Google is by far the most popular search engine. In fact, it’s transcended from being just a search engine and is often used as a verb – if you want to find something out, just Google it. Google has grown to a huge global share of the search market at almost 90%, with its dominant online advertising platform, constantly evolving algorithms and a personalized user experience. So, it’s no surprise that it is the go-to search engine for most of us, and the common perception is that nowhere else will get you better results than Google. But is that really always the case?
It’s no secret that there is a cost to using Google, with the search engine giant tracking user browsing habits to share that information with advertisers. If you have more specific search needs or want a more private search experience, there are a number of new, Google alternatives to consider.
DuckDuckGo:
As one of the newest search engines on the market, DuckDuckGo is expected to grow massively over the next few years. One of the main reasons why it is such a popular choice is that it does not collect or store any of your personal information, allowing you to search for whatever you like without it coming up as an advertisement on every website you visit over the next few days. What’s even better is that if you like the layout of Google and want to keep your Google apps easily accessible from your web browser, you can use the DuckDuckGo Chrome extension.
StartPage:
Another search engine that prioritizes privacy is StartPage, which provides answers from Google without tracking and storing your search history. If you prefer Google’s search results but want a more private search engine experience, this could be the ideal alternative for you. It also offers HTTPS support, a URL generator, and a proxy service. The URL generator is particularly useful since it does not collect cookies but rather remembers your settings while promoting privacy.
CC Search:
If you are looking for any type of copyright-free content, CC Search will be the best option for you. Whether you are looking for images for blog posts, music for a video, or anything else without the risk of using copyrighted work, this search engine will be perfect for you. It pulls results from a range of sites where content is labeled as Creative Commons material, including Flickr, Wikimedia, and Soundcloud.
Yandex:
Need a search engine that will bring up results from outside of the US? Yandex could be an ideal choice for you. It is currently used by over 45% of internet users in Russia and is a popular choice in Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Belarus, and Turkey. It’s the ideal choice for those looking for more worldwide results compared to the location-specific options you’ll often be presented with in Google. It is easy to use and offers a suite of several decent tools.
Hot.com:
One of the best new search engines from last year is Hot.com. If you are looking to complete searches in a similar way to Google but would rather use a safer online environment, Hot.com will provide this. Unlike many of the other privacy-focused search engines that do not track your location and can be difficult to use if you want to find local results, Hot.com will give you local results while protecting your personal information and privacy.
Hotbot:
Have you have ever been frustrated by the fact that you have to click through several pages of results in search engines like Google to find exactly what you are looking for? If so, Hotbot could be the ideal search engine for you. This meta-search engine works by pulling the top results from four of the most popular search engines, including Google, combining them to make it much easier to find exactly what you are looking for. If you are often spending time using search engines to look for specific results, using Hotbot can help you cut down on search time and make the process much faster.
Swisscows:
Another privacy-focused search engine that got bigger last year is Swisscows. It is a popular choice with people who are tired of Google knowing so much about them since it does not collect any of your sensitive information or data. It does not collect any information about the device or browser that you are using, or even your IP address. It provides you with the search results that you’re looking for and doesn’t show you any ads based on your location or sell your personal data to any third parties. Users who are concerned about their internet privacy will like the fact that it is run on a private server. Another bonus is that this search engine is very family-friendly, making it an increasingly popular choice among families with young kids.
Searx.me:
Searx.me is a new search engine that works in a similar way to Hotbot. This meta-search engine will provide you with combined results from some of the most popular search engines. However, it is also very focused on privacy and removes any of your identifying information, making it impossible for Google and other non-private search engines to know that you are seeing their results. When you use this search engine, there are no records kept of your searches and there are no advertisements on the results page. A key unique feature of this search engine is that it gives you the option to download a website’s code and adjust it.
Boardreader:
If you are looking for a new online community, Boardreader is an excellent alternative search engine that is designed to help you find forums and message boards. It allows you to search any forum and filter results down by language, date, and other factors. It is very useful for content research since it makes it simple and easy to find content that has been written by real users within a certain topic or niche.
If you are tired of the fact that Google collects so much information on you or need a search engine that will provide you with more specific results, these new alternatives are definitely worth watching out for.
