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It would be great if a superior alternative existed but other search engines don't come close. I love Google Search and imagine every internet user in the Engli

by bb2018 8y ago

It would be great if a superior alternative existed but other search engines don't come close. I love Google Search and imagine every internet user in the English speaking world does. What are the issues with Google search (other than privacy concerns) that are talked about at length?

DarkWiiPlayer 8y ago
I hear that a lot; that other search engines are somehow inferior in quality. Having used DDG as default search for many years now, I have never felt like google offers me better results (Quite the opposite, actually). What exactly is it that makes google "better"?
- doingmyting 8y ago
  As someone who tried DDG and quickly went back to Google. I can safely say Google has a comfortable lead in the search space. They pretty much just do everything much better than everyone else in this space. I'll give an example. Lets say you want to go to the starbucks closest to you. All you have to do is open Google type the word "Starbucks" and press Directions on one of the results (usually the first one in thr list). That opens maps app with address prefilled and ready to navigate. Done!!! Type "Starbucks" in DDG and let me know what you see. There are a million of these little things that save a ton of time each day for the avg person. The general public only pays lip service to privacy concerns. Saving time and money trumps that everytime
- ax0ar 8y ago
  I think this is a really tricky question. Everyone searches in a different way and for different things. While I might easily find what I'm looking for on ddg, someone else might not. I think the main reason why most search engines fail against google is because they haven't yet figured out in depth how and what people search for and what they find. Google just has a better algorithm finding things. Peiple are happier using Google.
kruczek 8y ago
> It would be great if a superior alternative existed but other search engines don't come close. I disagree. I use DDG and vast majority of cases fall into one of two scenarios: 1. I can find what I'm searching for on 2. I can't find it neither with DDG nor with Google. Typically the difference between them is that Google shows what I seek as the first result, while DDG shows it on the first page of results - that's pretty darn close if you ask me. And then there are cases where DDG is actually superior to Google. A few times I couldn't find something on Google, but the "a few results were removed" message hinted that they don't show me some pages, most likely due to something like DMCA. Somehow DDG (probably because it is smaller and goes under the radar) would then often provide the results I was seeking.
- kojeovo 8y ago
  > Typically the difference between them is that Google shows what I seek as the first result, while DDG shows it on the first page of results - that's pretty darn close if you ask me. Pretty darn close according to you, but the reality is that for most people that difference is huge. The UX where you can just can trust the first link and don't have to scroll to consider each option is miles better.
  - anywherenotes 8y ago
    It's the difference of getting the gold medal vs being in the Olympics basically. Both are great, gold is significantly greater though. For all the complaints that google and facebook and others get for collecting all the info on you, the nice part is when you use them, they show you exactly what you want. A company that doesn't collect your search/view preferences just can't do that.

by bb2018 8y ago

DarkWiiPlayer 8y ago

I hear that a lot; that other search engines are somehow inferior in quality. Having used DDG as default search for many years now, I have never felt like google offers me better results (Quite the opposite, actually). What exactly is it that makes google "better"?

doingmyting 8y ago
As someone who tried DDG and quickly went back to Google. I can safely say Google has a comfortable lead in the search space. They pretty much just do everything much better than everyone else in this space. I'll give an example. Lets say you want to go to the starbucks closest to you. All you have to do is open Google type the word "Starbucks" and press Directions on one of the results (usually the first one in thr list). That opens maps app with address prefilled and ready to navigate. Done!!! Type "Starbucks" in DDG and let me know what you see. There are a million of these little things that save a ton of time each day for the avg person. The general public only pays lip service to privacy concerns. Saving time and money trumps that everytime
ax0ar 8y ago
I think this is a really tricky question. Everyone searches in a different way and for different things. While I might easily find what I'm looking for on ddg, someone else might not. I think the main reason why most search engines fail against google is because they haven't yet figured out in depth how and what people search for and what they find. Google just has a better algorithm finding things. Peiple are happier using Google.

kruczek 8y ago

> It would be great if a superior alternative existed but other search engines don't come close. I disagree. I use DDG and vast majority of cases fall into one of two scenarios: 1. I can find what I'm searching for on 2. I can't find it neither with DDG nor with Google. Typically the difference between them is that Google shows what I seek as the first result, while DDG shows it on the first page of results - that's pretty darn close if you ask me. And then there are cases where DDG is actually superior to Google. A few times I couldn't find something on Google, but the "a few results were removed" message hinted that they don't show me some pages, most likely due to something like DMCA. Somehow DDG (probably because it is smaller and goes under the radar) would then often provide the results I was seeking.

kojeovo 8y ago
> Typically the difference between them is that Google shows what I seek as the first result, while DDG shows it on the first page of results - that's pretty darn close if you ask me. Pretty darn close according to you, but the reality is that for most people that difference is huge. The UX where you can just can trust the first link and don't have to scroll to consider each option is miles better.
- anywherenotes 8y ago
  It's the difference of getting the gold medal vs being in the Olympics basically. Both are great, gold is significantly greater though. For all the complaints that google and facebook and others get for collecting all the info on you, the nice part is when you use them, they show you exactly what you want. A company that doesn't collect your search/view preferences just can't do that.