Google may be king, but comScore data shows Bing use is rising among online searchers. With this in mind, search marketers may be interested in Bing’s release of its hottest searches for 2010, and they should plan SEO strategies accordingly.
Consumers love celebs and scandals, according to the most popular searches reported in the Bing Community blog. Tiger Woods and Sandra Bullock, both of whom endured messy divorces, were in the top three searched phrases for the year.
The No. 1 Bing search for 2010 is reality star Kim Kardashian, who made headlines for her breakup with NFL player Reggie Bush, as well as familial mayhem, this year. Marketers in the entertainment, beauty and fashion industries may want to create Kardashian-inspired, industry-relevant content for their sites in light of her search appeal.
News content that is optimized for popular search terms and timely topics may draw traffic to sites and convert readers into customers. Indeed, online shopping seems to be another focus for Bing searchers. The retail store Walmart was one of the top 10 search terms, as was “free” – suggesting consumers are always looking for deals online.
Optimizing sites with Bing in mind is essential for brands. As Brafton recently reported, a study from Chitika shows that nearly half (47 percent) of online publishers are missing out on key traffic because they fail to optimize their sites for Microsoft’s search engine.
