We know that bloggers love them, that readers skim them, and that social tagging sites promote them, but which “Top 10″ lists does the public really want to see? Which “Top 10’s” are people looking for the most when using search engines?

Just for fun, recent research by Epiar looked into these questions, hoping to settle the matter once and for all (and to provide blog-post ideas for creatively-challenged writers!)

The Web’s Top Ten Top 10’s: (try saying that 10 times quickly…)

1. Top ten baby names
2. Top ten girls names
3. Top 10
4. Top ten
5. Top 10 songs
6. Top ten search engines
7. Top 10 celebrity websites
8. Top ten songs
9. Top ten wedding songs
10. Top 10 pop songs

…and following close behind:

11. Top 10 baby names
12. Top 10 travel destinations
13. Top ten lists
14. Top 10 cult movies
15. Top 10 movies
16. Top 10 home based business
17. Top 10 rap songs
18. Top 10 franchises
19. Top 10 home based businesses
20. Top 10 antivirus software products
21. Top ten movies
22. Top 10 digital cameras
23. Top ten baby names uk
24. Top 10 xbox games
25. Top ten travel destinations
26. Top 10 horror movies
27. Top 10 lists
28. Top 10 search engines
29. Top ten boys names
30. Top 10 best used cars

Numbers 3 and 4 raise an interesting question: Top Ten/10 what?

If I was in the travel business, guess what new weekly feature I’d include on my home page? (# 12 or 25)

Composition of the “Top 10″ Long Tail

Taking a closer look at over 6000 phrases included in this study, certain words and themes appeared quite prominently in the long tail of public search demand. Although I was surprised to find the dominance of searches for baby girl and boy names, more predictable pop-culture topics also figured heavily in “Top 10″ searches:

For a full list of the searches included in this study, check out the complete Top 6000 “Top 10″ Lists.

While research like this may be more entertaining than practical (unless anyone feels like writing 6000 new blog posts?), it sure is fun to see what people are looking for!

Epiar Inc. is an Edmonton-based internet market research and search engine optimization company. Please contact us for more information or to commission your own research reports.

With several recent victories on the PGA tour, Tiger Woods is unquestionably at the top his game. Reflecting this on-course excellence, how do internet searches for Woods reflect his lofty accomplishments and popular persona? Which topics rise to the top of the public’s mind when searching for Woods online?

Seeking to answer these questions, a recent study by Epiar Inc. set out to explore and analyze the online search activity surrounding the world’s #1 ranked golfer. Are people looking for pictures, galleries, or movies? How about caps, t-shirts, or golf clubs? Or perhaps details pertaining to his personal life, history, or golfing statistics?

Analyzing the top 1000 phrases relating to Tiger Woods in online search, the following concepts came to the top of the list:

Click here for a full report of Tiger Woods related searches.

Perhaps not surprisingly, searches relating to specific golf events and terms appeared within the top searches. However, the dominance of the Tiger Woods Golf Video Game over Tiger’s real life golf activities (an estimated 277,000 annual searches for the video game vs. 166,000 for “real” golf terms) was surprising. Well done, EA Sports!

Searches surrounding Tiger’s personal life, particularly relating to his wife and late father, were also surprising. With an estimated 464,000 annual searches relating to Tiger’s family and biography, the public’s thirst for personal information overshadows even the number of public searches (76,000) for Tiger-related merchandise.

Searches for online resources such as pictures, biographies, and wallpaper were also strong. Are Nike and Woods’ management team capitalizing on all of these searcher-initiated business opportunities?

One noteworthy feature of the searches featured in this study was the overwhelmingly positive tone of the public. Having stayed clear of personal controversy and having maintained a good relationship with golf fans, searches for negative rumours, smut, or malice were noticeably absent from this record of popular consciousness. Tiger’s personal brand could hardly be cleaner.

As one of the most dominant and likable golfers to hit the tour in decades, healthy levels of online public interest (a new phenomenon in the history of professional sports and personal marketing) are hardly surprising. Still, quite the online fever surrounding a guy who plays golf for a living!

Epiar Inc. is an Edmonton-based internet market research and search engine optimization company. Please contact us for more information or to commission your own research reports.

