Celebrating 20 years of Google Search: Five most popular types of queries made simpler with Google

From planning holidays to shopping the latest styles, Google Search has you covered

Over the past twenty years, Google Search has become the go-to place for many of us when we have burning questions that needed answering. These days Search is not just about answers to questions — it’s also a place for discovery, comparison, suggestion and has grown in many other different ways that help us make our daily lives a little bit easier.

Over the years many new features have been introduced to Search to guide us in our journey of discovery, starting with autocomplete and related searches introduced a decade ago, to the Knowledge Graph, to personalized searches via the Google Assistant. When it comes to our five most searched-for categories, Search has made, well, searching, a walk in the park.

1. Popular destinations

Malaysians love to travel, and we are always looking out for new places to discover. When we are in need of suggestions, Search can offer up ideas on where to visit or what to do to help us plan for that next getaway.

Perhaps you are interested to travel to Sarawak, and you are curious about the exciting locales the state has to offer. You can simply search for “Sarawak destinations” in any of the 15 supported languages – including Malay – and you will be presented with a collection of popular destinations for you to choose from, like the Gua Mulu National Park, Sematan Beach and the Serikin Market.

With a simple tap on your chosen destination, you can instantly get suggestions for things to do and the best time to visit, right from the travel guide. You can also immerse yourself in select YouTube videos by other travellers and tourists, and once you’re properly hyped up, you can also choose to make room reservations directly from the guide, as well.

2. Flight and hotel reservations

Speaking of making reservations, Search has also made it easier for us to find the best hotels and flights. You can choose to either search for things like “Flights to Kota Bharu” or “Hotels in Melaka”, and get a selection of options right from the search results page. No more excessive clickings through multiple tabs to compare options and make bookings.

For more detailed flight options, make a taxi for Google Flights, which is built directly into Search. Flights is a great way to keep track of good deals way in advance of travel times, see live prices for destinations, and get a sense on when prices may fluctuate. It is also a time-saver, displaying available flights by airline, price and number of stops in one spot, so you can get booking and get flying.

3. Trending sporting events

If travelling is a way to see the world, then sports is a way to unify it. It’s no surprise then that searches for sports is high on the list for many Malaysians. Search has now made it easier for fans to keep track of their favorite games, athletes and events. In fact, you can now be updated automatically for trending events, so you’ll never miss a win or highlight.

A quick search for the the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games held from August 18 to September 2, for example, will present you with medal tallies and rank for each participating nation, as well as news and videos from around the web. The search result will also highlight news related to the Games, and a carousel on sports featured.

Keeping your eyes on sports airing simultaneously is no easy feat, unless you have an Assistant to help you out. Assistant allows you to fully tune in to one game, and check on the progress of another simply by saying “Hey Google.”

4. The latest in entertainment

If you need to cool off a little after that one unsatisfying game or match, you might want to try watching a movie instead. Try searching for showtimes for that new horror flick you’ve been hearing about, and Search will bring them up by date and cinema. It’s fine if you have no clue on what to watch, Search can also share with you movies currently playing at any given cinema location.

Sometimes, you just wanna stay home and tune in to your playlists. Half of the fun in listening to music is singing along to it, so why not look up the lyrics on Search? As long as you know the title, it won’t take long for you to rhyme along to your favorite songs.

5. Shop for the latest trends

Of course, there probably is nothing cooler than having the latest trends, be it that must-have gadget, that limited edition collectible or the next fidget spinner (whatever that craze may be). Online shopping is a convenient and fast way to get your hands on any product that you want, and it’s now even faster thanks to Search’s Shopping Ads. A quick search for a product, either by brand, model or description, will present you with a row of ads right at the top of the search results, containing a product image, product name, price and shop name.

These five most searched-for items have shown how Search has grown by leaps and bounds since 1998. Not only that, we can see how greatly our thirst for information is quenched thanks to the new features introduced to Search over the years, and we hope it will continue to help you discover more of our world in the years to come.