World Cup search trends
June 16, 2010 Author: James Christie
In internet terms who is the most ‘searched-for’ player currently starring in the World Cup? How does a footballer improve his search popularity? And has the Dutch general election or the Dutch football team attracted more interest on the worldwide web?
Well, the answer to all these questions is contained in a posting called ‘Kicking Around Search Terms For The World Cup’ which appeared recently on the Official Google Blog.
The most searched-for player
With superstars like Messi, Kaka, Drogba and, of course, Emile Heskey gracing the world’s most famous tournament this was bound to be a closely-contested raced.
But when it comes to being Googled Cristiano Ronaldo popularity shows no sign of taking a nose-dive. The name of the Portugal poster boy was tapped into the world’s biggest search engine more times than any other player in the immediate run-up to the World Cup.
How players can improve their Google performance
For those players coveting Ronaldo’s Google crown, the Google Blog suggests there is one sure-fire way of boosting your search ranking. Surprisingly, it doesn’t involve scoring goals but getting injured.
According to Google’s stats experts, interest in Germany’s Ballack, Holland’s Robben and England’s Rooney all ‘spiked’ when they picked up injuries near the start of the World Cup.
Ballack wasn’t faking injury just to attract extra search-engine activity – he really will miss the tournament but thankfully Robben and Rooney have both climbed off the treatment table to keep alive their country’s hopes.
The Dutch General Election or the Dutch football team?
Google users in the Netherlands have voted with their feet by conducting five times as many news searches relating to their football talisman Robben as they did for information about their country’s national election candidates.
The Google Trends service also highlights that the World Cup has presented businesses and entrepreneurs with many opportunities to make a quick buck during the football extravaganza.
The search term ‘World Cup decoration’ has highlighted how many armchair fans have used the internet for inspiration when looking to festoon their living room with footy-related balloons and flags during the sporting extravaganza.
Looking at search volumes it seems that World Cup 2010 has attracted less internet buzz than World Cup 2006.
But Google Trends could give a clue as to who the next major force in world football will be. India is the country where the search term ‘Fifa World Cup schedule’ is the most popular. Could Indian hands be gripping that famous gold mantelpiece ornament at a future World Cup?
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