Popular social media site Facebook was the most searched for word on the Internet during 2011 for the third year running, according to a new research.
The social networking website topped the search charts in the US, accounting for over three per cent of all searches, which was a 46 per cent rise on the year, the Daily Telegraph online reported.
Online measurement company, Experian Hitwise, compiled the data, which also showed that four variations of the term Facebook were among the top 10 searched for words in the US on the web during 2011.
Among the top 10 terms, YouTube moved up from the third spot in 2010 to the second spot in 2011.
Analysis of the search terms revealed that social networking-related terms dominated the results, accounting for 4.18 per cent of the top 50 searches. This was an increase of 12 per cent compared with 2010. Facebook was the most visited website for the second year and accounted for 10.29 per cent of all US visits between January and November 2011 — a 15 per cent increase from 2010.
Google.com ranked second, with 7.70 per cent of visits which was a 7 per cent annual increase, followed by YouTube (3.17 per cent).
“Navigational searches dominated the top search results as users typed in terms versus typing in the URL in the browser bar,” said Simon Bradstock, general manager of Experian Hitwise. He added: “Hitwise saw 11 per cent growth of single- word searches in 2011 as terms like ‘face’ and ‘you’ made the top 50 searches. Other top 2011 searches reflect ongoing fascination with celebrities online, and many of the top fast-moving searches centred on natural disasters or notable personalities passing away.”