On the Twitter blog today, Chief Scientist Abdur released a summary chart of the most popular trending topics on the social platform during 2009:

Microsoft’s Windows 7 did make the Top 10 Technology searches, but no such luck for Bing. In addition to the major news events of the year like the Iran Election (a popular topic for real time searches), Michael Jackson’s death and Swine Flu/H1N1, the weekly favorite, #MusicMonday made the list, but no mention of #FollowFriday.

Similarly, YouTube also released the most popular videos of 2009, with few surprises:

Most Watched YouTube videos (Global)

1. Susan Boyle – Britain’s Got Talent (120+ million views) 2. David After Dentist (37+ million views) 3. JK Wedding Entrance Dance (33+ million views) 4. New Moon Movie Trailer (31+ million views) 5. Evian Roller Babies (27+ million views)

AOL’s top searched celebrities for 2009

1. michael jackson
2. robert pattinson
3. rihanna
4. farrah fawcett
5. kim kardashian
6. megan fox
7. jon and kate
8. miley cyrus
9. patrick swayze
10. natasha richardson

Oh, Edward. Patrick Swayze should roadhouse you from heaven. It surprising that AOL is the only search engine where Rihanna made the Top 10, given her year of very public struggles, although Ask does get an honorable mention for a popular Rihanna rumor being questioned.

AOL’s top searched news stories for 2009

1. barack obama
2. cash for clunkers
3. madoff scheme
4. octomom
5. jasmine fiore
6. health care reform
7. sonia sotomayor
8. craigslist killer
9. chimp attack
10. balloon boy

Like Yahoo!, President Barack Obama probably should have earned his own political category following his inaugauration in January. But AOL users did seek out some stories that didn’t make the cut on other portals, including the murder of reality TV personality Jasmine Fiore, and the Craiglist killer. Move over “sex sells”, “murder makes pageviews” is coming after you.

AOL’s top searched movies for 2009

1. twilight
2. star trek
3. terminator salvation
4. transformers 2
5. harry potter
6. 2012
7. slumdog millionaire
8. watchmen
9. gi joe
10. taken

Not being a Twilight fan has its privileges, including the lack of desire to talk about how it made it the top of AOL’s list, as well as the others  – but it has merit from a marketing strategy perspective. Consider how the Twilight saga of books and the movies were released in very specific time waves throughout 2009, keeping the entire topic tops throughout the year is thanks to the buzz created.

AOL’s top searched for sporting events in 2009

1. march madness
2. super bowl
3. us open
4. tour de france
5. kentucky derby
6. wimbledon
7. british open
8. masters tournament
9. french open
10. world series

Seriously surprising that Lance Armstrong’s return to the Tour de France didn’t fuel it higher in the list, but there’s always next year. However, with 2010 being an Olympic year, look for Vancouver to take top honors.

AOL’s top searched mobile devices for 2009

1. iphone
2. ipod touch
3. psp
4. palm pre
5. zune
6. blackberry storm
7. garmin nuvi
8. blackberry curve
9. sidekick
10. amazon kindle

Apple continued to reign supreme with the most popular mobile products, yet consider how this list might be different if “blackberry” searches were combined, or the Google/Motorola Droid phone had been released earlier in the year.

AOL’s top searched for coupons in 2009

1. dtv coupons
2. bed bath and beyond coupons
3. macy’s coupons
4. kohl’s coupons
5. best buy coupons
6. home depot coupons
7. target coupons
8. pizza hut coupons
9. lowes coupons
10. kfc coupons

Like other lists, consumers looking for the best deals possible got on board with coupon searches. AOL took it to another level, giving us a more in-depth look at the brands which drove significant coupon traffic. The notable exception would be for the “DTV” receiver coupons available (and then the corresponding extension)  from the government in the switch to digital television. There’s also evidence of the “Oprah Effect” at #10, when the KFC coupon mad grab made headlines.

