Google is not the only search engine to use and also to be found on by others today. Recently, I was checking my stats on Google Analytics and came across several different search engines besides Google that my site’s visits came from.
A few of them I recognized and a few I did not know about. I thought you may be interested too in these different search engines.
Google Remains the Biggest Search Engine
In the United States, the biggest search engine went down slightly according to these stats. Within the United States, Google makes up 87.78 percent of the US market share, compared to 91.45 percent worldwide.
However, with the last election and websites being banned and canceled many people started using other search engines to do their research.
People no longer wanted to be tracked by the big tech giants.
DuckDuckGo Became Popular
Next, along came DuckDuckGo on the rise in 2020. Many web users thought this was the safest search engine if they feared being tracked. DuckDuckGo became the fourth biggest search engine in the US after Bing and Yahoo search.
According to Oberlo DuckDuckGo now has a 2.56% share of the search engine traffic in the United States. This explains why Google is down in the US but not worldwide. (yet!)
Each time you search on DuckDuckGo, you have a blank search history, as if you’ve never been there before. They do not store your search history as Google does.
People downloaded DuckDuckGo’s browsers and browser extensions 20 million times in 2019 and are doing so at a rate of about 100,000 per day now, CEO Weinberg revealed.
According to CNET, DuckDuckGo is sharing data it’s collected about online trackers with other companies so they can also protect your privacy. Hmm, that doesn’t sound 100% safe to me, how about you?
Now, fast forward to March 11, 2022, and we learn that a conservative news site has been banned from DuckDuckGo. Let’s see how the popularity of this search engine wanes in the coming months.
StartPage Privacy
But to many, the surprise search engine came from the oldie but goodie Start Page. This search engine has been around for many years and is one of the safest for those that do not want to be tracked by big tech online.
According to its founder, Robert EG Beens, “Realizing the huge privacy consequences, I was horrified. I looked through some of these files and the searches that people had typed in – highly personal searches that others would have no business seeing – and that was my epiphany and the moment of realization: my gosh, this is terrible and extremely unethical!”
Hence, Robert began the StartPage search engine back in 2006 after realizing the privacy consequences of Google. The new search engine did well in Germany from the beginning.
That’s where people are most concerned about privacy. As a matter of fact, more users today from the United States are turning to this Google search engine alternative.
So today is #DataPrivacyDay. Let’s start a conversation. What have you done to protect your privacy online?#infosec #PrivacyPlease
— Startpage (@startpage) January 28, 2021
As you can see from the below tweet, StartPage uses zero tracking cookies! This is why it makes their alternative search engine the best for privacy when searching online.
We discuss this matter here. 1st party cookies can track you too!
FWIW, we use ZERO tracking cookies.https://t.co/u6fCBA5Kvj
— Startpage (@startpage) March 12, 2021
So you may be wondering, how does StartPage make any money? You get ads based on your search query, not your personal data.
As you can see from the below tweet, StartPage uses zero tracking cookies! This is why it makes their alternative search engine the best for privacy when searching online. #startpage #searchengines
Click To Tweet
Ecosia – Another Alternative Search Engine Besides Google
Now, if you are into saving trees and the planet, this different search engine other than Google is for you!
Ecosia is transparent about their financial reports so you can see how they make money and where it goes. Not only that, but they care about your privacy too.
They don’t sell your data to advertisers, nor do they have 3rd party trackers on their search engine. It’s a great alternative to use for different search engines besides Google.
And, What Browser Are You Searching On?
What is the difference between a browser and a search engine?
A browser is your access to the internet, and a search engine allows you to search the internet once you have access. You have to use a browser to get to a search engine.
Brave for Search Without Censorship
Many people use Google Chrome but if you are signed in Google can trace everything you do online. Others may use Microsoft Edge as it comes on many computers already installed. (However, there is not much you can do with Microsoft Edge if you are doing website work!)
I like using Brave for my browser unless I’m doing website work that needs Chrome. When I’m researching or searching online I love using the Brave browser.
Brave is easy to install on your computer and mobile device. Notice below how you can customize your browser experience too! Hence, you can have the news you want to appear in your browser instead of what Microsoft Edge shows you. I love that feature!
What Makes the Brave Browser Safer?
Brave loads major news sites up to six times faster than Chrome, Safari, and Firefox on mobile and desktop. They do this because they block harmful ads and ad trackers.
Other browsers claim to have a “private mode,” but this only hides your history from others using your browser. Brave lets you use Tor right in a tab. Tor not only hides your history but also masks your location from the sites you visit by routing your browsing through several servers before it reaches your destination. These connections are encrypted to increase anonymity.
Brave has this on desktop and on mobile devices! With Brave’s IPFS Integration you can browse without fear of censorship from outside influences. It works well on mobile as well.
Of course, when searching on Brave you can use different search engines besides Google. Go to settings, then search engines. Make your favorite search engine the default for search.
Watch the video below to learn more.
With Brave's IPFS Integration you can browse without fear of censorship from outside influences. #browsers #censorship
Click To Tweet
Your Turn on Different Search Engines Besides Google and Browsers
I’d love to know in the comments which search engines and browsers you are using today. Is privacy important to you? Let’s discuss this in the comments below.
