Search Engine Land » Elisabeth Osmeloski http://searchengineland.com Search Engine Land: News On Search Engines, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) & Search Engine Marketing (SEM) Fri, 25 May 2012 13:19:40 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Q4 Reports: Search Advertising Growing In Efficiency http://searchengineland.com/q4-reports-search-advertising-growing-in-efficiency-107805 http://searchengineland.com/q4-reports-search-advertising-growing-in-efficiency-107805#comments Fri, 13 Jan 2012 14:01:12 +0000 Elisabeth Osmeloski http://searchengineland.com/?p=107805 Four reports released this month by paid search giants Efficient Frontier, IgnitionOne, Marin Software and Covario all pointed to an overwhelmingly successful fourth quarter in 2011 for major search advertisers in a number of verticals.

Across the board, overall search spend increased, as advertisers on the whole enjoyed an increase in impressions and click-through rates, while achieving a lower average cost per click.

According to Efficient Frontier’s report:

Search spend increased significantly in Q4 of 2011, bolstered by aggressive spending by retailers. Overall, search spend grew 14% Year over Year (YoY) in the United States, while retail specifically grew by 18% YoY and 40% Quarter over Quarter (QoQ), indicating that search is still the primary driver of digital marketing spend.

Meanwhile, all of the reports cited reductions in overall cost per click ranging from 3% – 9%. From Covario’s report:

For paid search advertisers, Q4 ’11was the first quarter since mid-2010where the trend toward higherCPCswas broken. Impressions experienced only a moderate increase in volume, compared to the more dramatic increase we observed for clicks and CTRs.

IgnitionOne’s report said the trend has lead to to increased revenues:

Across all engines, Q4 CPCs are down -8.6% YoY and -2.3% compared to last quarter. This trend benefits both marketers and Google as clicks cost less while monetizing at the same rate and expanding impression base and higher clickthrough rates indicates top-line revenue growth for Google. The trend is driven by Google, as Yahoo!/Bing saw a YoY 6.4% increase in CPCs.

Benchmark CPCs & CTRs by Industry

One of the most useful statistics for small to medium businesses, all the way up to large enterprise search advertisers is bench-marking average CPC’s and CTR’s within their industry.

According to Marin’s report, this is how it shook out across seven major verticals:

 

Google Not The Best ROI, Despite More Investment

In a trend not unfamiliar to major retailers and large-scale search advertisers, the Bing/Yahoo alliance continued to produce higher return on investment. Efficient Frontier summed up the Q4 performance between the major search platforms:

Yahoo/Bing ROI is 9% more than Google maintaining it’s high traffic quality offering. Although it delivers better ROI than Google, advertisers still spent more on Google in Q4 indicating the ongoing importance of click and inventory volume.

If Bing/Yahoo can continue to gain search search share, however slow that may be, advertisers may be in even better shape by the time 2012 comes around.

As far as predictions go, these reports also showed significant increases in mobile and tablet advertising, as Greg Sterling reported earlier this week.

Related Articles

]]> http://searchengineland.com/q4-reports-search-advertising-growing-in-efficiency-107805/feed 1 Do Your 2012 Resolutions Include Increasing Conversion Rates? http://searchengineland.com/do-your-2012-resolutions-include-increasing-conversion-rates-106050 http://searchengineland.com/do-your-2012-resolutions-include-increasing-conversion-rates-106050#comments Wed, 28 Dec 2011 17:16:39 +0000 Elisabeth Osmeloski http://searchengineland.com/?p=106050 That’s a trick question. Of course the answer should always be yes. Hopefully your website conversions in 2011 have already resulted in a banner year. But if you feel like you have room to improve (and there always is), then it might be time to review what advice our conversion experts shared with readers throughout the year, and put these tactics on your agenda in 2012.

Here’s a recap of our most popular advice from 2011 on improving landing pages, testing and fine-tuning your website calls to action to improve conversion rates:

The Big Picture: Conversion Considerations

Landing Page Lessons

Testing & Tuning

 

]]> http://searchengineland.com/do-your-2012-resolutions-include-increasing-conversion-rates-106050/feed 0 The Most ‘Liked’ Search & Social Posts Of 2011 http://searchengineland.com/the-most-liked-search-social-posts-of-2011-105902 http://searchengineland.com/the-most-liked-search-social-posts-of-2011-105902#comments Tue, 27 Dec 2011 19:12:00 +0000 Elisabeth Osmeloski http://searchengineland.com/?p=105902 The social media experts who write for this column week in and week out don’t just talk – they walk the walk in social media and search marketing. In 2011, we saw interest spike in our Let’s Get Social* column as social media became a significant ranking factor in organic search results, following Danny Sullivan’s December 2010 report, What Social Signals Do Google & Bing Really Count?.

As social media grew in popularity during the year, along with Google’s +1 and Google+ launch, it’s evident how important social sharing became to developing audience reach and driving more traffic to content via search.

Our two most popular posts of the year in this category are further proof of that, with over 30K pageviews each (separated by only a matter of a couple hundred) – note the difference in the social sharing stats in a matter of just 10 months:

While you can see that social sharing plays a large role in how content is consumed, it isn’t the only path to generating highly read content. As you can see below, sharing varies dramatically by platform, and the high number of shares doesn’t always correlate to overall pageviews and user engagement, as you might read about further in some of the articles listed below.

In cased you missed any social media advice from the experts the first time around, here’s the rest of our 20 most popular posts on social media in 2011:

*NOTE: As of December 1, the Search Engine Land “Let’s Get Social” column was renamed to Search & Social. In 2012, column topics will be more focused on how search engines are weighting social media influences, share signals and user rating data to provide users with a more ‘personalized’ set of results, in addition to exploring the growing intersection of search and social networks. You’ll continue to read about how the two platforms are affecting search marketing strategies.

Over at Marketing Land, we’ve started a Social Media Marketing column, where two of our most popular columnists above, Kelsey Jones and Ciaran Norris, will continue writing about broader social media marketing topics and how to integrate social media strategies into your overall marketing mix.

]]> http://searchengineland.com/the-most-liked-search-social-posts-of-2011-105902/feed 0 It’s All About Data: Our Most Popular Analytics Posts In 2011 http://searchengineland.com/its-all-about-data-our-most-popular-analytics-posts-in-2011-105623 http://searchengineland.com/its-all-about-data-our-most-popular-analytics-posts-in-2011-105623#comments Fri, 23 Dec 2011 15:36:27 +0000 Elisabeth Osmeloski http://searchengineland.com/?p=105623 You know how some people always tend to put ‘analytical thinking’ skills down on a resume, even if it’s not 100% accurate? Luckily, that’s not the case with our analytics experts at Search Engine Land.

Over the course of 2011, our contributors shared everything and anything they know about measuring the value of website traffic, social media influence, direct ROI and looking critically at campaign data to squeeze out any insights and create efficiency.

Here’s a look at the top analytics-related posts, organized by their respective categories from the last year.

Big Picture Analytical Thinking

How To Posts – From Beginner To Advanced

Social Analytics

]]> http://searchengineland.com/its-all-about-data-our-most-popular-analytics-posts-in-2011-105623/feed 0 The Most Popular SEO Posts Of 2011 http://searchengineland.com/the-most-popular-seo-posts-of-2011-105506 http://searchengineland.com/the-most-popular-seo-posts-of-2011-105506#comments Thu, 22 Dec 2011 18:16:40 +0000 Elisabeth Osmeloski http://searchengineland.com/?p=105506 If there’s one thing anyone can say about the state of search engine optimization (SEO) in 2011, it’s that this year certainly wasn’t boring. Barely two months in, on February 24, 2011 – we were first introduced to the now infamous Panda Update at Google. That story alone gave our expert SEO columnists and staff writers something to talk about endlessly.

While some search marketers might feel like they were given a giant lump of coal by St. Google, the best gift Panda gave online marketers was additional insight into the need to develop high quality content, as well as the importance of diversifying traffic sources and insulating yourself from algorithmic shifts.

That said, it’s fitting that An SEO Playbook For 2012 by Tom Schmitz tops our overall list of the most popular columns in All Things SEO throughout the past year.

All Pandas aside, our experts also had plenty of excellent advice and commentary on a variety of topics related to search engine optimization – everything from keyword research to technical implementation tips, providing a virtual roadmap to help you sort out your SEO plans in 2012.

I’d like to personally thank all of these writers for their respective contributions to Search Engine Land in 2011, and we look forward to sharing more about SEO with you in 2012. Here is a sample of our 25 most-read posts about SEO in their respective categories; recommended reading in case you missed any of them the first time around!

Technical SEO Tips

SEO Strategy & Thought Leadership

Increased Organic Results & Traffic Through Links

Keywords, Keywords, Keywords*

 SEO Copywriting & Content Development*

*Note that due to the popularity of the posts done on these topics, we’ve started an entire column just about Keywords & Content, so look for more great keyword research, content development and copywriting tips in 2012!

In All Things SEO, we’ll continue to tackle technical SEO topics, as well as more in-depth SEO strategy and thought leadership pieces.

]]> http://searchengineland.com/the-most-popular-seo-posts-of-2011-105506/feed 3 2011 Yahoo! In Review: Top US Searches In 30 Categories http://searchengineland.com/2011-yahoo-in-review-top-us-searches-in-30-categories-103215 http://searchengineland.com/2011-yahoo-in-review-top-us-searches-in-30-categories-103215#comments Thu, 01 Dec 2011 22:35:31 +0000 Elisabeth Osmeloski http://searchengineland.com/?p=103215 Now celebrating a decade of recapping annual search trends, earlier today, Yahoo! released the 2011 list of most popular searches in the US in 30 different categories, topping last year’s extensive list.

This year marks the first full year Yahoo! used has used the Bing search engine to primarily power Yahoo! search results, with Americans conducting nearly 3 billion searches a month on Yahoo.com.

While every year, it seems these lists are mostly littered with celebrity gossip, it’s important to look at the totality of these lists for the overall trends in how online users use search to consume media and seek ouk specific information as it relates to major news events (natural disasters, political uprisings) and needing answers to life’s everyday problems, such as what to make for dinner or how to save money on groceries.

How Yahoo! gathers, analyzes and classifies this information from billions of queries is covered well (albeit in simple terms) in the methodology statement, which simplifies the process:

What’s the difference between Top 10 Searches and Top News Stories? Searches are discrete keywords — terms users are actively searching for. Top News Stories include directly related concepts, such as “Japan earthquake,” “Japan tsunami” and “Fukushima radiation.”

Additionally, Vera Chan, senior editor and Web trend analyst at Yahoo! responsible for putting together the annual special feature, noted in that same piece:

Do people really love Kim Kardashian and the Jennifers that much? Yes and no. Search measures curiosity and interest, not popularity. As we’ve said in the past, a search for information is neutral. It may be motivated by curiosity, fear, lust, anger, boredom, love, or any number of other triggers. But combine those billion (or so) individual motivations to search, and you can build a sketch portrait of a culture in motion.

For example, in a reporter call to share the year in review data, Chan also called Kim Kardashian a polarizing figure after the divorce news came out, and noted that “boycott” searches for Kim K also played a role in her overall search popularity.

Also important to note in the methodology is that “Navigational” searches are not counted, since so many users continue to use the address/search bar to look for ‘search engines’ such as Google, Bing, YouTube, Facebook, etc.

When asked about whether social media sharing has taken away from search activity, Chan said it’s a complementary function, and that might be best supported by a recent report of Facebook’s most shared stories 2011, which noted 12 of the top 40 most shared stories originated from Yahoo! News.

For the second year in a row, Yahoo! has also done year in review roundups for 16 countries around the globe, linked at the end of the lists below.

Comebacks & Rising Stars

Notable in ths year’s overall lists are several re-emerging stars from the past, most notably, Jennifer Lopez, who hadn’t graced the top Yahoo! searches for most of the last decade.

JLO’s rise can be attributed mostly to American Idol’s rebirth, as the reality show also saw a resurgence in popularity after a signficant retooling of the judges, which included Ms. Lopez. Unfortunately, her name also has sustained popularity in search when her split with husband Marc Anthony was made public.

Entering back into the overall list at #8, Jennifer Aniston had a surprising resurgence as well, with a couple of new movies this year and a being spotted in the tabloids with a new beau as well.

This year marked the first year in nearly a decade where Britney Spears didn’t make the overall top 10.

2011′s Top Overall Searches On Yahoo!

  1. iPhone
  2. Casey Anthony
  3. Kim Kardashian
  4. Katy Perry
  5. Jennifer Lopez
  6. Lindsay Lohan
  7. American Idol
  8. Jennifer Aniston
  9. Japan Earthquake
  10. Osama bin Laden

Top Searches On Yahoo! Mobile 2011

  1. iPhone 5
  2. Powerball
  3. MLB
  4. Scrabble cheat
  5. Casey Anthony
  6. Hurricane Irene 2011
  7. Kim Kardashian
  8. Translator
  9. Amy Winehouse
  10. May 21, 2011 Rapture

Top Searched News Stories In 2011

  1. Casey Anthony Trial
  2. Japan Earthquake
  3. Royal Wedding
  4. Osama bin Laden
  5. Unemployment
  6. Arizona Shooting
  7. Libya/Death of Moammar Gaddafi
  8. Death of Amy Winehouse
  9. Arab Spring
  10. Occupy Wall Street (Occupy Movement)

Top Financial Term Searches In 2011 On Yahoo!

  1. Dow Jones Index
  2. Gold Prices
  3. FAFSA
  4. Gas Prices
  5. Oil Prices
  6. Coupons
  7. Silver Prices
  8. Sallie Mae
  9. Unemployment
  10. Mortgage Rates

Top Searched Questions

  1. How to tie a tie
  2. How to kiss
  3. How to lose weight
  4. How to get a passport
  5. What time is it
  6. How to make money
  7. What is love
  8. What does SMH mean
  9. How many ounces in a pound
  10. What does my name mean

Top Gadgets/Tech Toys Searches

  1. iPhone
  2. Blackberry
  3. Xbox
  4. PlayStation 3
  5. Wii
  6. iPod
  7. Android
  8. iPad
  9. Kindle
  10. Playbook (Blackberry)

Top Sports Team Searches

  1. New York Yankees
  2. Pittsburgh Steelers
  3. Boston Red Sox
  4. Green Bay Packers
  5. Texas Rangers
  6. St. Louis Cardinals
  7. Detroit Tigers
  8. Chicago Bears
  9. Manchester United
  10. Los Angeles Lakers

Top Athlete Searches

  1. Danica Patrick
  2. Tiger Woods
  3. Manny Pacquiao
  4. Maria Sharapova
  5. Serena Williams
  6. Kris Humphries
  7. Hope Solo
  8. Kobe Bryant
  9. Lamar Odom
  10. Caroline Wozniacki

Top Searched “Obsessions” On Yahoo! In 2011

  1. Charlie Sheen
  2. The Rapture
  3. “Friday” (Rebecca Black)
  4. Mortgage Rates
  5. Extreme Couponing
  6. Angry Birds
  7. Planking
  8. Game of Thrones
  9. Government Shutdown
  10. Tiger Mom

Top Searched “End of an Era” On Yahoo! 2011

  1. Space Shuttle Program
  2. Oprah Winfrey
  3. Borders
  4. Harry Potter
  5. Friendster
  6. Steve Jobs
  7. News of the World
  8. “Kate Plus 8″
  9. Elizabeth Warren
  10. Iraq Withdrawal

Top Politician Searches

  1. Sarah Palin
  2. Barack Obama
  3. Michele Bachmann
  4. Gabrielle Giffords
  5. Hillary Clinton
  6. Herman Cain
  7. Ron Paul
  8. Rick Perry
  9. Elizabeth Warren
  10. Mitt Romney

Top Searched Political Scandals

  1. Anthony Weiner
  2. Arnold Schwarzenegger
  3. John Edwards
  4. Herman Cain
  5. Silvio Berlusconi
  6. Kwame Kilpatrick
  7. Dominique Strauss-Kahn
  8. David Wu
  9. John Ensign
  10. Chris Lee

Top Health Symptoms Searches

  1. Pregnancy symptoms
  2. Diabetes symptoms
  3. Gall Bladder symptoms
  4. Gout symptoms
  5. Thyroid symptoms
  6. Lupus symptoms
  7. Shingles symptoms
  8. Depression symptoms
  9. Herpes symptoms
  10. Menopause symptoms

Top Diet Searches

  1. Weight Watchers
  2. Jillian Michaels
  3. Atkins
  4. HCG
  5. 17 Day Diet
  6. Jenny Craig
  7. Dukan Diet
  8. Nutrisystem
  9. Dash Diet
  10. Paleo Diet

Top Cosmetic Procedure Searches

  1. Plastic Surgery
  2. Hair Extensions
  3. Breast Implants
  4. Brazilian Wax
  5. Laser Hair Removal
  6. Botox
  7. Bikini Wax
  8. Dental Implants
  9. Invisilign
  10. Liposuction

Top Recipe Searches

  1. Breakfast recipes
  2. Chicken recipes
  3. Crockpot/Slow Cooker recipes
  4. Meatloaf recipes
  5. Pancake recipes
  6. Chili recipes
  7. French Toast recipes
  8. Healthy recipes
  9. Banana Bread recipes
  10. Halloween recipes

Top Dessert Searches

  1. Ice Cream
  2. Dippin’ Dots
  3. Cake Pops
  4. Peanut Butter Cookies
  5. Chocolate Cake
  6. Peach Cobbler
  7. Banana Bread
  8. Sugar Cookies
  9. Rice Krispie Treats
  10. Girl Scout Cookies

Top Notable Wedding Searches

  1. Prince William and Kate Middleton (Royal Wedding)
  2. Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries
  3. Monica  (R&B singer) and Shannon Brown
  4. Tony Romo and Candice Crawford
  5. Prince Albert II and Charlene Wittstock
  6. Lauren Bush and David Lauren
  7. Seth Rogen and Lauren Miller
  8. Gene Simmons and Shannon Tweed

Top Pregnancy Searches

  1. Beyoncé
  2. Alyssa Milano
  3. Natalie Portman
  4. Kate Hudson
  5. Rebecca Gayheart
  6. Jessica Simpson
  7. Pink
  8. Mariah Carey
  9. Hilary Duff
  10. Victoria Beckham

Top Fashion Related Searches

  1. Louis Vuitton
  2. UGGs
  3. Tom’s
  4. Vans
  5. Cocktail dresses
  6. True Religion jeans
  7. Feather hair extensions
  8. Spanx
  9. Levi’s
  10. Giuseppe Zanotti shoes

Top Celebrity Searches

  1. Kim Kardashian
  2. Katy Perry
  3. Jennifer Lopez
  4. Lindsay Lohan
  5. Jennifer Aniston
  6. Megan Fox
  7. Anne Hathaway
  8. Britney Spears
  9. Scarlett Johansson
  10. Jessica Simpson

Top Music Lyric Searches

  1. Super Bass – Nicki Minaj
  2. Lazy Song – Bruno Mars
  3. Grenade – Bruno Mars
  4. Rolling In the Deep – Adele
  5. Someone like You – Adele
  6. Look At Me Now – Chris Brown
  7. Born This Way – Lady Gaga
  8. You Belong With Me – Taylor Swift
  9. Pumped Up Kicks – Foster The People
  10. Just The Way You Are – Bruno Mars

Top Movie Searches On Yahoo! During 2011

  1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2
  2. Twilight: Breaking Dawn
  3. Transformers 3
  4. Tron: Legacy
  5. Black Swan
  6. X-Men: First Class
  7. Captain America
  8. Just Go With It
  9. The Hangover, Part II
  10. Fast Five

Top Television Show Searches

  1. American Idol
  2. Dancing With The Stars
  3. The Young and The Restless
  4. Two and a Half Men
  5. Glee
  6. Jersey Shore
  7. SpongeBob SquarePants
  8. Days of Our Lives
  9. House
  10. Ben 10

Top Reality Star Searches

  1. Kim Kardashian
  2. Khloe Kardashian
  3. Heidi Montag
  4. Kirstie Alley
  5. Snooki
  6. Kourtney Kardashian
  7. Kat Von D
  8. Pia Toscana
  9. Jesse James
  10. Kristin Cavallari

Top British Invasion Searches

  1. Emma Watson
  2. Kate Middleton
  3. Pippa Middleton
  4. Amy Winehouse
  5. Elizabeth Hurley
  6. Adele
  7. Robert Pattinson
  8. Daniel Radcliffe
  9. Prince William
  10. Prince Harry

Top Celebrity Hairstyle Searches

  1. Jennifer Love Hewitt
  2. Emma Watson
  3. Jennifer Aniston
  4. Kate Gosselin
  5. Olivia Wilde
  6. Justin Bieber
  7. Snooki
  8. Ashlee Simpson
  9. Reese Witherspoon
  10. Rumer Willis

Top Auto Brand Searches

  1. Ford
  2. Honda
  3. Toyota
  4. Nissan
  5. Hyundai
  6. GMC
  7. Chevy
  8. BMW
  9. Dodge
  10. Volkswagen

Top Searched Holidays

  1. Halloween
  2. Valentine’s Day
  3. Mother’s Day
  4. Easter
  5. Christmas
  6. April Fool’s Day
  7. Memorial Day
  8. Groundhog Day
  9. Father’s Day
  10. Thanksgiving

Top Heroic Act Searches

  1. Gabrielle Giffords
  2. Seal Team Six
  3. Women’s World Cup Teams
  4. Red Cross
  5. Lara Logan
  6. Dakota Meyer
  7. Fukushima 50
  8. Mohamed Bouazizi
  9. Texas Volunteer Firefighters
  10. John Leal (9/11 Heroes)*

*Note that John Leal is our pick to represent 9/11 heroes. If you search on 9/11, that buzzes much higher.

2011 Year In Review Global Coverage

  • Argentina
  • Brasil
  • Canada
  • Deutschland
  • España
  • Español
  • France
  • 香港
  • India
  • Indonesia
  • Italia
  • 한국
  • México
  • Philippines
  • 台灣
  • United Kingdom
    • ]]> http://searchengineland.com/2011-yahoo-in-review-top-us-searches-in-30-categories-103215/feed 0 AOL In 2011: Charlie Sheen #Winning Over Other Celebrities http://searchengineland.com/aol-in-2011-charlie-sheen-winning-over-other-celebrities-103076 http://searchengineland.com/aol-in-2011-charlie-sheen-winning-over-other-celebrities-103076#comments Thu, 01 Dec 2011 19:47:19 +0000 Elisabeth Osmeloski http://searchengineland.com/?p=103076 AOL announced its most popular global searches (United States, United Kingdom and Canada) in 2011 at http://hot.aol.com. While other search engines have ranked Justin Bieber and Kim K at the top for the year, Charlie Sheen proved he won the hearts of AOL users by climbing to the top of their most searched for celebrity list.

    Most notable about the AOL hot searches feature this year is the ability to view the UK and Canadian top searches independently, by clicking each country flag to view the differences in search behavior among all three countries.

    As AOL has over 60 million montly unique visitors in the UK alone (Comscore May 2011), Brits turned to AOL for the latest on major news events such as the London Riots and the Red Arrows crash. Interestingly, Twitter and Google+ both made the top 10 memes list in the UK as well.

