When it comes to choose a topic for a new article or even when thinking about a general topic for a whole website, it is important to choose a topic that is relevant and has at least some volume of searches. To make things easier (and to summarize 2011 i guess), Bing released a post with the top searches for 2011.
For better sorting, the Bing team has divided the top searches into categories such as people, news, movies and destinations. These top searches can help you understand better what considers a “hot” topic and although the future will surely be different, it can be highly productive to identify patterns of what attracts people the most. Let’s go over the categories:
Top People Searches
- Justin Bieber
- Kim Kardashian
- Jennifer Aniston
- Lindsay Lohan
- Jennifer Lopez
- Britney Spears
- Katy Perry
- Megan Fox
- Lady Gaga
- Miley Cyrus
Justin Bieber is the big winner here after reaching many times to the headlines after successful musical year and many gossip stories. In general, we can see that people likes the most celebrities from the entertainment industry more than in other industries like politicians or business leaders (I am pretty surprised that Steve Jobs didn’t enter the list).
Top News Searches
- Casey Anthony Trial
- Osama Bin Laden Death
- Hurricane Irene
- Japan Earthquake/Tsunami
- Amy Winehouse Death
- Joplin Tornado
- Michael Jackson trial/Conrad Murray
- 9/11 10 Year Anniversary
- Republican Candidates – Herman Cain, Rick Perry
- Haiti anniversary
The best conclusion from the top news searches is that people likes to search mostly for major natural disasters- 4 out of the 10 top news searches relates to that. All in all, there is a general negative sentiment- 9 out of 10 relates more to negative issues and only one for positive (when considering the death of Osama Bin Laden as a good thing).
Top Sports Searches
- Maria Sharapova
- Tiger Woods
- Serena Williams
- Brett Favre
- Caroline Wozniacki
- Kobe Bryant
- Lebron James
- Lamar Odom
- Hope Solo
- Carmelo Anthony
In sports, unlike other categories, people who were actually gained good professional year made it to the top 10 list while the correlation with gossip is less noticeable.
Top Electronics Searches
- Xbox
- Kindle
- Playstation
- iPhone 5
- iPad
- Wii
- iPad 2
- Nook
- Windows Phone 7
- Macbook Pro
The greatest thing we can learn here is that curiosity and seeking for more information about a desired product can have much more search volume than already exist products- iPhone 5 (which doesn’t exist publicly yet) came fourth, while the just launched iPhone 4S is absent from the list.
Top TV Shows Searches
- American Idol
- Dancing with the Stars
- Glee
- Jersey Shore
- Family Guy
- Chelsea Handler
- The Young and the Restless
- True Blood
- Audrina
- Big Brother
People just love reality shows and continuously looking for more information about them on the web- 5 out of the 10 top TV shows are reality shows.
Top Celebrity Events Searches
- Royal Wedding
- Final Harry Potter
- Kim Kardashian Wedding
- Beyonce’s Baby Bump
- Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson Dating
- Demi Moore/Ashton Kutcher Scandal
- Kate Hudson Baby Bump
- Lady Gaga Coming Out in the Egg
- Lindsey Lohan Arrested
- Russell Armstrong Suicide
When it comes to celebrity events, people mostly like to search about family-related matters (positive or negative)- 5 out of 10 are directly linked into these kind of issues and another one (Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson dating) somewhat related.
Top Destination Searches (By Region)
- Asia – Singapore
- Africa – Alexandria, South Africa
- Australia/New Zealand – Sydney, Australia
- Caribbean – Cancun, Mexico
- Europe – Paris, France
- Middle East – Dubai, UAE
- South America – Lima, Peru
Trying to understand what information people want to search for is a very important aspect of your online business as providing the necessary articles, guides or news is crucial to attract visitors. I hope this article will assist you to achieve that. At any case, you can watch this video by Bing summarizing 2011 in search: