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Yahoo's Top 10 Mobile Searches for 2008: Local Info and Social Networking

Written by Frederic Lardinois / December 1, 2008 10:44 AM / 4 Comments

yahoo_logo_purple_nov08.pngYahoo just announced the top 10 search terms on its mobile search engine. The top mobile searches are either for social networks (MySpace, Facebook), or searches for local information (Craigslist, movies, weather). A lot of of mobile searchers were also looking for auctions on eBay. The top 10 is rounded out by searches for more time sensitive topics like the Olympics, AIG, and The Dark Knight. The only celebrity to appear in Yahoo's top 10 mobile searches is Kim Kardashian.

Interestingly, not a single one of the top mobile search terms appears on Yahoo's top 10 list of searches on its regular search engine.

Here are both top 10 lists in order:

      Mobile Searches Regular Searches
    1 MySpace Britney Spears
    2 Facebook WWE
    3 Craigslist Barack Obama
    4 Movies Miley Cyrus
    5 Weather RuneScape
    6 Olympics Jessica Alba
    7 The Dark Knight Naruto
    8 Kim Kardashian Lindsay Lohan
    9 eBay Angeline Jolie
    10 AIG American Idol

There are no real surprises here, but these results definitely stress the difference between what mobile users are looking for when they do searches compared to regular Internet users.

Getting to relevant information quickly is definitely the most important aspect of mobile search for mobile Internet users, who don't seem to be very interested in browsing the web for the sake of it. Hence, mobile users are obviously more interested in local and timely information like movie showtimes and weather than female celebrities. Social networks, which give users a quick dose of updates from friends, also fit in well with this style of Internet use.

Mobile users also seem to rely on search as a substitute for bookmarks more than regular Internet users.

Strangely, none of the top mobile search terms were related to the recent U.S. elections.



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  1. Excellent, timely information...

    Is there also an article on Yahoo's TOP regular online Searches ??

    ~Patricia Kaehler
    DomainBELL.com


    Posted by: Patricia Kaehler (DomainBELL) | December 1, 2008 12:20 PM



  2. I enjoy reading this blog as to educate the webmaster to learn and growth their business in downturn economic

    Posted by: Ari Lestariono | December 1, 2008 3:14 PM



  3. How does anything porn/gambling related not make the list? I'm sure they sanitise the results, but if those omitted terms make up 80%+ of the real figures then we should know about it.

    Posted by: FatTony | December 2, 2008 3:22 AM



  4. I've played a bit with Yahoo's mobile oneSearch, and it's not bad.
    I think the iPhone's not included because it doesn't use the MEdia Net as a portal.

    Posted by: Share the (photographic) wealth! Now you can share your orkut photos with whoever you want | December 2, 2008 5:34 AM



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