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In the world of research, Google dominates the rest.
This is the "standard" search engine that we rely on most often (at least in the US), and let's be honest: it's for a good reason.
Google search is an amazing tool.
But competitors will always fight for a share of the search market. And from time to time, there will be great search engines that are worth using.
DuckDuckGo may be one of these competitors, especially if you are looking for a privacy that you may not get. But DuckDuckGo has a lot more to offer researchers.
The following is an in-depth comparison of the features of two search engines we love, DuckDuckGo and Google. As we try to answer the question: which search engine should you use?
DuckDuckGo
Search Characteristics
Founded in 2008, DuckDuckGo claims never to store the personal information of its users.
"Our privacy policy is simple: we do not collect or share any of your personal information," says the homepage of the website under the main search box.
DuckDuckGo does not follow its users with ads because it does not store the history of their searches, does not track their IP address and does not have any personal data to sell, whether the user is in private browsing mode or not.
DuckDuckGo is separated very early from the competition and often in terms of the privacy that it offers to its users – the same privacy that other search engines have refused to offer until the end of the day. to what DuckDuckGo.
Take a look at his Twitter feed if you want to know how much this search engine is respectful of privacy.
But beyond privacy, what else does DuckDuckGo bring to the table?
For starters, his presentation is similar to that of Google, including:
- Search engine landing pages (SERP) of 10 organic search results (both search engines served 10 organic search results on their respective pages in March 2019).
- Some ads at the top and bottom of each SERP, in one or two, depending on the volume of search and competition around certain keywords and topics.
DuckDuckGo uses his web-based robot, DuckDuckBot, and up to 400 other sources to compile his search results, including from other search engines such as Bing, Yahoo and Yandex, as well as participatory search sites like Wikipedia.
It also features a knowledge board-like junction box on the right rail with quick access information for important details such as name, address, phone number, website, etc., from from the aforementioned sources, including Wikipedia (a bit like Google). .
DuckDuckGo extracts information from the Yelp user reviews site, including comments, addresses, phone numbers, and opening hours.
Enterprise location directions are taken from Bing Maps (default), but you can also replace them with Google Maps, HERE Maps, or OneStreetMap (screenshot below).
DuckDuckGo offers a number of other simple settings related to usability and / or preferences that simplify the overall process for the user, many of which have been implemented by Google first – but not all.
For example, once a user has reached the bottom of a SERP, he can choose to display more results, which directly opens the next SERP. below the current one (without opening a new page). It's a simple difference but it makes the user experience a little cleaner.
Category pages are one of my favorite features of the DuckDuckGo platform, offering lists of categories with brief descriptions and images presented in a clear and attractive way.
And, like Google (although less extensive), DuckDuckGo offers instant answers (comparable to extracts from Google), which come from more than 100 sources on the Web, according to DuckDuckGo.
There are also vertical search options, including:
- Web results.
- Results of the image.
- Video results.
- News results.
- Results of the cards.
And, depending on which vertical you search, DuckDuckGo will dynamically generate the applicable search verticals.
For example, when you search for a favorite food or dish, DuckDuckGo triggers the vertical "Recipe" for you (screen capture below).
DuckDuckGo also has a simple site search command, called "syntax! Bang", which makes it much easier to search a website (even if it has never been done before).
DuckDuckGo offers other usage features, but its main email points come from:
- The high standards of the brand in terms of confidentiality.
- Being an effective and respectable search engine despite its small market share in research (only 0.22% of the total market share, well below Ask, Yandex, Baidu and the three "leading players" in the United States , Google, Bing and Yahoo).
DuckDuckGo's annual traffic has increased 55% in 2017 and 56% in 2018 – with just under 6 billion searches in 2017 and more than 9.2 billion in 2018.
Of course, this number is expected to increase, but to what extent we do not know yet.
If it continues to grow at this rate, however, more people will continue to realize it and more people will participate.
Benefits of using DuckDuckGo
Privacy
One of the pillars of its foundation, DuckDuckGo advocates its desire not to retrace the information of its users or their research, and prides itself on offering the most private search engine on the market.
Easy to use
Its streamlined interface and simple user experience make using the platform a somewhat unique search experience.
Usability seems to be a primary goal, and it shows. It is also aesthetic while respecting the basic concept and the presentation of other search engines.
Increasingly in popularity
The more users there are, the more profits there are, the more resources = better search engine.
Disadvantages of using DuckDuckGo
Not as good as Google ¯ _ (ツ) _ / ¯
This is the family version of a search engine, while Google is the standard of choice.
DuckDuckGo just does not have the resources of the big search engines of long standing. But it is increasing every year, including an investment of $ 10 million by the end of 2018.
Tiny Look for a market share
DuckDuckGo had only 0.22% of the total market share of the research sector in 2017, which is lower than Ask, Yandex, Baidu and the three "major players" in the United States (Google, Bing and Yahoo) .
This means that there is plenty of room for growth, but it must maintain its growing popularity for years to gain a significant market share.
Will always be playing catch-up
The features, ideas, and practices of DuckDuckGo will (for the most part) obscure Google (including doing the opposite of what Google does in terms of privacy).
This is not out of the norm for other search engines; they all pursue the big dog, Google.
Search Characteristics
Google is the O.G.
But why exactly?
For starters, it is the most powerful and comprehensive search engine on the market, with a family of tools and databases that support and support its mission of providing quick and easy answers the most relevant and the most credible.
For example, own a tool as powerful as Google Maps, which contains a plethora of important information for companies around the world – names, addresses, phone numbers and websites, but also professional photos including interiors, outside and everyday. interactions – Google places in a good position to succeed.
