The 40 search engines you should know
We are all used to using Google when we search the internet, aren't we? However, there are 39 other search engines just as efficient as Google. Like Google, they allow you to search for anything and everything, and for different purposes. For example, some people use these search engines to follow news in their field of expertise, while others use them to monitor their online reputation. What about you? What do you usually search for on the internet?
To begin with, I have listed the main search engines, those that most of us are used to using.
The usual search engines
These seven search engines that will follow are particularly known for their performance:
DuckDuckGo
Do personalized searches bother you? If so, I recommend tryingDuckDuckGoIt does not track or personalize search results. iOS users are familiar with DuckDuckGo. In Safari, they can even set it as the default search engine (whether on mobile or MacOS).
Even those who are not completely fans of Apple products are still free to use it!
Search Encrypt
His name says a lot about him: Search EncryptThe searches conducted on this search engine are encrypted, meaning they are confidential. You don't have to worry about personalizing search results based on your cookies or personal data.
You can also use Search Encrypt for searching for media, specifically images and videos.
Ecosia
Ecosiais an ecological search engine. The platform has partnered with organizations that aim to preserve the environment. Therefore, for every search entered, a tree is planted. If you want to contribute, all you have to do is conduct your searches on EcosiaEcosiaHowever, it is inspired by Bing's algorithm for its searches.
What do you say about contributing to the protection of the environment? You can do this through Ecosia, without necessarily getting your hands dirty or crossing mountains and valleys... In fact, with every search you make, a tree is planted somewhere. All you have to do is to launch your usual searches, making sure to do it on Ecosia.
Ecosia donates its surplus revenue to various environmental organizations that plant trees. For the actual search, Ecosia uses Bing and its own search algorithms.
Dogpile
Now suppose you don't have much time on your hands, but you absolutely need to find something and get the best results in a timely manner. You need toDogpileIt compiles the best results from three major search engines.
Imagine doing it manually (searching for the same thing on DuckDuckGo, Google, and Searh Encrypt and then synthesizing the results). It would be a real waste of time.
Blekko
You may have noticed that some search results on the internet contain spam. Fortunately, there is a way to avoid them: using Blekkocomme moteur de recherche. Blekkose concentre sur la qualité, et non la quantité. Il présente ses résultats en fonction des sources et non des liens.
WolframAlpha
In case you are looking for a search engine based on statistics, you haveWolframAlphaIt will provide you with all the numerical data you need on a website, information by date, unit conversions, sports statistics, and much more.
Gigablast
A journey through time, does that speak to you? Thanks to the slightly retro look of Gigablast, you will feel like you can travel through time. It's true that sometimes it doesn't do things correctly. But let's focus on its positive points:
fast results
features similar to Google Instant
The platforms dedicated to data and statistics
I talked about WolframAlpha earlier, but there are obviously 3 other sites known for specializing in searching for numerical data.
CrunchBase
Let's say you are looking for information about a brand or a company. By entering the name of this brand in the search barCrunchBase, you will immediately have the list of people associated with it, their contact information, any possible videos...
SimilarWeb
Are you curious about a specific website or application, and want to learn more about it (from a statistical point of view)?SimilarWebMeets your expectations. It includes the total number of regional visitors, on a monthly basis. It also shows the number of page views (on mobile and desktop), demographic data, other similar sites attracting an audience..
BuiltWith
For those who are curious to know which technology their favorite websites use and what the trends are in the use of this technology, they need toBuiltWithAll you have to do is insert the domain in the search bar, and there you go, all the technologies used (ranging from CMS to coding, through widgets and many others) appear!
Search engines integrated into social networks
Every social network has search engines. The ones that interest us the most (because they are very popular) are Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
Search engine on Facebook
Facebook is no longer just a social network where you spend good time. By using it wisely, it is all to your advantage! Hence the advanced search integrated into it. It works like all searches, but once you have entered a query and hit enter, click on "see more results", at the bottom of the suggestions. This is where everything becomes more interesting: use filters (by person, page, location, group ...).
LinkedIn and its various search engines
If you are a recruiter, search for the suitable profile
Certainly, LinkedIn is a professional platform, but it doesn't do everything on its own. Adding contacts is entirely up to you. It must be done strategically. That is why LinkedIn has implemented an option for advanced profile search.
Recruiters will find what they are looking for on LinkedIn. They will be able to base their search on specific criteria (years of experience, age, etc.). Those with a premium subscription will obviously benefit from more advantages: a more targeted search. There are additional filters (company size, group membership, etc.).
What about job seekers?
If you are looking for a new job, search for an interesting position
Advanced searches can also help you if you are looking for new opportunities. Enter the desired job title in the LinkedIn search engine, and you will have several proposals. A filter by salary is available for premium accounts.
