It is correct to state that Google is the dominant search engine. Its current market share in mobile and desktop searches in the United States is 88% according to GlobalStatCounter. This percentage suggests that almost all internet users from different countries use this platform for everyday research and to stay updated on the current news. However, internet users are looking for more private search engines because Google is sharing their personal data with advertisers. The personalized user interface that Google offers allows it to track your activity and store a detailed history of your browsing history, including the queries you type and sites you visit. When it comes to choosing a search engine to turn to, we all are too quick to think about giants like Google, Yahoo, or Bing. But there’s a plethora more niche and unique search engines. If you run a business, you could be missing out on many competitive opportunities by focusing all your SEO efforts on Google. You might be surprised to discover that other popular and unknown search engines can meet your organization’s needs and priorities. Read on to know these options and their features.
1. Bing
Bing has a significant market share in the online market. Currently, it holds about 7% of America’s search market. This Microsoft search engine allows users to perform the same type of searches as Google. For instance, you can do keyword research through keyword research tools like seobase. However, Bing is more visual than Google. For instance, its homepage has multiple images, maps, and videos. The excellent video search is another feature that makes Bing unique. You can get larger thumbnails and preview the videos with sound on. This search engine also offers you various advanced features, such as machine-learning predictions for topics like sports and elections.
2. Yahoo
Yahoo was one of the most famous search engines in the 90s. However, it started going downhill in the mid-2000s. Most people assume that this search engine is outdated, but they are wrong. Currently, it holds the third position and occupies about 3.5% of the market. Yahoo is also the preliminary search engine for browsers like Firefox. Yahoo offers the best search results in topics like sports, travel, news, and finance. The integration of Flickr with this search engine enabled users to access better image results. The all-rounded user experience makes Yahoo one of the best Google alternative search engine.
3. DuckDuckGo
DuckDuckGo is the best Google alternative search engine when it comes to user privacy. For example, the websites you use do not track your online activities or queries. Moreover, this Google alternative search engine blocks cookies, trackers, and ads by default. It also allows you to delete your browsing history with the press of a button. The search engine offers an infinite scrolling feature that contributes to a streamlined and enjoyable user experience. You can also add the search engine’s extension to your preferred browser if you desire to have a more private browsing experience. The privacy feature has contributed significantly to its growing popularity over the past few years. Currently, this search engine holds 1.5% of the share market. “Bangs” is another fantastic feature that makes DuckDuckGo stand out. It allows users to search directly from Wikipedia, YouTube, and other sites. Start your query with an exclamation mark. For example, “‘eBay toys” will take you directly to the search results for eBay toys.
4. StartPage
StartPage is another search engine that prioritizes user privacy. It does not track your browsing data, search behavior, or IP addresses. It also has a proxy service that allows its users to browse different websites anonymously. The good news is that it sources its data from Google. This fact indicates that researchers do not have to worry about irrelevant searches or a lack of adequate information. StartPage also offers a custom URL generator that you can use to browse without having to set cookies. This company uses these features to support the claim that it is the world's most private search engine. Another reason why you should check out StartPage is the super-functional user interface it offers. For instance, the homepage has a smart interface that you can set to different themes, such as Night Mode.
5. Qwant
Qwant is also a reliable privacy-focused search engine. It integrates its indexing engine with Bing results to avoid personalizing search results. This privacy prevents companies from tracking your details and search behavior to target you for advertisements. Qwant also offers a user-friendly interface that organizes and classifies your search results into different categories, such as news, Web, and social. You can also use the dedicated music section to discover new music and lyrics. Like DuckDuckGo, Qwant has a quick-search function that allows you to access search results immediately. Unfortunately, this refreshing search engine is currently unavailable in countries like India.
6. Swisscows
Previously known as Hulbee, Swisscows is another Google alternative search engine with a privacy-focused approach. There are three primary features that this European search engine uses to define itself as a better alternative search engine to Google.
• They do not store your data
This search engine does not store the users’ personal data, search results, IP addresses, or other identifiers. A good thing about this search engine is that its servers are in Switzerland, and this country has stringent privacy laws.
• They place great importance on family-friendly content
Swisscows is a reliable search engine for parents and guardians looking for child-appropriate search results. This is because it has a built-in filter for violent or pornographic materials.
• They have created an innovative search engine
Swisscows relies on Bing to access data. However, it has a unique ad system that allows organizations to target their advertisements to potential customers based on their queries. Swisscows also offers you several suggestion tags whenever you type a query. The suggestion tags make your browsing easier and faster. The innovative semantic map also shows relevant queries and helps you to access more information about the subject of interest.
7. OneSearch
Verizon Media launched this privacy-based search engine in January 2020. They outlined several reasons why OneSearch is better than Google. These include:
- The search engine will not track cookies or profile its users
- It will not share the users’ personal data with advertising companies
- It will not store user search history
- It will provide unbiased, pure, and unfiltered search results.
- It will encrypt keywords and search terms.
- It will share links with confidence
These features show that this brand-new search engine is quite promising in terms of user privacy.
8. YouTube
YouTube is the second largest search engine. Various factors, such as user-friendliness and increased popularity of video content, have enabled this Google alternative search engine to achieve this position. A considerable percentage of the global population is using the platform to watch videos, and movies, as well as listen to music and podcasts. Statistics indicate that YouTube has approximately 3 billion searches monthly. Keyword encryption is the heart of this search engine. The keywords that content creators use in the video titles suggest the kind of content in the video. You can use seobase.com to create or search for relevant keywords for your videos. This keyword explorer tool will help you gain more views from users who are searching for similar phrases.
9. Unsplash
Getty Images owns this platform since 2021. Unsplash is a search engine that focuses on assisting users to find and download freely-usable images for their projects. It has continued to become more popular over the past few years. Today, this photography site generates approximately 16 billion image impressions monthly. You can use our keyword explorer to locate and analyze keywords that match the picture that you want. One primary advantage of Unsplash over Google photos is that you do not have to worry about the image copyrights. Additionally, it has the drag and drop feature that makes it easier for you to use the desires photos. Today, many businesses and institutions use Unsplash photos to create websites, demos, and brochures.
10. Slideshare
Slideshare is a large presentation-sharing community. It allows you to find documented slideshow presentations of your favorite speaker if you miss a conference or webinar. You can also use it to search for PDFs, save, and download them for later use. This feature makes this Google alternative search engine a resourceful tool for people preparing for business presentations. Keyword encryption is the core of this search engine. You can use our seobase platform to conduct free keyword research and locate slides on the topic you are looking for. The advantage of Slideshare is that it gives you an excellent opportunity to discover inspirational content related to different presentations.
Website SEO Optimization for search engines
In summary, most search engines are using results from one of the main search giants to power their own SERP results (i.e., Google, Bing, or Yahoo). So, if you are really up to optimizing your website or pages in search engine giants like Bing or Yahoo (alternative search engine to Google) you can really use data from Google and focus on the differences between them. Here are a couple of good articles to get you started about keyword research, SERP optimizations, and getting more traffic from Google:
