10 Search Engine Alternatives to Google

Stephen McCance June 10, 2014

Everybody knows that Google is the ‘go-to’ search engine for most people with the search giant accounting for 89.12% of UK searches, but what about the alternatives? Are there any? And, if so, what are they useful for?

Search Engines Alternatives to Google

Statistics are frequently released demonstrating that Google monopolise searches, but if you’re one of the countless people asking where the remaining 10.88% of users are going, then this article is for you! There are countless alternative search engines out there that can be used either as well as, or sometimes instead of Google – some are even arguably better depending on what you are looking to use them for. Here we have summarised 10 of the top picks.

1. Bing
Ok, so Bing is obviously well known and accounts for around 5% of the remaining searches that aren’t conducted on Google. Bing is particularly useful to the likes of us, digital marketers, as it can give a wealth of information when using advanced search operators. Bing is one of the only sources that gives an indication of OUTBOUND link information. Whilst there are many tools out there that can give accurate data on inbound links, outbound link data can be gathered easily from Bing. It is also a great tool for finding RSS feeds that are related to your search.

2. Boardreader
Another good one for digital marketing agencies is Boardreader. This handy search engine offers an easy way of searching forums and message boards for useful content related to your search. This is also really useful for social media marketers and enthusiasts as it makes finding and sharing useful information exceptionally easy.

3. DuckDuckGo
Labeled ‘the search engine that doesn’t track you’, DuckDuckGo is exactly that, a search engine that is completely anonymous. Unlike Google, DuckDuckGo offers up searches without a single personalised result in sight.

4. CC Search
Although not technically a search engine in itself, CC Search is a search aggregator that allows users to bring together search results from a number of sources at once, all in one place. Particularly useful for accessing large quantities of information quickly.

5. WolframAlpha
This unique search engine scours the web for facts, data and knowledge instead of the usual search results, making it the perfect solution for facts, figures and data as well as calculations.

6. Topsy
More than just a basic search engine, Topsy is the ideal source for searching and analysing the online social sphere. Particularly useful for results from Twitter, Topsy is able to search by time, as well as place and other useful information, making it perfect for discovering social influencers as well as the frequency with which certain terms appear.

7. Technorati
Using tags that are included on websites, Technorati collates information based on category and serves it up in date and time order with the most recent appearing at the top. This is extremely useful when looking for something time sensitive or news items.

8. BuzzSumo
If you’re looking for influencers on certain topics then this is the search engine for you. BuzzSumo identifies this as well as flagging up links that have been shared the most on social networks – making it the perfect tool for analysing how your competitors’ content is performing.

9. CrunchBase
This one is for people. Literally! If you’re looking to dig up some information about people or, in particular, startup companies, then this is the best place to look. CrunchBase has a wealth of information on startups and startup activity, including peoples’ profiles.

10. Quantcast
Last, but certainly not least in terms of usefulness, Quantcast is a hub for information involving user demographics. Anything from geographic information to lifestyle information is available through this search engine, making it perfect for digging up demographic and traffic information.

There you have it! Our 10 picks for the most useful search engines outside of Google. Obviously, in our humble opinion, Google is the most useful search engine overall, containing access to an unrivalled amount of information, but sometimes it doesn’t hurt to use a more specific search engine when looking for particular types of information.

Do you think we missed any? Get in touch and let us know what your favourite is.