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Maybe it's just a semantic argument because I am a search engine developer, but I wouldn't really call DDG a "search engine". It uses Bing to power results. I w
by dumbfounder 9y ago
Maybe it's just a semantic argument because I am a search engine developer, but I wouldn't really call DDG a "search engine". It uses Bing to power results. I would describe it as a "search interface" that gives you advanced search related tools in addition to standard search, some stratified results, and then it takes a privacy angle to differentiate itself. As such, I think the move to browser safety is a natural extension of what they do.
That said, how the heck do they make money? I only very rarely see a single ad, and there isn't much money in NOT tracking people. It's very hard to make money on search if you aren't Google (I would know, I have tried several times).
- huphtur 9y agoAmazon Associates is one way DDG monetizes. Not sure how much revenue that brings in, but would love to see some stats on this.
- dumbfounder 9y agoI didn't think that was kosher as it incentivizes them to prioritize results from Amazon.
- yegg 9y agoHere's some more details on how we make money: https://duck.co/help/company/advertising-and-affiliates https://duck.co/help/company/advertising-and-affiliates Short answer is we're profitable since 2014 primarily with non-tracking search ads based on the keyword (type in car and get a car ad). While we don't serve that many ads, these are still lucrative enough to pay all the bills. The affiliate portion is quite small now, and we do not change any rankings based on them.
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]