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I've just checked the "there are no ads on DDG" and saw half of the content space taken by Wikipedia-sourced infobox, half by ad, searching for "insurance". Int

by lrem 7y ago

I've just checked the "there are no ads on DDG" and saw half of the content space taken by Wikipedia-sourced infobox, half by ad, searching for "insurance". Interestingly enough, Google shows me no ads for the same query (whole screen of local maps, then related queries, then organic results). "Car insurance" though ;) Disclaimer: I do work in Google, but nowhere near anything user visible (I'm developing SRE infrastructure).

kiwijamo 7y ago
Did a DDG search and there are no ads. Just the Wikipedia infobox and a list of insurance companies in my country (and the Wikipedia article for Insurance at #3). It makes a very good starting point for someone wanting to get quotes from a range of companies etc. Google's results is interesting though as it starts with one insurance company only (ad placement? It doesn't show it as a ad tho but it looks and feels like one given it's isolated from the rest of the results after the fold). It is then followed by a map which is an odd choice as generally most people in my country manage their insurance online or over the phone. Then below the fold more companies can be found but with media stories(?!) thrown in as well interrupting the flow. It's been a long time since I've used Google as my daily driver and I'm gobsmacked at how badly it executes this query. It used to be very good but no longer. I have used DDG for some years now and it generally works just fine for me. This limited experiment in going back to Google has made me happier with DDG as my default search engine.
gpanders 7y ago
I didn’t think DDG claims to be ad-free, merely tracking free. They still have to keep the lights on, after all.
toyg 7y ago
With adblockers on, I get no ads on either engine. With adblockers off, I get 2 ads on DDG and 4 on Google. I suspect your adblocker is just more targeted towards Google.
- lrem 7y ago
  That was Google Chrome on Android without any ad blocking.

by lrem 7y ago

kiwijamo 7y ago

Did a DDG search and there are no ads. Just the Wikipedia infobox and a list of insurance companies in my country (and the Wikipedia article for Insurance at #3). It makes a very good starting point for someone wanting to get quotes from a range of companies etc. Google's results is interesting though as it starts with one insurance company only (ad placement? It doesn't show it as a ad tho but it looks and feels like one given it's isolated from the rest of the results after the fold). It is then followed by a map which is an odd choice as generally most people in my country manage their insurance online or over the phone. Then below the fold more companies can be found but with media stories(?!) thrown in as well interrupting the flow. It's been a long time since I've used Google as my daily driver and I'm gobsmacked at how badly it executes this query. It used to be very good but no longer. I have used DDG for some years now and it generally works just fine for me. This limited experiment in going back to Google has made me happier with DDG as my default search engine.

gpanders 7y ago

I didn’t think DDG claims to be ad-free, merely tracking free. They still have to keep the lights on, after all.

toyg 7y ago

With adblockers on, I get no ads on either engine. With adblockers off, I get 2 ads on DDG and 4 on Google. I suspect your adblocker is just more targeted towards Google.

lrem 7y ago
That was Google Chrome on Android without any ad blocking.