AOL’s top “What Is… “ questions of 2009

1. what is twitter
2. what is my house worth
3. what is my ip address
4. what is a short sale
5. what is gout
6. what is love
7. what is a good credit score
8. what is swine flu
9. what is skype
10. what is lupus

Again, we see Twitter is tops on everyone’s “need to know” list, but economic concerns (house worth, short sale, credit score) still kept creeping into the searches by AOL users.

AOL’s top searched television shows for 2009

1. american idol
2. dancing with the stars
3. lost
4. the biggest loser
5. big brother
6. the bachelor
7. jon and kate plus 8
8. survivor
9. ncis
10. true blood

AOL’s most searched for vacation destinations for 2009

1. disney vacations
2. las vegas vacations
3. florida vacations
4. hawaii vacations
5. mexico vacations
6. myrtle beach vacations
7. costa rica vacations
8. italy vacations
9. colorado vacations
10. grand canyon vacations

The travel segment looks very different from 2008, as AOL combined USA and  international travel destinations. Not surprisingly, domestic travel choices ate up all but three spots, as consumers were looking to stay close to home, but also get the best budget vacations. Mexico was going cheap thanks to the swine flu.

AOL’s 10 searched for health conditions in 2009

1. swine flu
2. lupus
3. diabetes
4. pregnancy
5. depression
6. herpes
7. fibromyalgia
8. autism
9. hpv
10. breast cancer

AOL’s top searched car brands  for 2009

1. toyota
2. ford
3. honda
4. nissan
5. bmw
6. chrysler
7. lexus
8. hyundai
9. audi
10. jeep

You can check daily hot trends on AOL here, and they’ll shortly be putting up a summary of the above list.

Back to: This Is It: The Most Popular Searches of 2009 >>

Falling in line with the most popular searches on other engines, questions surrounding the economic crisis and financial stability were among the popular categories, but it was the celebrity rumors that created the most comic relief in the search stimulus package. Searchers were feverishly fighting off symptoms of the Swine Flu, while trying to get answers on a number of health and fitness issues. Popular question categories unique to Ask.com include the most popular searches on Ask Kids, and likely from the Ask.com / Nascar partnership.

Ask.com’s Top Overall Questions of 2009

1. How much should I weigh?
2. How do I get out of debt fast?
3. How do I get pregnant?
4. What is Twitter?
5. What is Miley Cyrus’ phone number?
6. What is the meaning of life?
7. When will the world end?
8. How long does marijuana stay in your system?
9. What are the symptoms of Swine Flu?
10. What time is it?

Again, Twitter questionably makes the cut.  And isn’t 2012 the answer to #7? Does it strike anyone else as odd, that no one in the US was curious to ask if Michael Jackson was really dead? Read on…

Top Personal Finance Questions

1. What is a good credit score?
2. How do I file for bankruptcy?
3. How do I start my own business?
4. What is a short sale in real estate?
5. Who owns the Federal Reserve Bank?
6. How much is minimum wage?
7. How do savings bonds work?
8. What can I deduct on my taxes?
9. What is a trust fund?
10. What is a hedge fund?

Top Celebrity Rumors of 2009

1. Is Miley Cyrus pregnant?
2. Is Adam Lambert straight?
3. Is Lady Gaga a man?
4. Is Michelle Obama pregnant?
5. Is Robert Pattinson dating Kristen Stewart?
6. Did Chris Brown get Rihanna pregnant?<
7. Are Jon and Kate getting a divorce?
8. Is Michael Phelps using marijuana?
9. Who is the father of Michael Jackson’s children?
10. Did David Letterman keep a secret bedroom is his studio?

Meanwhile, across the pond…an entirely different set of questions arose:

Ask Jeeves’ UK fastest rising searches of 2009

1. What is Twitter?
2. Have I got swine flu?
3. Is Lady Gaga a man?
4. Who is Aleksandr Orlov?
5. Is Michael Jackson dead?
6. Where is my nearest Primark?
7. Who is the father of Heather’s baby in EastEnders?
8. What is the Lisbon Treaty?
9. When will the recession end?
10. What is cervical cancer?

