Top Search Terms 2006

[Skywalker]

How interesting is this! Look at how different the top ten search terms of 2006 were for Google, Yahoo and AOL.

Here's Google:

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

Here's Yahoo:

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

Here's AOL:

1. Weather
2. Dictionary
3. Dogs
4. American Idol
5. Maps
6. Cars
7. Games
8. Tattoo
9. Horoscopes
10. Lyrics

I'm shocked that there is only one repeat/// "American Idol" appears on both Yahoo and AOL. That's it. I would have thought that, given the sheer number of searches done through each engine, there'd be a lot more similarity in the results. I guess it means that very different types of people use each of the three engines.

Looking back over the results, I think I can suggest the following market segmentation: Google users are a little more educated and keep up the latest and greatest trends but are a little geeky, Yahoo users are horny uneducated rednecks, and AOL users are old geezers.

The only result that stumps me is "tattoo" on AOL... that doesn't seem very old-person-ish.

Do you think my assessment is right?

[Aquabat]

100% right, and AOL has free samplers, and has been located at Wal-Mart, hence the tattoos, Horoscopes, and the white-trashiest thing of all - American Idol.

[Drew]

The results are pretty funny.  Google does seem to be the most sophisticated, if you can call it that.  Searching for very specific things like other information sites.  Yahoo is hilarious, too much celeb gossip mongering for my liking.  And AOL is just sad.  Who the hell searches for "cars"?  What the fuck are you expecting to find?  At least the google searches are looking for specific things and the yahoo is clearly looking for nudies.  But the day I search for "weather" please shoot me.  At least put weather followed by a specific city or the word forecast.