Presumably, everyone reading this post can understand the English language; at least, for the most part. While most of the words used in common situations are understood by the majority of people, several words and topics also exist that leave people secretly thinking, “What on Earth does _____ mean?” In fact, many conversations include technical terminology, references to pop culture, academic jargon, partially understood terms, or other lexicographically disestablishmentarianistic words not known to everyone around the circle. But how do people look up the meanings of these words later on, and which definitions are sought the most often online?

Recent research by Epiar explored these topics, seeking to answer the following salient questions: For which words do people most commonly turn to the internet for definitions? What trends emerge when examining this group of words? What insight can be gained by knowing which words people most commonly search?

Of the top 9000 phrases entered into search engines which include the word “define” or “definition”, the following words appeared the most frequently:

Please click here for a complete list of the top 9000 definitions people searched for as measured in this study.

Adding Definition to the Definitions

Overall, the top 10 relevant phrases which searched for a definition were:

• first name definitions (searched an estimated 772 times per day)
• word definitions (518)
• definition of technology (496)
• definition of software (482)
• medical definitions (454)
• definition of culture (426)
• blog definition (416)
• definition of science (410)
• legal definitions (408)
• definition of communication (404)

Computer technology searches were quite prominent throughout the study, including:

• domain name server definition (334)
• definition of html (286; an appropriate number, wouldn’t you say?)
• definition of operating system (232)
• definition of cache (230)
• definition of application software (208)
• definition of windows xp (186)

Similarly, searches relating to business and money represented a large portion of searcher curiousity:

• define money market account (268)
• definition of public relations (226)
• definition of management (220)
• definition of marketing (220)
• financial definitions (184)
• definition of investment (164)

Searches relating to physical health were also high:

• definition of physical education (236)
• definition of sport (220)
• define aerobic activity (198)
• definition of obesity (166)
• definition of physical fitness (160)
• definition of holistic (142)

Fun searches also emerged, such as:

• definition of recreation (362)
• definition of love (262)
• definition of play (258)
• a definition of entertainment (248)
• definition of leisure (232)
• definition of art (214)

Surprisingly, searches for obscure academic terminology were relatively low. Clearly, the existence of big words with complex meanings doesn’t mean that mass culture wants to know about them! Still, I was excited to see 84 searches a day for “definition of rhetoric” – 84 curious minds a day intimating hope for contemporary culture’s acute adult trivium and quadrivium deficiency!

Connecting the Dots – From 1’s and 0’s to a More Clearly Defined Meaning:

New lists of digitally gathered words and topics like these seem to spark the question: What does all this information mean? From the standpoint of cultural anthropology, how does the availability of information that details zones of linguistic uncertainty and human curiousity impact a thorough analysis of contemporary culture? In what ways can this information all be applied? Perhaps most importantly: who, aside from a handful of leading-edge businesses, is actually currently taking advantage of this new social data, and to what end?

In the age of the “Shift-F7” thesaurus, the decentralization of informational authority and pop culture, the rise of the 30-second attention span, globalization’s linguistic Darwinism, and the accelerated proliferation of new gadgetry, how will the English speaking world maintain its hold on understanding its own language over time? Are hermeneutic homogeneity and lists of common words that multitudes misunderstand set to expand or diminish into the future? What impact will these changes have on educational systems or other organizations concerned with promoting the public good?

Just one of the many non-technical areas of inquiry being stretched by new information which springs from the digital revolution…

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.

Good health is a luxury that many take for granted, a point reinforced when exploring the overwhelming number of phrases entered into search engines surrounding medical problems and conditions.

Recent research by Epiar Inc. uncovered an astounding volume of searches seeking information and resources relating to human health problems. The analysis of this information provides unique and unprecedented insight into our culture’s most prevalent medical concerns, questions, fears, and ailments.

The following chart highlights the top-searched medical problems according to online search:

Click here to view the full listing of all 45,477 phrases considered in this study. Or, for a more focused report, consider these 10,750 relevant phrases.

Taking a Closer Look

Search statistic reports for viruses, diseases, disorders, and syndromes read like shopping lists of the various conditions known by our society, while searches for strokes and seizures center more closely on the personal responses of people faced with these conditions.

Interestingly, less serious medical issues also appear prominently within internet search – issues impossible to fully measure using conventional hospital or clinic-based patient statistics. Problems such as fevers, inflammations, spasms, and infections, which may be treated at home (in minor cases) using rest and a little information from the internet, clearly appear within the public’s mind. I sure am glad I’ve never encountered esophageal spasms before!

Curiously, marked differences appeared in searches for sicknesses and illnesses. I had always thought of these words as referring to the same thing, but search frequency statistics disagree.

