What Are the Best Alternatives to Google? How Brands Can Succeed Off Google Search

After I suppose again to my college days after we had been requested to finish analysis papers utilizing good old style books from the library, and I genuinely don’t suppose I may do this right this moment.

I’ve change into so accustomed to the vast accessibility of knowledge on the Web that I’m keen to do something to keep up that entry, together with risking inaccurate info or an inefficient expertise.

And I’m not the one one who feels this manner.

In HubSpot’s Consumer Trends examine surveying greater than 700 shoppers in January 2024, 78% of shoppers stated they seek for manufacturers on-line utilizing a search engine like Google, and 79% use engines like google like Google to seek for solutions to questions, versus AI chatbots or social media.

Nevertheless, solely 51% discover engines like google like Google very efficient at answering their questions.

This implies many people blindly use Google as a result of it’s what we all know finest and never as a result of we expect it’s good at what we’d like it to do. However we don’t have to undergo anymore — there are tons of great search engine options that aren’t Google.

Desk of Contents

What to Look For in an Different to Google

Google has change into fairly an oversaturated promoting platform, and it is smart why. The platform can enhance model consciousness by as much as 80%, so it’s not surprising that 96% of brands use Google Pay-Per-Click Ads.

Whereas it’s nice as a enterprise proprietor or marketer to make use of this technique and can be helpful to shoppers as a option to uncover new manufacturers, I also can sympathize with the frustration of struggling to search out the perfect and quickest reply to a query as a result of I’m bombarded with solely barely related hyperlinks.

Subsequently, searching for search engine alternate options that restrict the advert expertise or help no adverts may be best to extend the effectivity and efficacy of your search journey.

2. Excessive-High quality Solutions

It’s fairly fascinating to me that, as a society, we’ve developed such a behavior of looking out queries on Google. In spite of everything, in my expertise, I not often obtain a direct reply to my questions on this search engine.

Sure, Google can direct me to numerous sources that doubtless have the solutions I’m searching for, nevertheless it solely often populates the perfect reply when utilizing its AI mannequin Gemini.

I’ve discovered that Gemini doesn’t at all times robotically weigh in on my search outcomes, so I then have to skim by varied hyperlinks and choose random web sites to return to conclusions.

Top search engines ought to do that work for me by analyzing all of the out there sources on-line and providing high-quality solutions to my questions.

3. Privateness

Privateness is an actual concern for a lot of shoppers. 75% of consumers agree that knowledge privateness is a human proper and that they need to have full management over how an organization makes use of their knowledge.

Whereas 85% of adults globally need to do extra to guard their on-line privateness utilizing companies like Google, 62% imagine it’s not possible to undergo their every day lives with out corporations like Google accumulating their non-public knowledge.

There’s a approach, although, to take extra management over your privateness: through the use of a search engine that emphasizes and makes a speciality of knowledge safety. This is a vital consideration when searching for Google alternate options.

4. Particular Options

Whereas the primary objective of utilizing a search engine is to seek for solutions and knowledge, many different traits can set a platform other than rivals.

As an illustration, some engines like google have an environmental focus and can put advert income in direction of eco-friendly causes, and the identical applies to all types of charitable causes.

There are additionally family-friendly engines like google, AI engines like google, news-focused engines like google, and lots of extra choices that may align along with your pursuits and wishes.

When you’ve assessed which of those issues are most necessary in your evaluation of recent engines like google, check out my listing of the perfect Google alternate options.

What are the perfect alternate options to Google?

1. Kagi

Kagi stresses high-quality, correct search outcomes with none adverts. To take care of its ad-free standing, the platform costs a subscription payment of $5 monthly which replaces the required income to run the platform that might in any other case come from promoting.

I arrange my account and opted for the free trial which permits for 100 search outcomes. Then, I used to be capable of customise the looks of the search engine in some ways.

After I up to date a few of these settings, I looked for my first check query.

What I Like

• Having the ability to customise my search expertise on Kagi is exclusive. I by no means realized how a lot of a distinction it makes once I can replace whether or not or not I see the web site’s icon or full URL within the search outcomes. This makes Kagi really feel very customized and user-centric.
• The interface carefully resembles Google, so it ought to be simple for customers to adapt to this new search engine.
• Somewhat than click on by a number of pages of search outcomes, I simply saved scrolling all the way down to see an increasing number of URLs. I loved this, as I’ve realized I typically get dissuaded from wanting past the primary web page of search outcomes on Google, which limits my outcomes.
• Kagi lists the date the web site was printed, which rapidly helps me determine if it’s acceptable to click on on.

