches for the team. I don't always have as much time as I'd like to keep on the daily scores, trades and gossip, so Trends email notifications have been a great way to make sure I catch the big news. For example, this week I got an email telling me searches for Liverpool F.C. spiked by 169%(!):


Seeing this email I immediately got excited to find out what the buzz was about. Looking at Google Trends, I can see this is the biggest spike in the past year by far. As football fans know, this week Liverpool F.C. beat Manchester City. It turns out this is the team's 10th straight victory and puts them in striking distance of a championship title for the first time in 24 years. Busily working away on this feature, I didn't realize just how big a deal this was, and the email from Trends was a great reminder to tune in.

To my disappointment, not everyone is a Liverpool F.C. fan, but you're welcome to subscribe to any topic or country you'd like (even Manchester City). If you decide you’re getting too many notifications, there’s an easy “unsubscribe” link in every email, or you can manage your preference on the Trends website in the new "subscriptions" section. Let us know what you think by clicking "Feedback" anywhere in Google Trends.

Posted Gavri Smith, Software Engineer