Cultural anthropologists studying the topic of taboo in today’s society should find the analysis of people’s search behaviour surrounding excretory organ problems (7,515,350 estimated annual searches) and sexual organ problems (13,434,555) of interest. Searches surrounding these ‘private’ body parts were comparable to or exceeding searches for other portions of the human body, even the heart (8,008,100). For public health education specialists, how does the knowledge that people are turning to the internet for information surrounding ‘private’ health concerns (instead of speaking to friends, relatives, or a medical professional about these embarrassing / taboo issues) affect educational strategies for effectively communicating important information to the people who really need it?

Within the myriad of dis-ease centered searches, hopes for a cure were also present. I hope the searchers find what they are looking for.

Cancer Searches Very High

Not surprisingly, cancer appeared as one of the most prominent topics the public’s mind. Taking a closer look at the public’s search surrounding cancer, people seem to be the most interested in learning more about cancer symptoms and signs (perhaps in self-diagnostic activities?) as well as cancer treatments.

Interestingly, searches for symptoms and signs of any ailments also centered on cancer. Fear of cancer is clearly near the top of the public’s mind when it comes to health.

Oddly, people are also searching for pictures of various ailments, including skin cancer, toungue cancer, and scarlet fever. This information could be valuable to webmasters at public medical information sites.

Applying the Information

Aside from the sociological intrigue of all this health-related data, imagine how much a pharmaceutical company selling pain relievers could benefit from using charts like these, or perhaps a government department figuring out how to improve health care. Hopefully, following my ice hockey season-opener this Monday night, I won’t be searching for lower-body ailment information myself!

If searches like these aren’t enough to rejuvenate your personal cardiovascular programs, detoxification routines, de-stressing relaxation time, and your vegetable intake, perhaps you should revise your medical insurance plan already!

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.

Much could be said about the bewildering state of affairs in Iraq, but what do search statistics have to contribute to the pundits’ discussion? Which topics and themes do public interests gravitate toward? Which juicy details are people the most curious about when searching for Iraq online? How do these trends reflect upon the state of our society?

Recent research by Epiar Inc. explored the nature of online search surrounding Iraq and its principle cities. Examining the most popular 7800 search queries that include the words “Iraq”, “Iraqi”, “Baghdad”, or 11 other Iraq cities (using information from Wordtracker, taken from internet searches over the past 90 days), the following topics rose to the top of the public’s mind:

Click here for a full version of this Iraq search statistics report.

Without surprise, words such as “war”, “soldiers”, “military”, and “security” appeared prominently within public search, as did searches for information relating to casualties. Numerous searches for news and informational resources also appeared, with heavy demand for “maps”, “videos”, “news”, “pictures”, and “facts”.

Surprising topics were also present within the search query information. Unexpectedly high levels of search centered around the Iraqi Dinar, possibly performed by currency traders hoping to time a profitable investment in the troubled Iraqi currency? Searches for jobs in Iraq were also high, despite the noteworthy security concerns.

Sadly, searches relating to the ugliest portions of warfare also appeared, with thoughts of beheading, rape, torture, and exploitation on the minds of curious searchers.

Ironically, the supposed “search” for the weapons of mass destruction in Iraq also continues. Have the military strategists who concocted this war in the first place now resorted to scouring .html files?

On a lighter note, searches for a local breed of spiders were also high, with an estimated 147,460 annual searches for variations of the phrase “Iraq camel spiders”. I’d much rather look for exotic sand spiders on the internet than in person too!

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.

Heated and ongoing is the debate about how the rise of the Internet as a significant player in the news and information business would affect the audience of traditional media. Shedding more light on the issue is a recently released study by Edmonton-based Epiar Inc. The study showed that when Internet searchers are looking for a particular local site, the most likely type of site they are looking for are the websites of local newspapers.

The basis of the newspaper study involved mining and processing the search frequencies of the top 3,198 searched phrases representing over 8,000,000 searches containing the word “Edmonton”.

2 word co-occurrences
in searches containing the word Edmonton

Although the exact phrase “Edmonton Journal” was the most searched phrase, the total searches using phrases with “Edmonton Journal” in them, like “Edmonton Journal classifieds” represented far less than 5% of the total searches. On the other hand, in a separate analysis of single word occurrences, Epiar found that real estate related searches, represented by the presence of a variety of words including real, estate, realtors, homes, MLS, etc accounted for almost 10% of the total searches. The second largest commercial category was travel related searches followed by various retail and service-related categories.

Epiar collects and analyses search frequency data to provide market research on the relative demand for various products and services, brand equity studies and search engine optimization and marketing data.