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Every day, millions of people come to Google Search to ask important questions about their wellbeing. The COVID-19 pandemic drove even more concern for our health and the health of our loved ones – and this year, searches for ways to heal reached record highs. We saw questions about vaccinations, therapists, body positivity and mental wellbeing, to name a few. Today, we launched our annual Year in Search, which takes a look back at the top-trending searches of the year. Here’s a glimpse into some of the trending searches of 2021, a year we looked for ways to feel better and heal together.

Finding resources near me

Across the world, people searched for information on COVID-19 vaccinations and testing. The top trending "near me" queries in 2021 were "covid vaccine near me" and "covid testing near me.” To help people find credible, timely testing and vaccine information, we updated Google Search information panels, and worked with national and international partners to help people get vaccinated and tested.

Learning how to help

Helping ourselves and our communities was a priority for many of us. We asked questions about how to help others with anxiety and depression, and we also looked for help with our own mental wellbeing. Search interest for “therapists near me” hit record highs in 2021, and the phrase "why do I feel anxious for no reason" also hit an all-time high this year, spiking more than 400%. In addition to providing mental health resources and helplines, a quick Google Search also surfaces self-assessments to help you learn more about mental health topics like depression, anxiety, PTSD and postpartum depression.

Evaluating information effectively

Is it allergies or COVID? A sinus infection or COVID? Pfizer or Moderna? As many of us searched for health related information online, we wanted to know what we found was trustworthy. Connecting people with critical, timely and authoritative health information has been a crucial part of our role over the last year, and our team is constantly working to find ways to help people everywhere find credible and actionable information to help manage their health. To help people evaluate information online, we launched a new tool called About This Result, so you can learn more about the pages you see across a range of topics. About This Result helps people evaluate the credibility of sources, and decide which results are useful for them.

Search continues to be one of the first stops people make when making decisions, big and small, about their health — and so much more. To dive deeper into some of the other trending topics that defined 2021, visit yearinsearch.google/trends.

Navigating the U.S. healthcare system can be quite challenging, so it’s no wonder three in four people turn to the internet first in their search for health information. By providing timely and authoritative health information, plus relevant resources and tools on Google Search, we’re always exploring ways to help people make more informed choices about their health. Here are a few new ways we’re helping.

New ways to find insurance information on Google

In the U.S., finding a doctor who accepts your health insurance is often a top priority. When searching for a specific provider, people can check which insurance networks that they might accept. And if they’re searching for a new provider overall, on mobile, they’re now able to filter providers nearby who accept Medicare — a health plan predominantly for people over the age of 65.

How providers can keep patients up to date

To help people get connected to the care they need, we’re conducting checks to ensure details of local doctors are up to date, and giving all healthcare providers the ability to update their information by claiming and updating their Google Business Profile.

We continue to expand the features and tools that doctors can use to communicate about the services they offer. After claiming their profile, health professionals can edit and update information about their hours, services, and more.

Whether helping people find information to self-assess their symptoms for mental health conditions like depression or getting real time information of COVID-19 vaccine availability nearby, we continue to explore ways to connect people around the world to relevant and actionable information to better manage their health.