The minute you wish to search for anything on the internet, Google is the first choice that comes to your mind. It is so for millions of other android users too. Google has quickly surpassed the image of being just a search engine and has now become an important entity in the digital platform.
But you need not worry about a monopoly threat here because several other efficient search engines exist. Though they have unique features, they aren’t as popular as Google. Read on to learn about a few other exciting search engines that are ready with open doors for you to benefit from. Also check Different Types of SEO.
Search engines like Google
Yahoo Search Engine
Yahoo is older than even Google, and it is the default search engine for Firefox. Although it seems like an outdated choice, it has still managed to retain its popularity to be among the top 3 most popular search engines. It is a popular choice for many because it offers a motley of other exciting services apart from being a search engine, such as shopping, news and entertainment, email, and games. In collaboration with Flickr, Yahoo Finance, and Yahoo Answers, Yahoo strives to provide users with a wide range of information with the best image results. Therefore, it is a wholesome experience all under the same roof for the users choosing Yahoo.
Bing Search Engine
After Google, Bing is the second most popular search engine that provides a beautiful visual experience with pretty background photos. The search engine owned by Microsoft was launched in 2009, replacing the MSN search engine. Although it is nowhere close to Google’s massive traffic, it is still the default search engine for MS devices like Windows smartphones and PC and scores as the 30th most visited site in the world.
Bing is also a favourite among video searchers as it allows them to preview with sound by moving over its large thumbnails. The best part is the reward scheme that Bing offers whenever you shop or browse using Bing. You will be given points that come in handy when you use them towards future app purchases or for movies.
DuckDuckGo Search Engine
DuckDuckGo is a well-known search engine offering a safe and secure search results for all its users because it does not ask for or store your personal details. Though DuckDuckGo does not have a search index, it uses multiple sources to provide search results that touch about 50 million everyday searches.
The user experiences lesser interruption of ads and enjoy longerbrowsing. It does not track the user or their activities; you can also set it as your browser extension. This streamlined, easy navigation makes it a popular choice for its users. The interesting bangs feature allows you to directly search inside another site by typing its prefix.
Ask.com Search Engine
Initially called as Ask Jeeves, it comes in a simple question-and-answer form; this search engine allows you to search in your native language. It is highly user-friendly, especially for beginners in search engine useing. It also displays the FAQs (frequently asked questions) related to your search topic that can be very useful in gathering more information that you need.
It mainly functions in the question-and-answer format and with the requisite search engine capabilities. The user’s questions are mostly answered by other users and sometimes in the form of polls. While this is preferred by many users looking for answers to their queries, its lack of search engine functionality pushed the back seat.
Yandex Search Engine
It is the leading search engine in Russia and is recorded as the country’s 4th most visited site. Its most appealing feature is the fluid user interface it offers to its users. Its user-friendly features and customizations make it a popular choice. Though it is not so famous outside Russia, it is the world’s fifth most popular search engine.
Its functionality allows you to search images, videos, news, and websites in an accessible layout equal to Google’s services. Along with a search engine, it provides other features such as mobile apps, translation and maps, cloud storage, and more. So, Yandex is almost similar to Google’s functionality yet with a cleaner interface.
Baidu Search Engine
Baidu, which was launched in the year 2000, is the most sought-after search engine in China. What Google means to the world is Baidu for China, which holds over 70% of the Chinese internet market share. The layout designs, ad monetization methods and synopsis in search results are similar to Google’s.
However, many images and pro-democracy websites are censored or blocked in Baidu. The company has a huge investment in the AI research and development of search engines and scores more than 3 billion daily searches.
Search engines other than Google
YouTube Search Engine
Most of us are under the impression that YouTube is a popular social media platform. But it is, in reality, the second largest video-only search engine in the world owned by Google. This popular video search engine was launched in 2005 that caters to more than 1 billion logged-in users each month and contains more than 1 billion hours of content added daily.
Although you cannot find blogs or articles here, it is the best option for video content, which is more functional and self-explanatory for understanding a new topic.
Twitter Search Engine
Very few are aware that Twitter is another prominent search engine and the most sought-after microblogging social media platform. You will find loads of information regarding trending topics, jobs, vendors, products, and service providers using specific or popular hashtags. Users love it because it provides an updated and relevant list of search results.
Facebook Search Engine
Facebook is another influential new entrant in the list of top search engines. While it is considered an ideal place to look for people, business pages, and profiles, it is also an excellent source if used correctly. It helps you to target hashtags or keywords to reach out sooner to your target audience. You can also get personalized suggestions for products or services using Facebook search.
