We are approaching the close of 2010, and we’ve seen a lot. Luckily for those of us with short memories, Google and Twitter have created microsites so we can re-live the year’s top topics. Google’s site shows the top searches and Twitter’s shows the top trending topics of 2010.

The most searched topics in the United States on Google in 2010 were:

1. iPad
2. Chatroulette
3. iPhone 4
4. World Cup
5. Justin Bieber
6. Myxer
7. Facebook
8. Groovseshark
9. Glee
10. Mocospace

There are certainly some surprises in that list. Overall, products and services are searched most often. Apple dominated with two of the top three searches. Of the list, only the World Cup was an event, and even it could be classified as an entertainment service.

Switching gears to Twitter- the top 10 trending topics of the year were:

1. Gulf Oil Spill
2. FIFA World Cup
3. Inception
4. Haiti Earthquake
5. Vuvuzela
6. Apple iPad
7. Google Android
8. Justin Bieber
9. Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows
10. Pulpo Paul

Obviously, it was a good year for Justin Bieber, as he managed to make both top ten lists. Aside from the rising pop star, only the iPad and the World Cup made both. Events have a much greater presence on the Twitter list than on Google’s. Three of the top four entries are events, and you could probably argue that going to see Inception was an event as well. I’d even lump vuvuzelas in with “events” since they were certainly discussed in tandem with the World Cup.

In addition to refreshing our memories, we can learn a bit from these lists.

• People search for products – This means if you sell a consumer product, you need to optimize your website pronto, and you need to update your site with new, relevant content on a regular basis to maintain your search ranking. Consumers are using search to find things they want to buy. If they can’t find you, they won’t buy from you.

• People tweet or talk about events- The most obvious implication of this is that event planners who want attention need to make sure they are plugged into Twitter. Events should have hashtags. But, a less obvious point is that you need to own Twitter in a crisis as well. If you have a major incident, you can bet that it will be discussed on Twitter. You won’t be able to “control” the conversation, but you can manage you response. Start by being the first to issue a hashtag and follow it religiously. This will demonstrate that you are plugged in and listening and that you aren’t afraid of what is being said.

• Offline marketing and media translate into online actions – Apple is famous for having close to zero “traditional” social media presence, yet they dominate Twitter and Google. This is because they have fun and creative advertising and marketing, and they make great products (and they engage bloggers, so maybe that is a bit of the “traditional” side). When Steve Jobs speaks, we all listen… and then search and tweet.