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The Top 10 Simple Home Improvement Projects we Need Help With, According to Google
April 4, 2023Which home improvement projects are we most frequently tackling by ourselves in the UK? We decided to find out, by getting some insight into where we most frequently ask Google for home improvement help. And some of the simple tasks Google helps many of us with every day might surprise you.
Our analysis team explored a whole host of DIY queries beginning with the phrase ‘how to’ to determine the search intent is for instruction and help. We’ve ranked the top 10 to reveal what the most-Googled home improvement task is in the UK. Can you guess? Let’s find out:
How to Upcycle Furniture
Upcycling furniture is satisfying and enjoyable. As we all become more aware of the need to recycle and reuse, furniture upcycling has been growing in popularity. It’s something that most of us can do with a little guidance, allowing us to be creative and produce something truly bespoke to grace our homes.
Across the UK, we’re regularly visiting Google for help on the basics of upcycling. This isn’t so much of a seasonal trend, but search volumes tend to peak over the winter.
What are we looking for?
We like to Google a whole host of questions about upcycling furniture, and here are some of the top related things the UK wants to know:
How to Declutter
With the rise of KonMarie and more recently, shows like Stacey Solomon’s Sort Your Life Out showing us the benefits of a clutter-free home, decluttering is a hot topic. Whilst anyone can do it, clutter is overwhelming and most of us don’t know where to start.
As we head into a new year, searches for ‘how to declutter’ ramp up. It’s no surprise that January is our favourite time to work on reducing, organising, and minimalising the number of things in our home.
What are we looking for?
Related questions show us that UK Googlers need some structure to their decluttering routine. We want to know how to do it, where to start, and how to speed things up.
How to Build a Stud Wall
More serious self-builders or renovators are turning to Google to find out about building stud walls. Ideal for partitioning space or creating a new room, stud walls can really help to change your space.
This is something you really need to research thoroughly, and Homebuilding & Renovating explains when a stud wall is most suitable. January is the peak time to research a stud wall project.
What are we looking for?
A telling question to begin with, budding DIYers want to know if they can, in fact, tackle this task for themselves.
As a more involved project, detailed information is crucial for getting it right.
How to Hang a Picture
Simple, yet popular. We turn to Google in droves to help with one of the most basic home improvement tasks, hanging up a picture. Again, January is a popular month. Perhaps pictures we’ve been gifted need a home, or we simply want to get our homes in order early in the year.
What are we looking for?
Whilst the volumes are high bringing this in at number 7, most people are looking to Google for reassurance and tips to build on their knowledge. They ask additional questions like:
More detailed searches are about getting better results from the task, making sure they’re doing it in the most effective and aesthetically pleasing way.
How to Panel a Wall
Wall panelling has been a growing trend, hailed to continue throughout this year by publications like Houzz and House Beautiful. It’s coming in level with hanging a picture, showing how popular this trend has become for at-home DIY enthusiasts.
Creating a panelled wall can add so much impact to your home, and it’s a popular project to tackle in the early part of the year.
What are we looking for?
We need Google’s help to get it right, keep it cost-effective and discover whether this job is easy enough to take on. People search for related questions like:
How to Paint a Room
Yes, plenty of us still turn to Google every month for advice on how to give a room a lick of paint. It’s quite surprising that this comes in at number 5, with plenty of people seeking to increase their knowledge.
April and May are popular times to tackle painting. Lighter nights, Easter, and Bank Holidays all provide ideal pockets of time for re-painting a room.
What are we looking for?
Like many of the other simpler projects, searchers seem to be refining their existing knowledge to get better results. Related questions include:
It’s not that we need to know how to paint per se, but more that we want to get it right when we do.
How to Tile a Wall
Tiling is more of a challenge to the uninitiated, but with a bit of guidance, most of us can tackle it effectively. This is likely to be why tiling a wall features so highly on our list, with plenty of searchers looking online for the steps they need to accomplish the job for themselves.
This is also a fairly steady query with search volume peaks spread across a number of months of the year.
What are we looking for?
Related questions reveal more about our specific concerns, with people wondering if they will find it easy enough and where to start with the task at hand. Searchers wonder:
How to Hang a Door
At number 3, lots of searchers ask Google for help with hanging doors. This is another home project that can be simple enough to tackle yourself with some detailed guidance. There are also plenty of skilled carpenters and joiners who can help you out with the job.
We think this is such a popular query because new internal doors can make such a big difference to your home. A change in style can refresh every room in the house in one fell swoop.
It’s a good job that we can offer advice on this one! Make sure you visit our guide on how to fit an internal door. Saves you going to Google!
What are we looking for?
From basic instructions to the order you’ll need to tackle things, related questions reveal there’s plenty we’d like to know about hanging doors. We ask:
How to Paint Kitchen Cabinets
The kitchen is the heart of the home, and renovating it can be expensive. In recent years, more people are giving their kitchen a facelift by painting the cabinets. It’s easily achievable on a budget and can help to modernise the room fairly quickly. It’s no wonder this low-cost, high impact project is so popular.
What are we looking for?
Whilst most of us would happily get out a paintbrush, we’re turning to Google to make sure we get the best results. Related questions like:
Show us that we need to get the preparation and paint choices right to get a pleasing and lasting finish.
How to Wallpaper
And the winner is…how to wallpaper! Yes, wallpapering is the UK’s favourite home improvement project when it comes to what Google searches can reveal.
Wallpapering hits a lot of sweet spots. It’s versatile and can be used in so many ways to make a room feel completely different. It’s also challenging enough for many of us to need to turn to Google for a reminder each time we undertake a wallpapering project. But it seems simple enough to be able to tackle for ourselves.
Another low budget, fast and impactful project that can give us real results. Explore this year’s trends with Homes & Gardens.
What are we looking for?
Related queries show that there are still plenty of inexperienced searchers out there needing help. There are also plenty of people wondering if they can tackle the job alone or if they need to call in the help of a family member or friend. Searchers want to find out:
Our Favourite DIY Projects, Revealed!
Now we know what we’re doing to improve our homes in the UK, by delving into the Google search data. Whilst painting and wallpapering have always been popular DIY projects, it’s interesting to see that we’re willing to negotiate wall-panelling, hanging doors and even building a stud wall ourselves.
With research suggesting DIY skills are dying out in today’s homeowners, it’s really interesting to see that Google searches for information on home improvement projects are still going strong.
Search volume and related questions were collected via Sistrix. This tool provided the number of monthly search queries for each given phrase on Google for the UK. We also noted the average monthly traffic (over 12 months) in order to determine seasonal search volume peaks.
