What were the top 20 Google searches in the United States in 2016 for environmental products? I am trying to find out what product categories people researched most when they had questions on the environmental impact of a product/purchase. If Go...

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What were the top 20 Google searches in the United States in 2016 for environmental products? I am trying to find out what product categories people researched most when they had questions on the environmental impact of a product/purchase. If Google search data is unavailable, general internet search data is fine, even for 2015. Government agencies like the EPA, might have this info.

Hello!  Thank you for your question about the top 20 Google searches in the US in 2016 for environmental products.  I enjoyed learning where the environmental trends were heading in regards to consumer purchases.

METHODOLOGY
I utilized Google Trends starting with the highest searched SEO words regarding consumer products related to the environment such as 'green', 'eco-friendly' and 'organic'.  From there, I noted the consumer links that were most searched.  I have compiled 8 general consumer sections as stated below.  I have also included a spreadsheet with the top 20 consumer searches for these 8 sub-categories and/or naming specific product searches.   I based the sub-categories off of the list of key issues named by EWG and chose the categories that include consumer products.  To populate the top 20, I chose the companies or key word searches that trended the highest in 2016 in relation to the sub-categories.  I listed the breakout searches (5000% or more increase in searches), while touching on each of the 8 main categories. The percentages in the spreadsheet are the increase keyword searches and I added the percentage of these searches that came from the US, under the header of "US saturation".

CONSCIOUS CONSUMERS 
Many consumers have expressed a strong interest in safer products for their lives and this translates to the environment.  Education about these subjects has created a demand in the US marketplace and for the government to become involved.  The EPA has been educating the public with their ratings and programs such as Energy Star, Safer Choice, Water Sense, SNAP and Smart Way.

How consumers go about finding the products to purchase vary. In my research, I found some tools that buyers have been using.  Some of the most utilized search websites for environmentally friendly consumer products and services are "GreenMeLocally, Green America National Green Pages, and Greenopia, an independent rating system for eco-friendly local businesses in major cities across the United States". 


MOST POPULAR PRODUCTS
Electric Cars:  Electric cars continue to have breakout searches as they have every year since 2014. Searches for different models, interest in TESLA as a corporation and BMW models currently take the cake.

"Organic" (as a search term):  This search linked many breakout subjects relating to organic products, especially popular are items that one consumes or applies to  the body, ie.) food and cosmetics.

Organic Food: This subject his one of the most highly searched products.  Certain brands of foods also showed breakout status such as Simply Truth Organic and Simply Organic that are sold in large stores like Target.

Green Electronics:  With labels like EPEAT on certain models, consumers can try to reduce their carbon footprint through the electronics they buy.  Google searches for EPEAT are rather low, though electronic waste showed a 200% increase in searches, indicating a consumer interest green technology.

Energy Star Appliances: Interest over time has been declining.  The rating and product is well-known and integrated into American consumer life.   Breakout interest was shown in specific brands such as LG and Samsung.

Home Solar Panels: Vivint and Solar City both had breakout amounts of searches in the US.

Green Homes:  Interest is increasingly on the rise.  In fact, green homes is not only a breakout US search, but it has had the sharpest increase over the last 4 years in 2016 alone.  Green Magic Home is a breakout search in the US this past year.  These homes are able to blend the landscape into the home to become one. These homes also utilize natural power sources such as wind and solar.

Green Cleaning Products and Green Dry Cleaning:  Smaller, 60 % US saturation, relative interest for the past 4 years, but not breakout. 

Upon the Google search of eco-friendly products, it showed a slowing of usage of this term in a slight decrease throughout 2016.  Interestingly, certain products related to the eco-friendly search, such as The Honest Company, were breakout searches.

CONCLUSION
To wrap it up, in 2016 when Americans were curious about the environment and whether the products they were interested in buying had a positive environmental impact, they researched (in order of popularity):
1.  Electric Cars
2. Organic Food
3. Organic Beauty Products
4. Solar Panels
5. Green Homes
6. Cleaning Products
7. Energy Saving Appliances
8. Green Technology 

Thank you for choosing Wonder!  Please let us know if there is anything else we can do to help.

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