What I Don’t Like

• It’s not best to should pay for a subscription, and I’m unsure many individuals will really feel inclined to take action when there are such a lot of free alternate options. Nevertheless, it is smart why they’ve this mannequin, to allow them to keep away from promoting — which is what many different companies like streaming companies do.

Pricing

• Starter plan: $5/month (300 searches monthly)
• Skilled plan: $10/month (Limitless searches monthly)
• Final plan: $25/month (Limitless searches + Kagi Assistant)

2. Mojeek

Mojeek just isn’t utterly ad-free because it does show some textual content adverts in search outcomes. Nevertheless, the adverts on this platform are based mostly solely on search key phrases and placement and never on any knowledge pulled from the person search engine.

Mojeek can also be a lot much less ad-intensive than different engines like google, like Google. It has its personal internet crawler and knowledge index. In contrast to Google, Mojeek has an unbiased advert platform the place manufacturers can place adverts immediately on and individually from main engines like google.

What I Like

• Mojeek may be very simple and no-nonsense. As quickly as I entered this search engine, I may instantly start looking out, so it was fast to study.
• Its interface additionally carefully resembles Google, making it simply recognizable.
• The “Summarize these outcomes” characteristic, which exhibits up on the precise aspect of the display screen beside the search outcomes, makes use of massive language fashions to generate a abstract of the search outcomes. It is a nice option to incorporate AI for these like me searching for it, whereas additionally offering a straight search engine expertise for others.

What I Don’t Like

• Mojeek offers choices to go looking the identical question with different engines like google, reminiscent of Courageous or Startpage. I discovered this fairly odd because it encourages customers to go away Mojeek for rivals.
• Since Mojeek isn’t totally ad-free, I don’t suppose it’s as spectacular an possibility as Kagi.

Pricing

Greatest Search Engines for Excessive-High quality Solutions

3. Perplexity

Perplexity is an AI search engine that collects, analyzes, and deconstructs info from varied sources to supply a high-quality, human-like response to any query or immediate. It’s greater than an everyday search engine as its AI energy means you don’t have to scroll by and skim varied hyperlinks to solutions.

Perplexity combines the communication and synthesis skills of a chatbot like ChatGPT with a search engine’s internet crawling and information-gathering capabilities to supply exact and detailed responses to any immediate.

What makes it a robust Google various is that it, too, doesn’t depend on an innate information base however can rapidly scour the web for related, associated sources to drag collectively its findings.

What I Like

• The interface is paying homage to ChatGPT, which is a plus for customers like me who’ve already mastered ChatGPT.
• Regardless of being an AI search engine, in contrast to another Google alternate options on this listing, Perplexity does promise correct solutions. It cites sources on the prime of every reply and all through its copy, so I can evaluation the supply materials myself.
• In comparison with common engines like google, Perplexity saves me a lot time. It’s far more environment friendly to obtain a simple reply relatively than clicking by a number of doubtlessly helpful hyperlinks on Google.
• Since Perplexity is AI-powered, it comprehends my questions and prompts — even when misspelled or grammatically incorrect — way more simply than Google, which frequently must ask me “Did you imply…?”
• Perplexity is at present ad-free. Whereas it has plans to introduce adverts sooner or later, it intends to integrate native ads into its “Associated Questions” part in a fashion that doesn’t disrupt the pure person expertise.

What I Don’t Like

• Among the smarter AI capabilities are solely out there for Perplexity Professional customers.

Pricing

• Normal plan: Free
• Skilled plan: $20/month

4. Wolfram Alpha

Wolfram Alpha is a search engine that focuses on computational information. It could present very detailed responses to questions associated to knowledge, math, sciences, and different factual subjects. As an illustration, I chosen the subject “Meals & Vitamin,” as seen beneath.

As you’ll be able to see, this highly effective engine can entry very particular, detailed details about all kinds of subjects. There’s info on this search engine that I by no means would have even thought to seek for.

Since this search engine is so clever, I did attempt looking out some primary inquiries to see how it will deal with them. First up, I checked the typical hire in New York Metropolis.

Subsequent, I attempted a extra area of interest query that I felt was nonetheless computational:

Lastly, I attempted one thing I’d mostly lookup on a search engine like Google, however was left empty-handed:

What I Like

• Wolfram Alpha definitely has high-quality solutions and a variety of kinds of solutions. As an illustration, for “Transportation” I used to be capable of finding out complete highway lengths in any given nation, gasoline value knowledge, varied computations on airways, knowledge on any area’s railroad methods, and way more.
• I may select from a set listing of subjects once I wasn’t positive what to seek for, which helped me hone in on a matter and use the pre-chosen examples to information my search.
• This search engine can be particularly useful for college students, professors, and researchers who have to study a number of details about a really particular topic.