Needing a little bit of help to understand what brought on some of these questions? Ask UK provided some insight:

While Lady Gaga’s sexuality is at third on the list of rising questions, at number four is ‘ Who is Aleksandr (corr) Orlov?’ the animated Russian meerkat in TV adverts for an internet comparison website.

His catchphrase “Simples” has become a favourite among TV viewers and led to scores of queries from search engine users, including questions about where he comes from and the voice is behind him.

In fact he is voiced by Simon Greenall, who also starred as Geordie hotel worker Michael in ‘I’m Alan Partridge’.

Note that since this is the UK list, the 10th most asked question about cervical cancer, most likely can be linked to the cause of death for the reality star, Jade Goody, of the UK “Big Brother” edition, who made the “Farewell Searches” Top 10 list in Yahoo’s annual recap.

In support of the theory that at the close of the decade, our search habits are indeed changing at a much faster rate, Nadia Kelly, a spokesperson for Ask Jeeves, added:

“Last year we looked at our top questions on Ask Jeeves and found that the identity of the Stig from Top Gear was on everyone’s minds. This year, we have had a wide variety of unusual searches from Lady Gaga’s gender to TV meerkat to swine flu symptoms. It proves that more people than ever are turning to internet search engines for answers to not only everyday things, but weird and wacky subjects too.The internet has become the virtual text book of choice for millions with its ability to give quick and accurate answers to even the most bizarre questions.”

The full recap for Ask.com’s most popular questions of 2009, can be found here.

Back to: This Is It: The Most Popular Searches of 2009 >>

Don’t have the time to scan them all? Here are the highlights of the most popular searches on Yahoo! in 2009:

Top 10 Overall Searches

1. Michael Jackson
2. Twilight
3. WWE
4. Megan Fox
5. Britney Spears
6. Naruto
7. American Idol
8. Kim Kardashian
9. NASCAR
10. Runescape

Top 10 Celebrity Farewell Searches

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

Top 10 Sudden Fame Searches

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

Top Finance Searches

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

“Market Darlings” Related Searches

1. Facebook
2. Twitter
3. Hulu
4. Bing
5. iPhone
6. LinkedIn
7. Dollar Stores
8. Palm Pre
9. Rosetta Stone
10. Kindle

Top Yahoo! Mobile Searches

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 Obama Searches

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
10. Obama Dramas

Among the other must-read lists: Top Travel Destination Searches 2009, Top Viral Videos of 2009, and the Best Bloggers of 2009.

*Michael Jackson highlighted for effect, as he crossed over several categories.

Back to: This Is It: The Most Popular Searches of 2009 >>

Marissa Mayer, Glamour Magazine Woman of the Year

Marissa Mayer is profiled as a “visionary” in the magazine’s annual spread of influential women and newsmakers from 2009. CEO Eric Schmidt is quoted in the article as saying: “It’s pretty hard to overstate her impact…She built the team that designs the products we all use.”

This morning on the Today Show (video), she found herself in good company on the couch among other listmakers Serena Williams and Maya Angelou, and First Lady Michelle Obama earned a special recognition within the list.

In Kayak Trends, you can get a snapshot of most popular destinations and search demand for them by day, week, month or year, as well as see a shift in seasonal trends by looking at the biggest upward and downward trends at a glance, or by Top 50 destinations.

Download and dissect data by destination

All of the trend data can be exported to CSV with average price data and demand averages, and one of the more interesting features of the Kayak Travel Index is the ability to look deeper into the search behavior surrounding target destinations. By putting in any airport code or city name and looking at 3 months, 6 months and 1 year trends in search demand for that location, it becomes  a useful baseline tool for a travel search marketer. You can get an at-a-glance overview of search origin data (useful for better geo-targeting in paid search ads and conversion factors), the most searched hotels in the destination, and the most popular hotel selections. Kayak says better labeling is coming next week.

Using a 3-box format for search queries, Goby’s intention is to help guide the user through task-centric discovery to answer queries relevant to “things to do nearby”, whether that location is a vacation destination or your local city area.

