Google doesn’t always offer the best search engine experience especially when it comes to niche searches and research work. Here we take a look at 11 Google Alternatives that can change your search experience forever.
Google is beyond doubt the default search engine for the majority of Internet users. It enjoys mammoth 80% of the market share; hence it isn’t impossible to find many Internet users who haven’t used a search engine other than Google in their life. And these stats would definitely indicate your choice of using Google when it comes to searching for news, views and all other kinds of information. It after all seems to offer all that you look for on the Internet.
But hang on for a minute and ask yourself why 20% people globally aren’t using Google when it covers all major languages and seems to offer the ‘best search results’. The answer is plain and simple – they don’t find what they are looking for with the search giant. In fact, this 20% actually comprises of tech geeks, professionals, students and all others who rely on the Internet more than an average user does. And when you know their secrets of looking beyond Google, your search engine experience would change forever. So if not Google where do you search? Here are 11 alternatives that have cemented their place by simplifying Internet searches.
Best Google Alternatives: Bing
It is the first alternative on our list and has good reasons to be your choice number one. It has the second highest market share after Google standing at almost 7%; it does everything that Google does with a few other pluses. Coming from the Microsoft stable it offers you better video search than Google with preview thumbnails. Hence it is the chosen search engine for all forms of multimedia search. It has better auto complete suggestion than Google and is finer in terms of social media integration. Thanks to its partnership with Facebook.
Best Google Alternatives: Vimeo
If you are addicted to watching videos on YouTube the very idea of giving up on Google may seem inconceivable. But there is Vimeo and it is the choice for most professionals. When 70 hours of videos are uploaded to YouTube every minute along with the quality stuff, there is lots of noise that makes its way into the platform. If you are one who prefers quality over quantity try Vimeo once and it would become your default video search engine. You will have better access to HD videos and the best in documentaries and films.
Best Google Alternatives: Quora
No matter how technologically advanced or sophisticated Google becomes it won’t ever match the simplicity and ease of which you can find answers to common queries on Quora. For every question, you can browse through similar threads relating to your questions and find answers. If you still can’t find what you are looking for, simply post your question and some from within the learned community shall come to your help.
Best Google Alternatives Dogpile
It brings the idea of crowdsourcing to search engines by sourcing search results from all major search engines including Google. It does away with the duplicate and offers you the most comprehensive search results. Termed as Metasearch you can get search results from across the board using Dogpile. Its autocomplete feature is among the best in the industry ensuring faster searches. And before we forget it removes the ads too during the process so you get the best of assorted results.
Best Google Alternatives: Boardreader
For research oriented searches there is no better choice than Boardreader. As the name suggest your queries would fetch the best results from different message boards and forums. You will be able to go deep on the subject and find information from experts who regularly post on different message boards. And by doing so you would be able to read detailed analysis around different subject matters from people you want to hear from; and not from anybody who can post an article or blog on the particular subject matter.
Best Google Alternatives: DuckDuckGo
Want to escape prying eyes of Google which often doesn’t let you look beyond your past searches in the name of personalization? DuckDuckGo should be your choice. One of the fastest search engines DuckDuckGo is for anyone who is concerned about privacy. It’s for those who don’t want past searches to dictate the results of present and future ones.
Best Google Alternatives: WolframAlpha
The preferred option for tech geeks, it is known as the computational knowledge engine. WolframAlpha comes up with the best results for computation facts. So if you ask it to calculate any data you would get the results spot on within seconds. But off late it is shedding its image as a math search engine and offers relevant information for general queries as well and most importantly separates noise from information.
Best Google Alternatives: Million Short
Its tagline says “What haven’t you found?” and that’s exactly what this search engine would offer you. For all its benefits Google has the habit of offering you the same search results based on its ranking and you are unlikely to find what is often termed as ‘unpopular’ webpages. You have an interesting option in Million Short where you can remove the top 100, 1000, 10000, 100000 and 1000000 results during your search and discover the hidden gems that Google won’t ever let you do!
Best Google Alternatives: Giphy
If you are looking for top-notch animation it should be your default search engine. Whether you want to use it for a tweet or when you are using Tumblr finding the right GIFs on Google is a herculean task. This is where Giphy’s no-nonsense interface makes the search for the best GIFs a cakewalk. With Giphy you would have no trouble in earning fame on Twitter or simply spreading smiles!
Best Google Alternatives: IxQuick
IxQuick combines the best of personalized searches and privacy. By default, none of your search queries are stored and no cookies are created. IxQuick offers you a fresh search experience every time you type queries into the search engine. However, you can set your preferences that would offer you more personalized search experience but these are deleted after 90 days of inactivity so you get the best of both worlds.
Best Google Alternatives: Creative Commons Search
How often have you felt exhausted searching for copyright free image for your website or blog? While you can set this preference in Google, you immediately see minuscule search results. With Creative Common Search you will be able to find copyright free images. It ultimately can help you build a website or write the most authoritative blog post complete with images; and turn your visitors into loyal followers.
To sum up, each of these 11 search engines has something different to offer and more precisely addresses the inadequacies of Google. For specific searches and niche information, they are definitely a better option over Google. Try them and you would have better and richer internet browsing experience.