What I Don’t Like

• As an everyday shopper, this search engine doesn’t present the solutions I might have every day. It was unable to understand most of my primary queries, that are the kinds of train-of-thought questions I might usually seek for on another search engine.
• It has an outdated look together with some blurry visuals.

Pricing

• Primary plan: Free
• Professional plan: $5/month (Consists of step-by-step options, elevated computation time, and calculator Net Apps)
• Professional Premium plan: $8.25/month (All options, together with precedence buyer help)

Greatest Search Engines for Privateness

5. Startpage

Startpage is exclusive as a result of it doesn’t have its personal index of internet sites or internet crawler. As a substitute, it acts as a intermediary between customers and different engines like google like Google.

The way it works is that it submits your query in your behalf to different engines like google, so that you could defend your anonymity. Subsequently, you’ll obtain Google and Bing search outcomes whereas sustaining your privateness from the info monitoring practices from which these engines like google revenue.

It’s principally the equal of looking out in “incognito mode,” however with out the trouble of getting to recollect to modify that mode on.

What I Like

• Startpage has a really intelligent privateness mannequin that helps it assure no cookies, trackers, web site fingerprinting, value monitoring or optimization, or social media monitoring.
• For customers who’re having a tough time letting Google go, however need elevated privateness, that is the proper possibility. You’re nonetheless getting the identical search outcomes as you’ll on Google or Bing whereas having Startpage carry out the trying to find you as a useful assistant.
• The interface is fashionable, smooth, and extra engaging than different engines like google I reviewed.

What I Don’t Like

• For those who’re seeking to change away from Google for another motive in addition to privateness considerations, this will not be the choice for you, because it’s principally the identical platform and search outcomes as Google.

Pricing

6. Brave Search

Courageous Search boasts safety and privateness whereas looking the web, which it manages to do by not monitoring customers or any of their searches. Courageous Search can’t share or promote private knowledge as a result of it by no means will get collected within the first place.

That is useful for individuals who work from public computer systems or networks. It can be engaging to these all for each privateness and AI, because the platform launched Answer with AI earlier this yr. This characteristic has rapidly change into one of many largest AI options.

What I Like

• Courageous Search has a typical look much like different search engine choices on this listing and main ones like Google.
• It prioritizes privateness with a fail-proof technique that enables for full person safety whereas nonetheless utilizing its personal unbiased internet crawler and index.
• The AI assistant, when ready for use, may be very clever and good at summarizing the numerous search outcomes right into a cohesive response.
• Whereas Courageous Search does help paid adverts, it ensures that the adverts are designed to be nameless and that the platform received’t report any person knowledge if customers view or click on on the adverts.

What I Don’t Like

• Reply with AI just isn’t out there for all queries, which was a bit disappointing for me. As an illustration, I searched “finest massive, leak-free water bottles” and was advised that AI was “unavailable for this question.” This may additionally discourage others who anticipate an AI assistant to at all times be efficient.

Pricing

• Normal plan: Free
• Premium plan: $3/month (Advert-free search outcomes)

Greatest Search Engines With Particular Options

7. OceanHero

OceanHero is an unbelievable search engine with an environmental objective. It generates income by search adverts and donates the proceeds to organizations like PlasticBank who’re devoted to accumulating plastic to wash up oceans.

OceanHero turns looking out right into a problem. You may work in direction of incomes as many shells as attainable. When you’ve collected 100 shells, your bottle counter will increase by one to disclose what number of ocean-bound plastic bottles you’ve helped rescue.

On common, 5 searches or 17 new tabs within the browser extension contribute to recovering one plastic bottle.

First, I had so as to add OceanHero as a Google Chrome extension.

Then, I adopted the directions to start utilizing OceanHero as my major search engine.

What I Like

• Since OceanHero will get added as a Google Chrome extension, it’s essentially the most pure Google various. I can search queries immediately in my Chrome search bar, and my looking expertise doesn’t change in any respect. My searches simply get entered by OceanHero, relatively than Google, making it a seamless transition.
• OceanHero has such an necessary objective that may be a pleasure to be part of. I’m going to be looking out varied questions and prompts every day anyway, so I could as nicely contribute to some constructive change whereas doing so!
• The concept of creating ocean plastic discount right into a recreation by having customers accumulate shells and bottles provides a enjoyable, aggressive edge to this search engine.

What I Don’t Like

• Having so as to add OceanHero as a browser extension could deter some of us from desirous to undertake it.
• Apart from its sturdy environmental mission, OceanHero nearly precisely resembles the Google looking out expertise, for higher or for worse.

