Pop superstar Beyonce has seen off competition from Kim Kardashian to be named the Internet's most-searched celebrity of 2012.

The singer has enjoyed an eventful year during which she performed at America's Super Bowl halftime show, won a Grammy Award and kicked off a world tour, and her exploits earned her the title of the most sought after star on online search engine Bing.

Kardashian, who topped the company's 2012 list, came in second ahead of a slew of female pop stars - Rihanna took third place, Taylor Swift was at four, and Madonna was at five.

Troubled singer Justin Bieber, who ranked second last year (12), dropped to sixth place on the 2013 countdown.

Miley Cyrus, whose saucy exploits made her headline news throughout 2013, barely made it into the top 10, scraping in at number nine just ahead of U.S. President Barack Obama.