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Google search box as address box substitute

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  • 29-04-2009 10:13am
    #1
    conolan
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 586 ✭✭✭


    I've been fascinated and frustrated to observe what seems to be a common practice among non-expert computer users.
    It's using Google search box in the way an address box was intended.

    This helps explain why bebo and facebook are very common searches. It's not a case of people looking for references to those sites, it's a 'please take me to my favourite site' request, not a search request.

    Also very few non-expert computer users understand favourites or bookmarks. Therefore they constantly use Google several times a day to access their favourite site.

    Here are the most popular search terms in the UK in Google last year.

    1. facebook
    2. bbc
    3. youtube
    4. ebay
    5. games
    6. news
    7. hotmail
    8. bebo
    9. yahoo
    10. jobs

    Strip out the ones that look like requests to access a named site and you are left with Games, News, Jobs.

    I think this means that to find out what people are SEARCHING for, one needs a different method.


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    #2
    RoadKillTs
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,710 ✭✭✭RoadKillTs


    It's actually a good observation.
    My gf always does that when logging onto Facebook or most sites actually.
    Im always looking at her going "why dont you type it into the address bar?"
    :)


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    #3
    tomED
    Registered Users Posts: 1,452 ✭✭✭tomED


    Nothing new here, people have been doing it for years.

    Personally I'd never use Google trends as a way of establishing what people are searching for. It's always been to general to look at the "most searched for" terms. You don't get much value from it other than what the hottest topic of the web is.

    Tom


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