Throughout its (private) beta phase, Goby.com identified up to 250 categories of content surrounding popular themes and search queries that fall into these three categories of understood concepts. In addition to queries on things to do, outdoor recreation and activities, dining, entertainment, live music, museums, historic sites are top suggestions, as well as more travel specific concepts, such as hotels and lodging topics.

Currently using about 500 pre-qualified, authoritative data sources (or “deep web” databases) or known local sources such as Yelp.com, Goby contextualizes and organizes these results in a clean format, using Google Maps and images (also from Flickr) to enhance results.

Interestingly, Goby appears to cover a broad range of (and even some obscure) locations across the USA, as opposed to a beta launch with limited destinations. If you live in a large city like San Francisco, you can browse for things to do on a foggy day, or if are looking for a weekend getaway in a small coastal town for a food and wine festival, you might give Goby a try. Although some users may initially be disappointed to see a limited number of results to any query (very few test searches return more than 100 listings), it may not matter if the first ten to twenty are the most relevant and useful results.  An iPhone app is currently in development.

Bing Instant Answer

For now, you’ll see the quick details including links to information about host Neil Patrick Harris (provided by MSN Movies) and the nominees (provided by MSN TV), along with photos and videos, and recaps from the 2008 Emmy Awards. Following the broadcast, Bing will update the Instant Answer for quick and easy access to winners, photos and videos from this year’s event. Might we see a run of Bing commercials and promo slots during the televised event?

Bing is also asking users what other “Instant Answers” they would like to see in the future.

Comparatively, here’s how the same searches look on Yahoo! and Google:

Yahoo Emmy Awards Searches

Google Emmy Awards Search

chart courtesy of Hitwise

Overall, Hitwise reports that visits to Bing Shopping have increased 169% since the week ending June 6th (the week of the official Bing Shopping launch) – Bing confirms an 3x increase in visits from internal data during the same timeframe.

Also in that same timeframe, Yahoo! Shopping, Bizrate and Shopzilla, currently the top 3 shopping comparision engines, each saw a drop of 2-5% in market share. Meanwhile, the only other shopping search engines in the top 10 to experience an increase were NexTag and Pronto.

Bing.com was responsible for sending 18.32% of visits, of those, 66.81% were new visitors (had not visited in last 30 days) and traffic from MSN accounted for another 11.34% of visits. Of last week’s visits to Bing Shopping, Google sent 5.86% and Yahoo! Search sent another 3.54% – an interesting number to watch change in the coming months as the integration of Bing and Yahoo moves forward.

For additional numbers and data on upstream / downstream traffic related to Bing Shopping, read Heather Dougherty’s post at Hitwise.

Alan Rimm-Kaufman was just 41 years young, and is survived by his wife, Sara, and two young children, Sam and Davida. A moving tribute to his life can be found on Legacy.com.

Alan was a valued contributor to Search Engine Land – his articles on paid search marketing and other search issues can be found here.

Co-founder and CEO George Michie, provided us with these thoughts about Alan Rimm-Kaufman:

We are deeply saddened by this loss. Alan was a man of integrity, intelligence, and humility, which he combined with nearly boundless energy and a joy of life few can match. We will miss his exuberance and his tremendous generosity of spirit.

The Rimm-Kaufman Group remains a strong and vibrant company. We remain committed to providing both thought-leadership in the industry and peerless results for our clients. Like any good leader, Alan built this team to be stronger than any individual member. Our growth and continuing success during his 16-month absence is a tribute not only to his vision, but also to our well-established shared vision for the company.

The family has requested in lieu of flowers, that donations be made to the Alan Rimm-Kaufman Legacy Fund, CBI Preschool, 501 East Jefferson Street, Charlottesville, VA 22902. In addition, they ask that individuals consider joining the bone marrow registry at www.marrow.org.

Since the spring of 2008, George Michie has been the acting CEO of the Rimm-Kaufman Group, and will continue to lead the company and its veteran leadership team. There are no plans to change the company name.

The entire SEL staff is terribly shocked and saddened by the news, and our thoughts are with his family and his colleagues at Rimm-Kaufman Group.