The year’s end marks a time to reflect on events over the past 12 months. Several search engines compiled the top searches in several categories for 2008, offering a glimpse into what was top of mind for searchers. Recaps from Google Zeitgeist; Yahoo Buzz; AOL’s hot searches; top search terms at Ask.com; and Lycos highlight the trends that came and went over the course of the year.
| Top Google Searches, 2008 |
| Fastest Rising (Global) |
Fastest Rising (U.S.) |
| 1 |
sarah palin |
1 |
obama |
| 2 |
bejing 2008 |
2 |
facebook |
| 3 |
facebook login |
3 |
att |
| 4 |
tuenti |
4 |
iphone |
| 5 |
heath ledger |
5 |
youtube |
| 6 |
obama |
6 |
fox news |
| 7 |
nasza klasa |
7 |
palin |
| 8 |
wer kennt wen |
8 |
beijing 2008 |
| 9 |
euro 2008 |
9 |
david cook |
| 10 |
jonas brothers |
10 |
surf the channel |
| Top of Mind: It’s the Economy |
Politics: Campaign Buzzwords |
| 1 |
financial crisis |
1 |
joe the plumber |
| 2 |
depression |
2 |
jeremiah wright |
| 3 |
bailout |
3 |
maverick |
| 4 |
mortgage crisis |
4 |
william ayers |
| 5 |
wall street |
5 |
bridge to nowhere |
| 6 |
oil |
6 |
lipstick pig |
| 7 |
stock market |
7 |
yes we can |
| 8 |
subprime |
8 |
that one |
| 9 |
credit crisis |
9 |
rashid khalidi |
| 10 |
housing crisis |
10 |
hockey mom |
| Source: Google, 2008 |
| Top Yahoo Searches, 2008 |
| Top 10 Overall Searches |
Top 10 Economic Searches |
| 1 |
Britney Spears |
1 |
IRS Stimulus Checks |
| 2 |
WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) |
2 |
Oil Prices |
| 3 |
Barak Obama |
3 |
Gold Prices |
| 4 |
Miley Cyrus |
4 |
Gas Prices |
| 5 |
RuneScape |
5 |
Dow Jones |
| 6 |
Jessica Alba |
6 |
Sallie Mae |
| 7 |
Naruto |
7 |
Stock Market |
| 8 |
Lindsay Lohan |
8 |
AIG |
| 9 |
Angelina Jolie |
9 |
Foreclosures |
| 10 |
American Idol |
10 |
Debt Consolidation |
| Top 10 Politician Searches |
Top 10 Searched Influential Women |
| 1 |
Barack Obama |
1 |
Angelina Jolie |
| 2 |
Sarah Palin |
2 |
Sarah Palin |
| 3 |
John McCain |
3 |
Oprah |
| 4 |
Hillary Clinton |
4 |
Hillary Clinton |
| 5 |
George Bush |
5 |
Gina Carano |
| 6 |
Ron Paul |
6 |
Tina Fey |
| 7 |
John Edwards |
7 |
Michelle Obama |
| 8 |
Mike Huckabee |
8 |
Katie Couric |
| 9 |
Arnold Schwarzenegger |
9 |
Barbara Walters |
| 10 |
Mitt Romney |
10 |
Dana Torres |
| Source: Yahoo, 2008 |
| Top AOL Searches, 2008 |
| Top 10 Financial Faux Pas |
Top 10 General Searches |
| 1 |
Wachovia |
1 |
Dictionary |
| 2 |
Washington Mutual |
2 |
Weather |
| 3 |
Merrill Lynch |
3 |
Games |
| 4 |
AIG |
4 |
Maps |
| 5 |
Morgan Stanley |
5 |
Lyrics |
| 6 |
Lehman Brothers |
6 |
University |
| 7 |
Freddie Mac |
7 |
Movies |
| 8 |
Bear Stearns |
8 |
Calendar |
| 9 |
Fannie Mae |
9 |
Zip Codes |
| 10 |
Goldman Sachs |
10 |
Horoscopes |
| Top 10 Mobile Searches |
Top 10 Brands |
| 1 |
MySpace |
1 |
Apple |
| 2 |
AIM |
2 |
Coach |
| 3 |
iPhone |
3 |
Dell |
| 4 |
MocoSpace |
4 |
Sony |
| 5 |
Facebook |
5 |
Nike |
| 6 |
Craigslist |
6 |
Avon |
| 7 |
Weather |
7 |
Ed Hardy |
| 8 |
Free Ringtones |
8 |
Louis Vuitton |
| 9 |
MapQuest |
9 |
Samsung |
| 10 |
Match.com |
10 |
HP |
Note: Mobile searches are from AOL Mobile Search.
Source: AOL, 2008 |
| Top Lycos Searches, 2008 |
| Top 10 Search Terms |
Top 10 News Stories |
| 1 |
Poker |
1 |
Economic Collapse/Bailout |
| 2 |
Paris Hilton |
2 |
Presidential Election ’08 |
| 3 |
YouTube |
3 |
Death of Heath Ledger |
| 4 |
Golf |
4 |
Clay Aiken Comes Out/Becomes Dad |
| 5 |
Sarah Palin |
5 |
Death of Paul Newman |
| 6 |
Britney Spears |
6 |
Jennifer Hudson Family Murder |
| 7 |
Clay Aiken |
7 |
Eliot Spitzer Scandal |
| 8 |
Pamela Anderson |
8 |
Travis Barker Plane Crash |
| 9 |
Facebook |
9 |
Sichuan Earthquake |
| 10 |
Holly Madison |
10 |
War in Iraq |
| Top 10 Fads |
Top Three Blog Sites |
| 1 |
Poker |
1 |
Perez Hilton |
| 2 |
YouTube |
2 |
Drudge Report |
| 3 |
Facebook |
3 |
Huffington Post |
| 4 |
DIY Home Improvement |
|
|
| 5 |
Digital TV |
|
|
| 6 |
Weight Watchers |
|
|
| 7 |
Craigslist |
|
|
| 8 |
RuneScape |
|
|
| 9 |
Webkinz |
|
|
| 10 |
The Sims |
|
|
| Source: Lycos, 2008 |
