Now that the Big 5 of Search have all released thier lists of top searches for 2006, let's take a look at the results - and what they say about the users of each search engine.
Google's top ten shows a definite bias toward technology-related searches, with social networking players Bebo and MySpace leading the pack. The only non-tech searches on the list, "World Cup" and "Rebelde" (a Mexican television series), are suggestive of a strong international user base, since we'd expect both soccer and Mexican TV to have stronger fan bases outside the United States. Bebo, at number 1, is also strong internationally.
- Bebo
- MySpace
- World Cup
- Metacafe
- Radioblog
- Wikipedia
- Video
- Rebelde
- Mininova
- Wiki
In contrast to Google's tech and international bias, Yahoo's top ten reads like a who's who of American pop culture. Not a single tech term made it onto the list. Considering the heavy emphasis on female sex symbols, it would be interesting to see how many of these searches were made from work versus home.
- Britney Spears
- WWE
- Shakira
- Jessica Simpson
- Paris Hilton
- American Idol
- Beyonce Knowles
- Chris Brown
- Pamela Anderson
- Lindsay Lohan
Windows Live's top ten shares more in common with Yahoo than Google, though the number one showing of Brazilian soccer star Ronaldinho and another appearance by Rebelde indicates a strong international audience. Still, lots of young starlets on the list, though Live users seem to favor Shakira and Paris over Britney.
- Ronaldinho
- Shakira
- Paris Hilton
- Britney Spears
- Harry Potter
- Eminem
- Pamela Anderson
- Hilary Duff
- Rebelde
- Angelina Jolie
AOL's results are predictably skewed by their generally older, less tech-savvy users. General searches like "weather" and "maps" are no doubt popular uses of the web, but more experienced users probably already have favorite sites for such purposes and don't need to search for them. The only real surprise on this list is "Tattoo". Not sure what to make of that one - maybe regretful baby boomers looking for "tattoo removal"?
- Weather
- Dictionary
- Dogs
- American Idol
- Maps
- Cars
- Games
- Tattoo
- Horoscopes
- Lyrics
Lot's of general searches made it onto Ask's list as well. Half of their top ten also appear on AOL's, so perhaps their users share a lot in common (except for the tattoos). American Idol came in at number 10, making it the only search term to appear on 3 of the 5 lists.
- MySpace
- Dictionary
- Games
- Cars
- Food
- Song Lyrics
- Poems
- Baby Names
- Music
- American Idol
While it's interesting to see how the top searches differ across the major search engines, it's also useful information for advertisers. When you're deciding which PPC networks to run ads on, it's important to keep in mind the user bases of the web sites displaying your ads. Yahoo and Live seem like good places to advertise your new gossip blog, while Google might be a better choice if your product or service appeals to the geek crowd. And, apparently, AOL would be the natural place to promote your tattoo shop.
Has anyone out there seen Rebelde? I'll confess I'd never heard of it before seeing it pop up on the top ten for Google and Live. Am I missing some great Mexican TV?
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