Google & Yahoo Make Dogpile's Top Searches Of 2005 List

The week is ending like it began, with the release of a list of Top Searches of 2005 list. Today, we hear from Dogpile. OK, first the usual stuff before moving on to results I find really interesting. Like we’ve seen on several of the other lists, we learn that people love searching for Paris Hilton. At Dogpile, she’s number 2 on the overall list (after “Music Lyrics” in the top spot). However, she’s first on the Top Celebrities list. Dogpile released a Top 10 list (overall) and lists for Top Celebrities, Best of the Top 50, and Top Offbeat searches.

Forget Paris!
What’s interesting, though not a total shock, is that four of the Top 10 overall search terms on the Dogpile metasearch engine were for other search engines and online services. Google is at number 3, eBay at 4, Yahoo at 5, and MapQuest at 6.

I can largely understand eBay and MapQuest making the list. But Google and Yahoo in the Top 10? Fascinating. Btw, I confirmed this with the pr folks from Dogpile to make sure I was reading the list correctly.

First, we’re seeing users going from one search engine to get to another.

Second, in Dogpile’s case, they already provide results from Google and Yahoo. This really illustrates that lots of searchers don’t understand how search works (at even the most BASIC of level). It also shows that Dogpile users are unaware of what the engine they’re already using the first place provides (results from Google, Yahoo, Ask Jeeves, and MSN). You’ve got to wonder if lists from other engines lists have other search tools edited off of the lists. The Dogpile lists also proves what I’ve said many times before, some of the knowledge that is so very basic to many of us, is still another world (how about universe?) to many people.

Then, when you start thinking about a knowledge of and then the most basic understanding of and about specialty databases, RSS, and so many other things we use daily, it’s clear we have a long way to go in terms of user adoption of some of this stuff. I promised myself I wouldn’t include more on why user training is so valuable. I’ve done that enough this year.

Here’s the Top 10 Overall List:
1. Music Lyrics
2. Paris Hilton
3. Google
4. eBay
5. Yahoo
6. Mapquest
7. Games Cheat
8. Games
9. Dogs
10. Top 100 Baby Names

Here’s a review of the other Top Search lists that were released this week:
+ Yahoo{
+ A9
+ AOL
+ Lycos