Top Searches in 2009 on Yahoo & Bing

Yahoo Bing Logo - Search LogoGoogle still reigns the search world with 65% search share (data from comScore Oct). Yahoo currently holds shy of 19% search share though that figure is expected to rise once the Yahoo/ Microsoft deal is complete.

You’ll find the data quite revealing about what our culture truly cares about.

Note that these are searches on Yahoo & Bing. This does not include Google.

The Top 10 Searches in 2009 (Yahoo)


Top 10 Overall Searches for 2009

1. Michael Jackson (Celebrity)
2. Twilight (Movie)
3. WWE (TV – Wrestling)
4. Megan Fox (Celebrity)
5. Britney Spears (Celebrity)
6. Naruto (TV – Cartoon)
7. American Idol (TV)
8. Kim Kardashian (Celebrity)
9. NASCAR (Sport)
10. Runescape (Game)

Top 10 Mobile Searches for 2009

1. Megan Fox
2. Mobile Games
3. Michael Jackson
4. Movies
5. Rihanna
6. Mail
7. Lady Gaga
8. NFL
9. Ringtones
10. iPhone

Top 10 Economy-Related Searches for 2009

1. Coupons
2. Unemployment
3. Stimulus Plan
4. Cash for Clunkers
5. Student Loans
6. IRS Refund
7. Foreclosures
8. Government Jobs
9. Bernard Madoff
10. Health Care Bill

Top Obama Searches for 2009

1. Obama Inauguration
2. Obama Biography
3. Obama Speech
4. Obama Stimulus Plan
5. Obama Family
6. Obama Health Care Reform
7. Obama Approval Ratings
8. Obama Facebook
9. Obama Overseas (a roundup of his numerous travels)
10. Obama Dramas (a roundup of controversies)

Top 10 Celebrity Farewell Searches for 2009

1. Michael Jackson
2. Farrah Fawcett
3. Patrick Swayze
4. Natasha Richardson
5. Jett Travolta
6. Billy Mays
7. David Carradine
8. Steve McNair
9. Jade Goody
10. Ted Kennedy

Top 10 Sudden-Fame Searches for 2009

1. Jon & Kate Gosselin
2. Erin Andrews
3. Susan Boyle
4. Kris Allen & Adam Lambert
5. Nadya Suleman
6. Carrie Prejean
7. Governor Mark Sanford
8. Portuguese Water Dog
9. Falcon Heene
10. Sonia Sotomayor

The Top 10 Searches in 2009 (Bing)


10. Jaycee Dugard: National News. Jaycee was kidnapped in 1991 and was found on August 2009.

9. Billy Mays: Passed away in June 2009. Famous pitchman.

8. Jon and Kate Gosselin: Their fallout in their marriage was huge news in 2009. Former stars of Jon and Kate Plus

7. Cash for Clunkers: US government program to replace less fuel efficient vehicles with newer, more fuel-economic cars.

6. Patrick Swayze: Famous Actor who passed away in September 2009.

5. Farrah Fawcett: Famous Actress who passed away in June 2009.

4. Stock Market

3. Swine Flu: Huge health concerns in 2009 over this virus.

2. Twitter

1. Michael Jackson: Pop icon, his passing in June was huge news. The internet went wild – never has the world seen such a huge response online.

Very interesting to see Yahoo is more media centric than bing. Part of the reason is that Yahoo is also defined as a PORTAL than a SEARCH ENGINE. A PORTAL is a site someone visits to access all their information (news, mail, sports, finance, weather etc).

  • Do any of these search rankings surprise you?
  • How do you feel about the fact that the highest search terms are mostly about celebrities? (Yahoo: 4 of top 10 searches are celebrity related)
  • What does this say about our culture?

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