While search frequency research on macroscopic topics such as Canada or plastics can be surprising and impressive, search research provides an equally curious experience when examining the most narrowly focused of topics.

Personally, I rarely spend time thinking about my car’s engine valves. In fact, I typically don’t think about any of the mechanical parts my car unless I really need to; unless there’s something wrong.

After encountering several search phrases about engine valves during a recent Oil & Gas sector project, I sought to explore the following questions: “What kind of car trouble might people be inadvertently reporting to search engines by looking for specific auto repair information? Do any trends appear within these searches, perhaps relating to specific brands or models of cars? If so, what does that mean?”

In the spirit of microscopics, I decided to take closer look at searches relating to EGR and PCV valves (really little car parts that can cause big headaches), as well as valve searches according to the major automakers. The following brands appeared the most frequently in these internet searches:

Click here for a full version of this auto valve report.

Search’s Impact on Consumer Behaviour

As a consumer recently introduced to the existence of this public record of implied car trouble with specific car parts, how might this type of knowledge affect your future purchase patterns? Suppose you were looking for a used Ford Explorer or Ranger – wouldn’t you have some new questions for your mechanic? Or perhaps if you were considering a 1996-1999 vehicle – might there be certain models you’d avoid?

Imagine if you had search data for the remaining 1000 car parts!

In fairness, additional factors need to be considered before jumping to conclusions with this type of information (such as differences in sales volume, possible recreational search by valve enthusiasts, etc.), but the principle is still interesting. In fact, search trends have matched the real-life car experiences of friends and family in several cases.

You can bet I’ll be doing some serious search query research before my next major purchase!

Epiar Inc. is an Edmonton-based internet market research and search engine optimization company. Please contact us for more information or to commission your own research reports.

Ever walked through an electronics store and wondered which types of televisions are in the highest demand? Internet-based TV searches have a lot to say about the matter.

A recent study by Epiar set out to explore the nature of demand for TVs, expressed through Internet searches made on popular search engines. Despite the proliferation of new TV technologies, varying sizes, and new manufacturers, the results obtained show noticeable trends of the hottest markets and which companies are generating the largest share of interested customers.

Consult the full version of this TV market research report for more information.

Taking a Closer Look

Digging into this information a little deeper, plasma, LCD, and projection TVs showed up as the most popular technologies. A full breakdown of demand for televisions by type can be found in this TV technologies report.

Similarly, the following research report indicates the demand for televisions according to the size of screens, with 50 inch and 27 inch TVs in the highest demand.

Streaming TV Demand: Korean Manufacturers #1

In a study of the leading international electronics brands, Korean television manufacturers Samsung and LG appeared as the top-2 most highly searched TV makers. The prominence of these and other Asian-made TVs over American or European brands becomes clear when looking at the following list:

A fuller version of this chart, detailing the specific phrases that people are searching in connection with these brands, can be found in this full TV brand report.

Epiar Inc. is an Edmonton-based internet market research and search engine optimization company. Please contact us for more information or to commission your own research reports.

A recent study into internet searches for Canada’s booming real estate market has identified several areas where demand is extremely high. By analyzing the phrases entered into search engines by people searching for homes in Canada, several cities and provinces emerged as leaders in the Canadian marketplace.

The disproportionately high search frequency for Nova Scotia real estate, according to population, is intriguing. The message about this province’s beautiful landscapes and relaxed way of life must be attracting buyers!

Searches for homes and property in Calgary and Alberta were also high, possibly reflecting one of the many side effects of Alberta’s hot provincial economy? Note the prominence of these areas over more the densely populated cities and provinces of Eastern and central Canada.

The types of property being sought by internet searchers was also of note. Of the estimated 8,609,620 annual searches considered in this study, 847,165 were for houses, 635,165 for lots and properties, 275,575 for condos, and 181,405 for farms and acreages.

For more results on internet search demand for Canadian real estate (based on internet searches from April to July 2006), consult this free research report.

Epiar Inc. is an Edmonton-based internet market research and search engine optimization company. Please contact us for more information or to commission your own research reports.