A digital marketing agency has researched the top 50 keywords searched for by internet users in 2022 and the top two couldn't be more different. Embryo said that adult content sites, news platforms, marketplaces and online services came out on top.
BBC News came out on top, closely followed by Pornhub, said the agency. It said it spotted some significant changes in user behaviour for top sites including BBC, Pornhub, Netflix and Rightmove based on what these companies are doing to incentivise - or turn people off - from engaging with their sites.
BBC News ranked as the number one platform for all internet users this year. The site saw an average of more than 61 million monthly visitors (61,201,613) - increasing 23% from this time last year when search traffic was under 50 million monthly searches (49,628,099).
Content and marketing executive at Embryo, Charlie Meyler, said: “More internet users are interested in keeping up with current events than ever before. Other news platforms featured in the top 50 searched for keywords included Daily Mail, Sky News and The Sun - but BBC was the most popular site for new seekers due to the range of online services that the broadcaster provides.
"BBC weather, BBC sports and the general term ‘BBC’ all featured in the top searched for keywords this year, indicating that the BBC is also a trusted and popular provider for its news services”.
Pornhub came in at a close second, with 55 million searches each month - this search volume has increased by 50% in the last 10 months alone, Embryo said. The adult content site, which uploads six million videos per year, saw peaks in traffic during the worldwide lockdown when the site made some of its premium content free for all visitors to encourage people to stay at home.
Embryo said: “Pornhub has continued to impact user behaviour as they have kept this up over different periods as an incentive to drive traffic to their site. Porn remains a guilty pleasure with internet users - other adult content related searches that proved popular choices were the general term ‘porn’, xnxx, xhamster and fabswingers."
Also included in the top searches this year were Youtube, which came in at number three with 43.5 million searches, Facebook, at number four with 37.3 million searches per month, while the general term ‘weather’ ranked at number five with almost 20 million searches (19,719,087).
Netflix didn’t make the cut this year, with search volumes decreasing by 33% since 2021. Search volumes have dropped from six million monthly searches in 2021 to four million in 2022. Netflix raised its monthly subscription prices earlier this year to £10.99 for a standard subscription and £15.99 for a premium subscription.
The streaming service also allows multi-user access to Netflix accounts, with simultaneous streaming services encouraging fewer people to sign up via the website. Since the significant drop in registered users, share prices have significantly decreased from £567 to £137.
Rightmove remains one of the most popular online real estate portals. Embryo has also revealed that the property website’s search traffic has increased to 13.5 million monthly visits in 2022.
Marketplaces also ranked highly, with frequently searched-for sites including Amazon, eBay, Argos and Just Eat.
Embryo said: “Buyers are more likely to start their user journey on marketplaces - and this is only going to increase as these platforms provide further products and services. People visit websites, such as Amazon, and food marketplaces, such as Just Eat, due to their range of options and competitive pricing, which makes the user journey accessible and appealing.”
Embryo said its findings also revealed that consumer entertainment sites, such as Wordle - which has taken internet users by storm this year - and bet365 were amongst the top searches, with people looking for entertainment outlets. Online and email services including google maps, google translate, yahoo and outlook also ranked highly in the top 50 keywords.