    With the worldwide buzz surrounding the Royal Wedding, it’s also not that surprising that British beauties Kate Middleton, Amy Winehouse and Pippa Middleton appeared on all three country lists with the headlines they each made respectively in 2011.

    Also in the celebrity wedding category, it was a pleasant surprise to see Reese Witherspoon topped Kim K & Kris H for wedding related searches in the US, and searches related to Sir Paul McCartney’s nuptials to third wife Nancy Shevell put them the top 10 as well as 9 other couples, all of whom who have thus far been married longer than 72 days.

    New this year on AOL’s top searches list are the question categories, gives insight into the most popular questions consumers asked of the search engine in 2011. While the question format certainly isn’t new to online searchers, it is the first year AOL has shared that data.

    AOL has created a special section for ranking the hottest trends in search during 2011, where you’ll be able to see more categories including Sports, Music, TV, Tech Gadgets and travel destinations, in addition to the ones below. You’ll be able to click through each top 10 to the relevant search results.

    One quick shout-out on the top travel destinations – my home state of Maine came in 8th for “Maine Vacations” – a rare, but well earned appearance, perhaps following the 2010 vacation of the presidential family, or the fact that celebrities like John Travolta, Martha Stewart and Kirstie Alley have vacation homes there.

    Top 2011 AOL Search Highlights

    Celebrities

    1. Charlie Sheen
    2. Justin Bieber
    3. Kate Middleton
    4. Jennifer Aniston
    5. Kim Kardashian
    6. Tiger Woods
    7. Lindsay Lohan
    8. Amy Winehouse
    9. Glenn Beck
    10. Pippa Middleton

    News

    1. Casey Anthony Trial
    2. Gabrielle Giffords Shooting
    3. Royal Wedding
    4. Japan Earthquake
    5. Arab Spring
    6. Penn State Scandal
    7. Osama bin Laden Death
    8. Occupy Wall Street
    9. Debt Ceiling Debate
    10. European Debt Crisis

    Memes

    1. Ted Williams
    2. Planking
    3. Serene Branson
    4. Anonymous
    5. My Little Pony
    6. Ancient Aliens
    7. Nyan Cat
    8. Rebecca Black Friday
    9. Tiger Mom
    10. Qwikster

    Presidential Candidates

    1. Barack Obama
    2. Herman Cain
    3. Michele Bachmann
    4. Rick Perry
    5. Ron Paul
    6. Mitt Romney
    7. Newt Gingrich
    8. Rick Santorum
    9. Jon Huntsman
    10. Gary Johnson

    How…

    1. How can I pay off my credit card?
    2. How tall is Katy Perry?
    3. How can I stop snoring?
    4. How did Valentine’s Day start?
    5. How do you lock your scroll bar?
    6. How much is my jewelry worth?
    7. How many ounces in a gallon?
    8. How do I change my AOL password?
    9. How much should I weigh?
    10. How did Punxsutawney Phil get his name?

    Is…

    1. Is Whitney Houston pregnant?
    2. Is the iPhone 3GS free?
    3. Is Dolly Parton her real name?
    4. Is Cancun safe for tourists?
    5. Is Roseanne Barr a nut farmer?
    6. Is heartburn a sign of pregnancy?
    7. Is shingles contagious?
    8. Is Facebook going to charge?
    9. Is there life after death?
    10. Is rosemary good for stretch marks?

    Why…

    1. Why did Dick leave Big Brother?
    2. Why did the original Becky leave Roseanne?
    3. Why did William and Kate split in 2007?
    4. Why did Paul Ryan found the Young Guns program?
    5. Why did the chicken cross the road?
    6. Why did Glenn Beck leave Fox?
    7. Why did Ricky Gervais quit Twitter?
    8. Why did Japan attack Pearl Harbor?
    9. Why did my hair thin after giving birth?
    10. Why did Jerry Lewis leave MDA?
    ]]>     http://searchengineland.com/aol-in-2011-charlie-sheen-winning-over-other-celebrities-103076/feed 0     Searching For Answers On Ask.com In 2011 http://searchengineland.com/searching-for-answers-on-ask-com-in-2011-102850 http://searchengineland.com/searching-for-answers-on-ask-com-in-2011-102850#comments Wed, 30 Nov 2011 05:01:19 +0000 Elisabeth Osmeloski http://searchengineland.com/?p=102850 It’s been about a year since Ask went back to its roots as a full Q&A site and at the end of last year, we offered up its most popular questions of 2010. In that story from 2010, note that Ask.com claimed 90 million users at that time, and in this year’s followup release of the most popular questions, Ask.com cited their 60 million users helped predict what’s to come in 2012 (see below).

    According to Comscore’s September 2011 web property rankings however, Ask remained around 90 million unique users, and reported in October that Ask’s search share remained steady.

