2025 search trends for nsw.gov.au
Every query typed into the nsw.gov.au in-site search bar tells a story. Here’s what the 2025 search data tells us about our customers, and how you can use these insights to meet their needs.
1.8 million searches were conducted on nsw.gov.au in 2025. When we look at a year’s worth of nsw.gov.au in-site search data, we see interesting patterns, with some search terms always popular. Others surge during key periods. The length of a search phrase can also tell us what the customer wants.
In this article, we’ll explore:
- the search terms that dominate year-round
- seasonal spikes and what drives them
- trends in search term length and what they tell us about user behaviour
- how these insights can shape better digital experiences.
Evergreen search terms: the always-on needs
Our analysis of 2025 data shows a clear set of services that people consistently search for, month after month. These are the essential tasks that underpin everyday life and government interactions. They include:
- request a review
- fines
- birth certificate
- licence form
- change password
- marriage certificate
- driving test (NSW).
While many of these evergreen terms relate to a few specific agencies, they reflect a pattern that holds true across nsw.gov.au: our customers are task-focused. The takeaway for digital content owners is to identify your customers' 'top tasks' and make sure this content is easy for them to find, understand and use.
Seasonal spikes: when searches surge
Some searches become more popular at certain times of the year:
- School holidays: People search for these before each school break (April, July, September, December).
- Christmas shutdown: Searches go up in November and December when offices close for the holidays.
- End of financial year (EOFY): More people search for reporting in June and July.
- Bushfire safety: Searches rise in spring and summer when fires are more likely.
- Public holiday dates: These are popular in January and before long weekends.
- HSC (Higher School Certificate): People start searching for exam timetables in the middle of the year. In August and September, they look for practice exams. The most searches happen in October during the exams. After exams, searches are about results and merit lists.
Seeing regular patterns in these searches helps the OneCX Program continually evolve our content approach to meet customer needs at the site level. In the same way, you can use your agency's nsw.gov.au analytics to refresh and highlight your most topical and timely content.
Short vs long search terms
70% of searches are short, with 1 to 3 words, like 'fines' or 'birth certificate'.
Sometimes, people use longer searches (6 or more words). These longer searches usually mean someone is searching with specific intent, for example: ‘how do I request a review of a fine’.
Our new Quick Answer feature is excellent for long search terms. Quick Answer gives AI-generated search summaries, based on information from nsw.gov.au.
In many cases, when people use longer searches with specific questions, the answer is now available in the search summary without clicking through to the content page.
As a content owner, you can optimise Quick Answers by ensuring your content is always up to date.
Google search data tells a similar story
We see many of the same topics dominating both website and Google searches. Topics such as school holidays, public holidays, and government services are always popular. 46.7 million sessions clicked through to nsw.gov.au from external search engines such as Google. Once people arrive on the site, their searches are more specific about government services or tasks they need to complete.
Listening to our users
Every search is someone telling us what they need.
By gathering insights from our search data, we can adapt our content strategy to improve nsw.gov.au. By listening to the data, we can deliver on our customers' needs and reinforce nsw.gov.au as a trusted platform for government information.