Pricing

8. Swisscows

Swisscows is exclusive in that it boasts family-friendly content material, so customers can really feel assured in permitting their youngsters to make use of the search engine freely. As well as, this search engine has a charitable edge.

The guts icon on the prime of the browser retains monitor of a person’s variety of searches. The search engine states that, on common, 50 searches assist finance a meal for a kid. You may learn extra about Swisscows’ social tasks, impression, and donation alternatives here.

What I Like

• I initially anticipated Swisscows to have a kiddish look on account of being family-friendly, nevertheless it appears to be like like another search engine on this listing. This makes it extra interesting for adults who need to use this platform in addition to their youngsters.
• The social impression of Swisscows makes it a no brainer to make use of. I get to go looking my quite a few queries every day and know these random searches contribute to necessary social causes benefiting youngsters.
• The search outcomes are organized cleanly, with an icon picture to the left of the headline, a few strains of description, and, beneath that, a shortened URL, submit date, and the power to open up an nameless preview with an AI-based description. This format is in contrast to another I’ve seen and supplies you with as a lot info upfront as attainable.

What I Don’t Like

• I discovered this to be one of many slower web page load occasions of the various search engines I examined.
• For those who additionally need an ad-free expertise, this search engine does, sadly, embrace adverts.
• I additionally discovered that the “Advert” labels are small and on the backside of every hyperlink, relatively than on the prime like with Google, which may be deceptive.

Pricing

6 Suggestions for Succeeding Off Google Search as a Model

It might appear apparent, however a very powerful a part of your search engine technique ought to be creating content worthy of a search. In such a crowded market, with customers having to determine between dozens of sources with near-identical info, it’s troublesome to face out with out quality content.

Make use of SEO (SEO) to make sure you’re creating content material round subjects that customers are all for. And, whereas it’s necessary to include these key phrases, make sure that the language in your web sites, weblog posts, or different platforms feels genuine and pure.

As an illustration, once I write my HubSpot weblog posts, I combine my opinions and expertise, whereas nonetheless hitting key phrases, which ends up in customized and helpful content material. I additionally at all times write in my pure tone of voice to sound like my genuine self and never a robotic.

2. Diversify your key phrase technique.

Talking of keywords, it’s necessary to broaden the kinds of key phrases referenced in your content material. Whereas it’s simpler to plug single-word key phrases into any piece of content material, it may be extra worthwhile to include longer phrases.

Long-tail keywords are sometimes three or extra phrases and have decrease search volumes. Nevertheless, they make up a bigger proportion of searches when mixed and usually tend to end in conversions, because the key phrases are so particular.

3. Enhance your search rating with backlinks.

Backlinks are created when one other web site hyperlinks to your web site. For instance, this is now a backlink for Backlinko.

Backlinks are necessary as they’ll present customers that your content material is respected. One of the simplest ways to get backlinks is by giving them again to different trusted sources. Construct necessary partnerships with manufacturers for a mutually helpful relationship.

4. Replace your internet expertise.

As seen on this submit, every search engine has a distinct look and format. It will impression how your content material exhibits up in customers’ search outcomes. Subsequently, when concentrating on a brand new search engine, you should replace your content material’s internet expertise.

As an illustration, some engines like google like Kagi present the date of publication upfront in search outcomes, which inspires me to refresh my content material frequently so it seems latest and dependable.

Different engines like google like Swisscows embrace a photograph icon in search outcomes, so I might need to affirm I’ve a high-quality, clear, related picture chosen alongside the URL.

5. Take into account related, area of interest engines like google.

I discussed that there are engines like google with particular options and functions, like OceanHero and Swisscows. It may be to your profit to incorporate engines like google in your technique if their niches align along with your model’s area of interest.

I work at Nickelodeon, so I’d assume our crew has optimized our content material for family-friendly engines like google like Swisscows. If I had been to work at a nonprofit or AI firm, I’d equally need to embrace engines like google in these niches in my technique.

6. Keep up-to-date on search engine adjustments.

Whereas Google was not the primary search engine, it was an early contender and distinctive as a result of its founders, two PhD college students from Stanford College, developed PageRank, an algorithm that listed websites so as of the variety of hyperlinks to them.

Since then, dozens of recent engines like google have emerged with completely different focuses, algorithms, and options to issues. It’s crucial, as a model proprietor, to remain on prime of this ever-changing panorama and accordingly replace your search engine optimization technique.

In spite of everything, Google introduced its first AI system, RankBrain, in 2015. Lower than ten years later, there are numerous AI engines like google and normal engines like google with AI capabilities. Having an eye fixed on traits and bettering person expertise will at all times be a necessity.

The Seek for a New Search Engine