How to Kiss, Get Pregnant, Tie a Tie and Other Pressing Questions

Search engines aren't just for finding that website you can't seem to locate or the best price on a laptop you're considering purchasing. Many of us are using them to ask specific questions. The most popular question asked online starts with the words "how to."

Searches that contain the term "how to" (there were over a 240,000 unique searches that contained "how to" in the past four weeks) give us an interesting view into what we don't know or what we'd like to learn how to do. As I discussed in my book Click, for more than three years the number one "how to" search was "how to tie a tie." In recent months, necktie queries three year run has been surpassed by teenage curiosity with "how to kiss" becoming the most popular skill sought online.

Here's a list of the top 10 "how to" searches for the four weeks ending October 24, 2009:
1. How to kiss
2. How to get pregnant
3. How to tie a tie
4. How to make a website
5. How to draw
6. How to lose weight
7. How to lose weight fast
8. How to write a résumé
9. How to draw anime
10. How to get rid of stretch marks

Source: Experian Hitwise

When searching for the best how-to content, remember that being very specific in your search queries will likely yield the best results. So in the case of tying a tie, try searching on "how to tie a full Windsor knot video" (or your preferred knot) versus just searching on "tying a tie." If you don't find the content your looking for, consider going straight to a how-to website like the best-in-class listed below:

Video J ug.com : With the tagline, "Get good at life," this site contains thousands of videos in categories such as "beauty and style," "food an drink" and "health and well-being." An example of some featured videos include "How to Plait a Horse's Mane" and "How to Make Caramel Apples." The site even features a video on "How to Kiss Creatively."

HowStuffWorks.com : This site features a broad range of video and written content that provides both how-to information as well as content that explains the world around us. Along with basic content, HowStuffWorks provides fun activities such as quizzes, puzzles and top 10 lists that are educational and entertaining.

5min.com : Like VideoJug, this site specializes in how-to content in short video clips. Content ranges from health advice to travel tips to suggestions for fun arts and crafts projects.

Regardless of your interests, from search 82nd most popular "how to eat a pomegranate" to 134th-place "how to do the moonwalk" or even "how to call in sick" at number 253, there's bound to be a video or website to get you started. If you are still wondering how to tie a tie, visit Tie-a-Tie.net . As far as the most popular how-to searches on "how to kiss" or "how to get pregnant," I'll let Dr. Laura Berman answer those questions.