    Whether it’s 60 or 90 million doesn’t really matter, all that really matters is the quality of answers Ask.com returns when you put in the most popular questions. To make it interesting this year, I’ve provided links to each search result for the questions below, survey says…

    Top Celebrity Search Terms  & Questions Asked In 2011

    1. Was Kim Kardashian’s wedding fake? Ask answers.
    2. Is Justin Bieber going to be a dad? Ask answers.
    3. Are Lady Gaga’s face implants real? Ask answers.
    4. Did Beyonce fake a baby bump?  Ask answers.
    5. Who made Kate Middleton’s wedding dress? Ask answers.
    6. Did Ashton cheat? Ask answers.
    7. Was Michael Jackson murdered? Ask answers.
    8. Is Selena Gomez pregnant? Ask answers.
    9. Is Lindsay Lohan going to jail? Ask answers.
    10. What happened to Charlie Sheen’s teeth? Ask answers.

    Top News Search Terms & Questions On Ask.com

    1. How big was the earthquake in Japan? Ask answers.
    2. What caused Hurricane Irene? Ask answers.
    3. How much was Steve Jobs worth? Ask answers.
    4. What did William whisper to Kate on the balcony? Ask answers.
    5. Who started Occupy Wall Street? Ask answers.
    6. When will Apple release the iPhone 5? Ask answers.
    7. Who killed Bin Laden? Ask answers.
    8.  Where is Casey Anthony hiding? Ask answers.
    9. What is happening on the 10th anniversary of 9/11? Ask answers.
    10. How did Amy Winehouse die? Ask answers.

    Top Political Searches & Questions

    1. Will Obama get re-elected? Ask answers.
    2. What is Mitt Romney’s religion? Ask answers.
    3. Is Sarah Palin running for president? Ask answers.
    4. Is Michele Bachmann crazy? Ask answers.
    5. Where can I find Anthony Weiner’s Twitter pics? Ask answers.
    6. Who was Arnold’s mistress? Ask answers.
    7. Which states allow gay marriage? Ask answers.
    8. When will the troops come home? Ask answers.
    9. When is the Iowa caucus? Ask answers.
    10. Who will lead Libya after Ghadafi? Ask answers.

    Overall, most of Ask’s instant/closest answers were pretty solid, but I particularly liked the Michele Bachmann response. What did you think of Ask’s answers? Let us know in the comments below.

    With 2012 right around the corner, Ask also leveraged the top questions asked by the site’s 60 million users to also predict headlines for the year to come.

    Top Predictions For 2012

    1. George Clooney wins his second AND third Academy Award
    2. Dr. Oz surpasses Dr. Phil in ratings in a post-Oprah world
    3. Green Bay Packers wins Super Bowl second year in a row
    4. McDonald’s adds the McRib to its permanent menu
    5. New York reclaims its spot as top the US travel destination from 2011 leader Orlando
    6. Breakout star of 2011, Nicki Minaj, leapfrogs pop icon Katy Perry in album sales
    7. Pippa jumps onto the list of top ten baby names of the year
    8. Facebook goes public with world’s largest IPO
    9. Tiger Woods retires from golf
    ]]>     http://searchengineland.com/searching-for-answers-on-ask-com-in-2011-102850/feed 0     Bieber Tops Bing’s List Of Most Popular Searches In 2011 http://searchengineland.com/bieber-tops-bings-list-of-most-popular-searches-in-2011-102582 http://searchengineland.com/bieber-tops-bings-list-of-most-popular-searches-in-2011-102582#comments Mon, 28 Nov 2011 18:00:28 +0000 Elisabeth Osmeloski http://searchengineland.com/?p=102582 First out of the gate this year in the annual rush to declare search winners is Bing, who earlier today unveiled the top searches of 2011 at BingTrends.com.

    Bing.com also created an original video to recap the year in search, ending the clip with the Twitter hashtag #My2011.


    Video: Bing Originals: Decisions That Shaped 2011

    Top Celebrity Searches

    Justin Bieber proved he’s a  ladies’ man by edging out 9 female celebrities for the most searched person of the year:

    1. Justin Bieber
    2. Kim Kardashian
    3. Jennifer Aniston
    4. Lindsay Lohan
    5. Jennifer Lopez
    6. Britney Spears
    7. Katy Perry
    8. Megan Fox
    9. Lady Gaga
    10. Miley Cyrus
    Just outside of the top 10, Princess Kate Middleton hit #12 on the list, and sister Pippa came in at #21, as the Royal Wedding was the most popular celebrity event of the year, with searches for the Royal Wedding beating out Kim K’s royal wedding disaster 4 to 1.
    1. Royal Wedding
    2. Final Harry Potter
    3. Kim Kardashian wedding
    4. Beyonce baby bump
    5. Kristen Stewart / Robert Pattinson dating
    6. Demi Moore / Ashton Kutcher scandal
    7. Kate Hudson baby bump
    8. Lady Gaga coming out in egg
    9. Lindsay Lohan arrested
    10. Russell Armstrong suicide

    Of the most searched for celebrities in 2011, Bing also noted that President Obama searches dropped him from #5 to #49 on the celebrity search list, as he heads into the 2012 election year.

