Facebook was the top-searched term overall in 2010—as it was in 2009—accounting for 2.11% of all searches, according to an Experian Hitwise analysis of the top 1,000 search terms for 2010.
Moreover, Facebook was the top-visited website (for the first time) in 2010, accounting for 8.93% of all US visits, Experian found.
Below, additional findings and analysis issued by Experian Hitwise.
Four variations of the term "facebook" were among the top 10 terms and accounted for 3.48% of searches overall.
The term "facebook login" moved up from the 9th spot in 2009 to the second spot in 2010. YouTube was the third most-searched term in 2010, followed by craigslist, myspace, and facebook.com.
Analysis of the search terms revealed that social networking-related terms dominated the results, accounting for 4.18% of the top 50 searches.
When combined, common search terms for Facebook—e.g., facebook and facebook.com—accounted for 3.48% of all searches in the US among the top 50 terms, or a 207% increase vs. 2009.
YouTube terms accounted for 1.12%, or a 106% increase vs. 2009. Aol search terms accounted for 0.34% of searches in 2010, but grew 22% vs. 2009. Google terms accounted for 0.63%, and Craigslist terms accounted for 0.62%.
New terms that entered into the top 50 search terms for 2010 included netflix, verizon wireless, espn, chase, pogo, tagged, wells fargo, yellow pages, poptropica, games, and hulu.
Top-Visited Websites in 2010
Facebook was the top-visited website (for the first time) with 8.93% of all US visits between January and November 2010. Google.com ranked second with 7.19% of visits, followed by Yahoo Mail (3.52%), Yahoo (3.30%), and YouTube (2.65%).
The combination of Google properties accounted for 9.85% of all US visits. Facebook properties accounted for 8.93%, and Yahoo properties accounted for 8.12%.
The top 10 websites accounted for 33% of all US visits between January and November 2010, an increase of 12% vs. 2009.
Top Searches in Various Categories
Personality
- Kim Kardashian
- Oprah
- Rush Limbaugh
- Miley Cyrus
- Glenn Beck
Movie Title
- Star Wars
- Paranormal Activity 2
- Avatar
- Transformers 3
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallow
Music
- Lady Gaga
- Justin Beiber
- Eminem
- Taylor Swift
- Michael Jackson
Branded Destinations
- Disney World
- Disneyland
- Six Flags
- Universal Studios Orlando
- Great Wolf Lodge
Top TV show searches
- Dancing with the Stars
- American Idol
- Young and the Restless
The top generic search term was "hulu" within the Television category.
Sports: The top searched for athlete was Tiger Woods and the top sports team was the Dallas Cowboys from within the Sports category.
News and Media: The top searched-for person was Bret Michaels followed by Tiger Woods and Sandra Bullock within the News and Media category in 2010.
Employment: Indeed accounted for 2.47% of all searches in the US among the top 50 terms for the Employment category in 2010 when combining common search terms—e.g., indeed and indeed.com.
About the data: The cited data is from Experian Hitwise, featuring the top search terms and websites for 2010, based on Jan-Nov data.
