DuckDuckGo vs Google: which is better? This article will break down the two search engines and the benefits and drawbacks of each. Google has been dominating the search engine realm for almost two decades providing instant answers and results based on their evolving algorithm. However, a less controversial and safer search engine, DuckDuckGo, has proven it’s worth in recent years.
DuckDuckGo, like Google, is a search engine whose primary focus is on privacy and keeping your data safe. In recent years, Google has been under fire for leaking user’s data. DuckDuckGo was created in 2008 and hasn’t been labeled as a true competitor of Google. In this article, we will discuss seven reasons why DuckDuckGo is better than Google, how their business model works as well as some drawbacks.
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Benefits of DuckDuckGo vs Google
DuckDuckGo vs Google: here are the seven reasons why DuckDuckGo is better than Google and why many users prefer switching to the DuckDuckGo browser as their default search engine:
DuckDuckGo Doesn’t Track You
What many people don’t know is that their actions such as search history on the internet are tracked, packaged, and sold to advertisers. This practice is called behavioral advertising. This is why you always see Google ads pop up of things you’ve been searching for, or even saying out loud. Google will tailor personalized ads for you to try to make as much money as possible.
For example, if you search t-shirts in Google, the results can be from places you recently shopped at or browsed. A common feature of Google is incognito mode. Many people think it’s safe but that’s not true, employers and the government can still see it which makes the name very misleading. DuckDuckGo protects you from the government, no matter what mode you are in.
!Bangs
DuckDuckGo has a unique feature where you don’t even need to use their search engine to search the web. This feature is called Bangs. Basically, you put the “!” punctuation mark followed by which site you want to search on. For example, to quickly search something on Wikipedia, then you type “!w duckduckgo” in the URL bar. This will skip the process of going through DuckDuckGo to search for a Wikipedia page. Each website has its own shortcut, !tw for twitter, !a for amazon, and even !g for Google. Bang Shortcuts has 13,000 different bangs. This feature makes it seamless to browse the web in seconds.
Unbiased Results
If you’re browsing the web on Google, whether it’s looking for food or doing research, Google will present you with biased results. This means that they can hide certain things from certain people. Did you know that 53% of organic search clicks go to the first link? Therefore, you are sometimes not getting the best results and just the ones based on your profiles. The same goes for your political leanings, where Google can display certain sites based on your location and political stance. This phenomenon is known as a filter bubble. DuckDuckGo doesn’t put their users in a filter bubble and give you unbiased results.
Ads Are Minimum
We all find ads annoying, but they are necessary for search engines to make money. With a billion-dollar company like Google, they can generate revenue through other services. So, you would expect them to not run as many ads. Right? However, it’s the opposite. Google not only has an abundance of ads, but also ones that are meant to track you. DuckDuckGo has minimal ads and ones that are non-tracking.
How do the ads on DuckDuckGo work you may ask? Well, instead of showing you results of items tailored to you, it will just be generic and based on your search. For example, if you search “computer,” computer ads will pop up. But DuckDuckGo won’t just show you the Macs you were Googling earlier.
Control over Personal Information
Many people use search engines for medical advice. This subject is sensitive for some people and they wouldn’t appreciate personal data coming out. Google, for example, can take your search and later advertise to you specific medications related to what you searched. DuckDuckGo is against this. They even show their passion against this by donating money to organizations who strive to make the internet a better place for everyone.
No Ecosystem
Google has bought a lot of companies over time. Therefore, they usually advertise their own sites as top results. For example, they have Google Places instead of Yelp, and Google Products instead of Amazon. Google is basically trying to take over the world and will show off their products first, no matter if others rank ahead of it. In this sense, they have built an ecosystem where they recycle their own sites throughout the web more than ones that rank higher. Some people say that you shouldn’t buy into the Google ecosystem. DuckDuckGo doesn’t want to have an ecosystem. Their goal is to prioritize the user and their needs.
Privacy
As technology has advanced, the idea of privacy seems to be non-existent in a world with telephones and cameras. The place people are most vulnerable is on the internet, where we put in our card details when buying something online, or saving our passwords on our computers. Everything is online now: bank accounts, work, personal files, etc. DuckDuckGo’s whole premise is a safer and more secure browser that protects the consumers from big companies looking to take and sell their information. That’s why DuckDuckGo is superior, because it is working to keep its users safe.
After reading the seven reasons why DuckDuckGo is better than Google, you can notice a common theme. DuckDuckGo is based on privacy and keeping search queries and user data safe. Some people don’t realize how important this is. Google is not showing true search results at times and displays certain websites depending on who you are. This isn’t what a search engine should do.
Drawbacks of DuckDuckGo vs Google
Although DuckDuckGo seems like a more dominant platform than Google, there are some drawbacks to DuckDuckGo. Yes, data and privacy are important, but the Google search engine offers a lot more in terms of services. Here are a few drawbacks of DuckDuckGo vs Google.
Fewer Features
We previously talked about the Google “ecosystem” and the services they provide for free. Google has a huge amount of services provided free to the user like Google Drive, Google Maps, and Gmail. DuckDuckGo don’t have anywhere near as many features as Google does. Google My Business is a feature that allows any business to post their website on Google for free. Google owns YouTube, so you can use your Gmail account with your YouTube account, making it easier to manage your accounts. These services are valuable to consumers and will make them lean towards Google because of how useful and practical it can be.
No Personalization
Google is known to have many creative features that allows users to change their browser look. You can change the background picture of your home page and even the color of the browser as a whole. DuckDuckGo doesn’t have this type of personalization compared to Google.
Fewer Results
Because Google owns 90% of the search engine index online, they have access to much more resources and abilities with their software. DuckDuckGo doesn’t reach the same amount of results that Google can. Google’s Advanced Searching is a feature that makes searching for specific things easy. Some users complain that the search results on DuckDuckGo were worse than Google, but that is just a personal preference.
DuckDuckGo vs Google: Which One is Better for You?
We compared the search engines of DuckDuckGo and Google and presented the reasons why DuckDuckGo is better. But each person’s needs are different when it comes to what they need. If you are someone who values their privacy and wants a safer browser where your information isn’t taken, then DuckDuckGo is the best option.
However, if you are a user who doesn’t mind the ads and enjoys the services and features of Google, then the Google search engine is most likely the better option for you. Technology has advanced so much that anyone can get your information.
In this article we discussed the seven reasons why DuckDuckGo is a better search engine than Google. DuckDuckGo has many features like endless scrolling and Bangs, which make navigating the web easier. But the main appeal of DuckDuckGo is its emphasis on privacy and keeping user data safe. Other search engines, including Google, track what websites you go to and what you do on the web, they then take this information and sell it to advertisers.
That’s why sometimes you see ads that are very applicable to you. DuckDuckGo hides all your information from the government and advertisers so you’re not at risk. You can freely search the web with any health questions or other things you want to keep private. Although DuckDuckGo is better, it comes with drawbacks like lack of personalization and services compared to Google. At the end of the day, it’s up to the user’s choice to pick what’s best for them.
Whether you are a business owner or consumer, picking the best search engine may be difficult. Here at SEO Design Chicago we specialize in digital services, social media and SEO. Reach out to us with any questions!
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