    News, Natural Disasters & Death

    Among the biggest news stories for the year are a mixture of criminal courtroom trials, several notable deaths – with the demise of Bin Laden topping the list – and a number of massive natural disasters across the globe.

    1. Casey Anthony trial
    2. Osama Bin Laden death
    3. Hurricane Irene
    4. Japan Earthquake/Tsunami
    5. Amy Winehouse death
    6. Joplin, Missouri tornado
    7. Michael Jackson / Conrad Murray trial
    8. 9/11 Ten Year Anniversary
    9. Republican candidates – Herman Cain & Rick Perry
    10. Haiti (earthquake) anniversary

    Gadgets & Consumer Electronics

    In 2011, searchers on Bing.com were buzzing more about the anticipated iPhone 5, than any other mobile phone, the iPhone 4s didn’t even crack the top 10 of most searched for electronics.

    1. Xbox
    2. Kindle
    3. Playstation
    4. iPhone 5
    5. iPad
    6. Wii
    7. iPad 2
    8. Nook
    9. Windows Phone 7
    10. Macbook Pro

    Late Night Stars Of Search

    Despite the number of times Stephen Colbert has covered stories related to Bing or Google in 2011, his dedicated fans haven’t quite lifted him to the top of the query list.

    Meanwhile, Twitter fanatic and all-around tech nerd @Jimmy Fallon is rising in popular searches among late night talk show hosts, but comedienne Chelsea Handler proved to be the hottest of them all.  Chelsea also ranked #6 in the overall TV show search category.

    1. Chelsea Handler
    2. David Letterman
    3. Conan O’brien
    4. Jon Stewart
    5. Jay Leno
    6. Jimmy Fallon
    7. Jimmy Kimmel
    8. Stephen Colbert
    9. Craig Ferguson

    Top Search Terms In Travel, Finance & Health

    In Bing Travel, Las Vegas was the most searched destination in the world during 2011, but these were the hot spots around the rest of the globe:

    • 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
    Economic worries continued to drive searches for saving money and related issues, as top searches related to finance included:
    • real estate agents
    • cheap
    • coupons
    • bankruptcy
    • selling a home
    In the health category, diet searches reigned supreme with these popular topics ranking among the most popular queries:
    • Weight Watchers
    • Calorie Counting
    • Atkins
    • HCG
    • Cholesterol diet
    ]]>     http://searchengineland.com/bieber-tops-bings-list-of-most-popular-searches-in-2011-102582/feed 0     Dexter Dings SEO: Why Do Hollywood Writers Keep Giving Search Engine Optimization A Bad Name? http://searchengineland.com/why-do-hollywood-writers-keep-giving-seo-a-bad-name-102041 http://searchengineland.com/why-do-hollywood-writers-keep-giving-seo-a-bad-name-102041#comments Tue, 22 Nov 2011 17:00:09 +0000 Elisabeth Osmeloski http://searchengineland.com/?p=102041 Yesterday, I saw a few tweets go by noting that the popular show Dexter on Showtime mentioned SEO and said that “Google was so 5 minutes ago” while typing in the URL: eliotsearchengine.com* – which supposedly “uses an algorithm to aggregate content without getting tripped up by SEO bull$h!t.”

    Because Dexter shows are behind a paywall on Showtime’s website, our own Rob Snell posted a short video clip of the segment (your sound may need to be turned up) from the episode that aired Sunday, November 20th:

    Click here to view the embedded video.

    It’s unfortunate that another real search engine didn’t get an opportunity for product placement in this episode.

    Previously, I’d written about SEO getting a bad rap on the CBS show ”The Good Wife” — where all SEOs were equated to spammers, so this isn’t the first time Hollywood writers have twisted search engine optimization into a bad thing.

    Sure, it’s a matter of sensationalizing in the name of entertainment, but clearly, the SEO industry might need to take out a full page ad in Variety and begin a PR campaign before awards season rolls around.

    Submitted For Your Consideration: SEO Doesn’t Suck

    Here’s Google’s recent defense of SEO:

    Click here to view the embedded video.

    Here’s our recent contribution:

    Click here to view the embedded video.

    Our video is part of the many resources about search engine optimization designed to educate people on our What Is SEO / Search Engine Optimization? page.

    Postscript: Per the comments below by regular watchers of the show Dexter, the eliotsearchengine.com domain noted above redirects to a Facebook game based on the shows, which is terrific example of cross-channel social media integration.

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