Google alternatives – So many choices
We all do it – Start with Google, get some answers, and stop there. But, as you’ve read here, I’m a big fan of using Google alternatives, because other search engines offer us, well, alternatives. Maybe you need something more private or more streamlined, or you want to do some good while searching the web. Perhaps you’re looking for “what else”–what could be missing from Google.
Since this topic appears to be a reader favorite, it’s time for a fresh list of alternatives. In this post, they don’t follow a particular theme, and, in fact, my list highlights the variety of options you have when trying out new search engines:
MetaGer – Based in Germany and run by a nonprofit, this is a metasearch engine, which means it pulls results from multiple search engines, rather than just its own index. My test searches brought some interesting results in an uncluttered format, and I recommend MetaGer when you want to see what else is out there.
refseek – This academic site eliminates the commercial results and sponsored links and is useful when you really want to learn, not buy. It covers web pages, books, encyclopedias, journals, and newspapers. Also try some other academic search engines, including 1findr or Google Scholar (I know – still a Google product).
Listen Notes – Use this to help you find new podcasts instead of just relying on a general purpose search engine or your podcast app. Search show notes and audio transcripts for people, places, or topics, and create your own playlists. It definitely speeds up the process of podcast exploration.
It’s not enough to create a search engine these days. Now we also want to support a cause. At Ecosia, your searches help plant trees, and, at Ekoru, you are cleaning up the oceans. For some of these benefits, though, you need to click ads for the companies to donate, but at least you’re helping a cause.
Find Sounds – Here’s a Google alternative I wish I knew about a long time ago when a client asked for sounds that they needed for product development and marketing. Find Sounds, as the name implies, helps you find sounds and sound effects by using keyword searching or clicking through categories. The problem is spending too much time listening to the sounds of birds and the ocean.
Let me know how you like these. What unique Google alternatives have you found lately?