We know that Google has tried to build a human network with useful and similar information on Google+, which is the latest victim of Google's block cut.
Ultimately, this was a futile effort, but it demonstrates Google's commitment to not only improving research, but also to owning and building high quality vessels to improve it through his platform.
Like DuckDuckGo, Google offers specific search verticals to make searches easier, but with more options.
In addition to the traditional Web results and Google Maps results mentioned above, there are verticals for:
- New.
- Videos.
- Images.
- Purchasing.
- Books.
- Flights.
- Finance.
- Personal research.
There are other search parameters and tools that can be used to refine searches (see below).
"The Google search index contains hundreds of billions of web pages and far exceeds 100,000,000 gigabytes," Google said.
It is by far the largest index of search engines. And this is one of the main reasons why Google is the leading player in the search.
It's not just the biggest search index; it is also the most intelligent.
Google is constantly updating its algorithms and ranking signals, including adding artificial intelligence via RankBrain. This machine learning mechanism is another reason why Google dominates and delivers, without a close competitor.
It contains the best robots, the best index and the best algorithms. That's why I always believe something that I often say: "If it's not on Google, it's not real."
This fun statement is based on Google's incredible ability to identify search queries – and their answers – from long, unique searches without the most important information.
For example, looking for a movie about a particular person or place without knowing the name of the movie, its year of origin or any other apparently critical information.
When I look for a 1980s skateboard movie with a name I do not know but whose main character has blond hair, Google gives me the answer I'm looking for in position 1.
The film I was looking for is, of course, "Gleaming the Cube" with Christian Slater from 1989.
There are other popular Google-owned entities that help make it the real driver, such as YouTube, Gmail, Play, AdSense, and more.
It also offers one of the best (and free) productivity tool suites including sheets, documents, slides, calendars, and more.
Do not forget Google's free tools for webmasters and marketers, including Google Analytics and Search Console.
What makes Google the true Goliath of the industry? It is the combination of:
- Its extensive network of tools and properties belonging to Alphabet.
- His unparalleled ability to understand real-world entities and their relationships to each other (things and not strings).
- His constant commitment to improve the Google search experience in the short and long term.
- Through its unparalleled leadership in the world of search sites and all websites, we know what makes Google the true Goliath of the industry.
And even though it's the largest and most powerful search engine in the world, it does not change the fact that Google actually extracts information from its users and applies it as much as possible to the benefit of Google. of the company and / or users. pay the company for extracted user data and / or advertising.
It's no secret that Google does it, so it's not "ethically" bad; Most users do not know exactly what data is used, what it is used for and why it is used.
This has allowed Google to become one of the richest companies in the world and make a lot of noise for its targeted advertising sold on its own platform and through its many partners.
It still does not change the fact that it's the best search engine on the market.
It's actually exactly Why it has become one of the most successful companies: the quality of its research platform.
Benefits of using Google
This is the best
Google has achieved and will continue to perform with other companies, including search engines, simply are not yet able, if at all.
It is a superstar brand that has been, not only at the heart of the research, since its inception, but has pushed it to new heights whenever it can and in front of all its competitors.
This is unmatched
Google has the largest search index, the most intelligent search engine algorithm and the largest portfolio of free tools that fit perfectly into its search engine.
This is the dominant power of research
Yes, it's basically the same thing as the two points above. But that's what really matters.
Google is the best and has been for a while. And that has changed the lives of every American since its launch in 1998.
It will continue to be rooted in our lives for many years.
Disadvantages of using Google
It's hard not to feel violated
Google also has the largest ad network. It's thanks to the data compiled from its users and their behavior.
On the organic side, Google sees personalization as a benefit to the user, but all of this is also possible through data collection.
User Experience and Other Overthink Ideas
Google is always testing features and changes, big or small, to try to get an idea of what works best.
Sometimes Google will change things, and afterwards, that does not seem to be a positive change.
But it's Google, and sometimes changes (or the lack of common sense features) leave webmasters, marketers, and researchers scratching their heads.
It's not always right (again)
While this is impressive in almost everything it does, Google's full launch of its "Featured Code Snippet" attribute has resulted in more "false" or more misleading answers.
In trying to provide its best (and often self-generated) quick response to simple questions, Google sometimes extracts incorrect information (over a wide range of severity) indicating that the computer still can not be smarter ( or smarter!). humans.
Which search engine should you use?
As someone who has somehow used Yahoo mail for two decades, I can admit that I am an iconoclast who prefers less common options and goes against the grain. However, it is do not why i was still using Yahoo email in 2017.
I've long used Yahoo mail because I liked how it worked (until my account was hacked, then that hacking was masked) and I'm comfortable with that. .
As a newspaper and newspaper addicted journalist, Yahoo's cover page has always encouraged me to stay, scroll and read. And the stories are adapted to the user, so I was served the content that I should and I would eat well.
Without at least browsing and, I'm sure, storing some – if not most – of my user data, this Yahoo home page would never have been as successful as it was. I was able to attract my attention and pique my unique interests in reading. a bunch of content there every day. And I knew it after the first 12 years or so.
More importantly, it did not bother me because it worked for me.
So, what does Yahoo have to do with the use of DuckDuckGo or Google?
What works best for you is the right answer here. Everything is a matter of preference.
Both search engines can probably give you the answer you are looking for, and this quickly.
Anyone who is passionate about privacy would probably rely on – and prefer – DuckDuckGo only for its strict privacy policies, but also because it is an above-average search engine that tries to do the right thing. the people. And he succeeds very well.
This does not change the fact that if you do not find an answer to DuckDuckGo, you will go to Google to find it. And you will find him there.
Otherwise, it does not exist.
More resources:
Image Credits
All screenshots taken by the author, April 2019
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