For efficient search and to get the most precise results, use double quotes in your search phrases or words and a minus sign before the search phrase if you wish to receive updates only from friends and groups.
Facebook’s marketing features give you a wide range of options to discover and explore new businesses or sellers in your locality. The Facebook market is also a great place to understand target users and their perceptions and to promote your product or service.
Amazon Search Engine
Amazon was launched in 1995 and is the forerunner in steering the emerging eCommerce platform. As a widely used and popular site, it has grown to compete with and counter Google regarding shopping searches.
It possesses over 50% of the search results for online shopping from 2019. What started as a budding internet company is now growing rapidly and has transformed into a sought-after search engine for shopping product-related searches.
Wolfram Alpha Search Engine
Wolfram Alpha is a search engine that uses advanced algorithms and AI technology to give expert answers to user queries. It is a privately owned search engine that delivers proficient knowledge categorized into Science & Technology, Mathematics, Society & Culture, and everyday Life. Several subcategories and handy tools allow you to compute data, research details and find expert answers to your queries.
Board Reader Search Engine
It is a search engine best suited for forums and message boards. You can search forums and filter results based on date and language. Board reader is the best choice for research on content as it makes it easier to find content written by real users for the precise topic. With multiple forums and messages to consume, this tool is the best place to start understanding and visiting the best forums.
StartPage Search Engine
Similar to DuckDuckGo, StartPage also focuses on user privacy. It does not display ads based on your search behaviour and does not ask for or store user data. The search results will be similar to a Google search. It also gives a proxy service for online safety, using which you can browse anonymously, and an URL generator that will let you browse without cookies.
A smooth interface for the user’s ease, many exciting themes to choose from along with night mode option make StartPage an interesting browsing place.
Search Encrypt Search Engine
Search Encrypt is also a search engine that focuses on user privacy and uses local encryption that protects the user’s identity and other personal details.
It is a metasearch engine that receives search results from various search sources. The search results are well-researched and not based on the user’s history. Another special feature of Search Encrypt is that the user’s browsing history gets deleted 15 minutes after inactivity.
SearX Search Engine
SearX is also a metasearch engine that offers accurate, impartial search results collected from various well-known sources. SearX is an open-source search engine that anybody can access and use for source code review and contributions on GitHub. Users can also customize and host it on their servers as their search engine. The user settings and preferences offered by SearX are unique, facilitating great functionality and accurate search results.
Disconnect Search Engine
Disconnect offers many privacy features. Using those browser extensions and apps, you can block tracking sites, view ad requests, load pages faster, and many more.
SwissCows Search Engine
SwissCows is a Switzerland search engine well-known worldwide for its stringent privacy policies. It provides fully encrypted searches that protect user privacy and security. SwissCows does not ask for or store personal details, IP addresses, or search queries. The kids-friendly inbuilt filters override the access to unfavourable sites or pages, so it is a preferred choice among parents.
Its semantic data recognition facilitates well-researched intuitive search results, and the vast data pools enable the quick and efficient generation of answers for user queries. The semantic feature also shows other relevant questions, which will help you to gather more information.
MetaGer Search Engine
MetaGer is well-known for the values and morals it follows. It is a non-profit association that uses only green energy. It is a metasearch engine that employs around 50 other search engines to offer depth and accuracy to the search results. Through its anonymous search, it provides “Privacy Protected Search & Find.”
MetaGer does not consider the clickthrough rates when processing a query to ensure that the results are unbiased and relevant. They also offer map-related services without tracking the user’s location. Installing a plugin, you can also set MetaGer as your default search engine for privacy benefits.
Gigablast Search Engine
It is a private search engine that keeps you safe from marketers and spammers. GigaBlast is built to index several websites and servers to help you with the best search results. Without tracking user data, it gives a variety of options to filter or personalize your query. You can also search by language using exact terms or file format. In addition to providing essential search engine services, it also gives a comprehensive, advanced search function.
Conclusion
Search engines play an essential role in helping users find answers or information they are looking for and also boost business growth across the globe. Though there are multiple appealing options for you, all these search engines come with a unique feature and strive to provide users with the most dependable search result.
Therefore as a product or service provider, one should be well-equipped with knowledge about search engines to reach your target audience effectively. With the support and guidance of an SEO company, you can enhance your online business presence and rank well on the search engine.
Although Google is undoubtedly the most preferred choice of many in getting a personalized browsing experience, the other popular search engines strive to offer services that are on par with Google’s without asking for or storing user information. Advanced algorithms and AI enable a personalized search experience without tracking users’ personal data.
Many of these search engine options function differently, with unique features offering perfect privacy settings. So educate yourself well to explore and experience the unique features of the search engines that might provide better search results than Google.