Written by:
2009/01/19 08:09 PM 

As we look back on 2008 and ponder on the things we have done or could have done. We look at whether we could have done some things better or differently. Hind sight is always a perfect science. Knowing the end result before hand is always a perfect positions to be in. Even if it is wishful thinking.

Google has brought the world of search and research to our homes and made it easier to find things in the great galaxy of the WWW. But search engines, and their algorithms for ranking web sites and search engine result page positioning is somewhat of a challenge for many SEO professionals and website developers. Finding the best search term can be somewhat elusive.

However we can glean from our past. Looking at statistics is always a help in trying to guess what the future holds. Google's Year-End  Zeitgeist for 2008 might just be one of those tools that webmasters and SEO professionals might lool to for help. Google looks at emerging trends that captivated us in 2008. They study the aggregation of the billions of search queries that people type into the Google search box. It is interesting to note the results.

Fastest Rising (Global)

1. sarah palin
2. beijing 2008
3. facebook login
4. tuenti
5. heath ledger
6. obama
7. nasza klasa
8. wer kennt wen
9. euro 2008
10. jonas brothers

For south Africa:

Fastest Rising

1. gumtree
2. facebook
3. lotto
4. eskom
5. you tube
6. beeld
7. news 24
8. yahoo mail
9. chuck norris
10. beijing olympics

Most Popular

1. facebook
2. cape times
3. games
4. map
5. yahoo
6. news
7. jobs
8. google
9. gmail
10. pictures

Top Politicians

1. jacob zuma
2. thabo mbeki
3. trevor manuel
4. julius malema
5. kgalema motlanthe
6. helen zille
7. fikile mbalula
8. terror lekota
9. mbhazima shilowa
10. mongosuthu buthelezi

Top Newsworthy

1. load shedding
2. fifa 2010 world cup
3. beijing olympics
4. barack obama
5. global warming
6. euro 2008
7. xenophobia
8. adt (home and office security service)
9. zimbabwe election
10. cope (congress of the people
political party)

Top Sports Teams

1. the sharks
2. kaizer chiefs
3. the lions
4. mamelodi sundowns
5. bafana bafana
6. orlando pirates
7. stormers
8. the springboks
9. cheetahs
10. proteas

Top Local Celebs

1. dj sbu
2. dj fresh
3. dj cleo
4. kelly khumalo
5. danny k
6. ryk neethling
7. khanyi mbau
8. connie ferguson
9. gareth cliff
10. loyiso bala

Knowing this should kinda help you figure out what would bring the most traffic via Google to your site. keeping in mind that there are thousands of sites out there for each term. The ability to find the correct term with the highest search and the lowest competive values is a mission in and of itself. Never the less the results are indeed interesting. So if you can somehow  blend these terms with your own content, and in such a way that it makes perfect and complete sense, then I am sure you will see a rise in traffic.

Happy searching for 2009.

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