What We Searched for in 2006

If one would analyzes across major engines for what we searched for in the year 2006, he / she would surely be disheartened with the lack of intellectual depth that was shown in our collective quest for knowledge. So, how did we fare this year?

Let's start with Google. Unfortunately, one has to read between the lines on these various reports. The list isn't actually the real list for any of them.. These lists are heavily filtered, and in Google's case, seemingly altered to a substantial degree. Here is its reported top 10:

1) Bebo
2) Myspace
3) World Cup
4) Metacafe
5) Radioblog
6) Wikipedia
7) Video
8) Rebelde
9) Mininova
10) Wiki

A little investigative work at Google Trends{thanks to Danny Sullivan} soon uncovered the inconsistencies. Google's reported No. 1 term, "bebo," actually has nowhere near the volume of "myspace" and "world cup." In fact, "bebo" is almost flat-lined at the bottom. There could be internal excuses that Google might have for the inconsistencies, including aggregation of misspellings, but just how many ways can you misspell bebo anyway?

The list actually becomes more interesting when you include some of the terms that got filtered out. A quick look shows that Google is often used for navigation. Terms like myspace and wikipedia are not queries for information, but a quick way to get to a site. Google has already deleted many navigational terms from the list, so let's add the big ones, Yahoo, Google, MSN and YouTube and see what the trend chart looks like. Now we see the true search volumes, and that a lot of people are using Google to get from point A to B. What is a little disturbing is that searches for "Google" on Google hold the No. 2 spot, just behind Yahoo.

Yahoo on the Red Carpet

Meanwhile, Yahoo seems to turning into the "Entertainment Tonight" of search engines. The top 10 searches on Yahoo are:

1) Britney Spears
2) WWE
3) Shakira
4) Jessica Simpson
5) Paris Hilton
6) American Idol
7) Beyonce Knowles
8) Chris Brown
9) Pamela Anderson
10)Lindsay Lohan

If these are the best things that searchers can throw at Yahoo, no wonder they're struggling in the search engine showdown. It's the equivalent of the tabloid rack at the grocery checkout counter.

Yahoo also allows a peek at other countries' top-ten lists as well.

The Search Engine formerly known as MSN

The MSN (now Live) list also shows a bias towards the entertainment side. The top10 searches on MSN comprise:

1) Ronaldinho
2) Shakira
3) Paris Hilton
4) Britney Spears
5) Harry Potter
6) Eminem
7) Pamela Anderson
8) Hilary Duff
9) Rebelde
10)Angelina Jolie

In the final analysis, what's striking about these lists is what the search engines seem to be used for. Google has become the main intersection of the Web. Its top searches make clear its role as a traffic clearinghouse, routing millions of users through the results page as they navigate from point A to B. It's infrastructural and essential. The top searches on Yahoo and MSN tell a different story, one of idle curiosity, no pressing plans and killing time.

In a nutshell, this story crystallizes the fundamental problem Yahoo and Microsoft face if they hope to challenge Google as the king of the search hill. They have to become essential.

Source:MediaPost