If you want more traffic, use Answer LinkedIn
Getting known on Linkedin is not as complicated as it seems. Get help from tools like Answer LinkedIn. It is an advanced search for answers, meaning it will help you find ideas for questions that internet users would like to see addressed.
The search engine of Twitter
Like any social network, Twitter also has its own advanced search engine. However, this is particularly interesting for businesses targeting a local audience.
Specialized search engines
Search engines have not finished revealing their surprises yet. There are indeed other more specialized search engines.
Keyhole
See how hashtags, keywords, and @mentions are very popular right now. And it's for a good reason: to help your posts gain popularity! However, Keyhole allows you to search for these elements (hashtags, keywords, mentions, and URLs). By entering the URL of your post into the search engine, you will see how it has been shared on social media.
Social Mention
OnSocial MentionIn SEO, the search is much more extensive. Your searches will be extended to multiple types of networks, including blogs, microblogs, comments, events, images, news, and much more.
Buzzsumo
Sometimes we run out of ideas for our blog article topics. And you? But in those moments, I turn to BuzzsumoYou can search for trending topics on a specific theme, thanks to it. Enter a keyword in the search bar and you will have everything you need. For full functionality, it is better to go for the paid version.
Those dedicated to Documents, eBooks, and Presentations
Google Advanced Search
Which search engine do you think allows you to search for specific types of documents? It isGoogle Advanced SearchDo you want PDFs on a specific topic? Just enter this criteria in the advanced search. The same goes for other types of documents (Word or PowerPoint), just specify it in the search filters.
Scribd
For original content, I recommendScribdIt is known for being the largest social network for reading and publishing on the internet. When the results appear, you can still sort them by category, language, length, file types, download date, and cost (don't worry, some are free).
SlideShare
SlideShareis the largest presentation sharing community. Suppose you missed a conference or webinar. All is not lost, there is a good chance that the slides of your favorite speakers are available on SlideShare.
Image search engines
An image is worth a thousand words. But before publishing an image, the least you could do is check if it is copyright-free or not. To avoid wasting too much time, why not immediately search for copyright-free images? Flickr, Pinterest, Bing, Google, and Tineye are some options.
Flickr
Photos, screenshots, illustrations or even videos... there are all kinds on the websiteFlickr!
Who doesn't know this very popular image platform? There is everything on itPinterest, ranging from clothes to cars, through interior decorations, DIY and many more... Just make sure not to get hold of copyrighted works. Finally, to truly have an overview of everything in there, you need to have a Pinterest account.
Bing
The trendiest images of the moment are available on BingI assume that if you are looking for images, you have a specific idea in mind? That's why Bing offers search filters (by size...). It also displays tabs above the results with related search queries.
TheAdvanced image search by GoogleAllows you to obtain even more precise information about the images you are looking for. For example, you can specify if you are looking for photos, gifs, illustrations, etc.
TinEye
Sometimes we search for images that we already have on our hard drive, but we want to check where they come fromTinEyeThis can be useful in this case. You need to import the image in question into the TinEye search bar, and the engine will take care of finding the image.
For royalty-free images
Unless you have advanced knowledge in photography and you will be taking the photos yourself to put on your websites, I advise you to look for royalty-free images.
Creative Commons
In one request, thanks toCreative CommonsYou will have the results from the various platforms that we have just listed, including Flickr, Google Images, Wikimedia, and YouTube. The media can then be reused as you wish, whether in their raw state or modified.
Wikimedia
Here, you will have the choice between browsing by category, or entering a specific query in the search barWikimediaYou will be spoiled for choice, as more than 12 million files are stored there, including obviously all types of media: images, sounds, videos..
Video search engines
Two scenarios may arise: you are looking for videos to put on your website, or you are looking for videos for entertainment. Regardless, the important thing is that there are search engines specialized in finding videos.
Yahoo
Different videos on various topics are available on YahooIn turn, the latter draws the videos it offers from YouTube, Dailymotion, Metacafe, Myspace, Hulu..
360Daily
360 Daily has the same concept as Yahoo. It does not limit itself to YouTube as a source of its videos. On the contrary, it expands its searches to larger platforms such as Hulu. Unfortunately, it no longer exists. The good news is that it offers other search engines, but the one that interests us the most, among those it offers, is allmovies.com.
AOL Videos Search
In general, internet users useAOL Videos SearchTo stay up to date with the best clips of the day. Other types of videos are also available there.
Google Video
Google Videois much more than just a simple video search. I find that it offers an advanced search option. You can indeed use filters during your searches, and thus find videos based on their duration, publication date, etc.
Google's advanced search engines
Sometimes, simple searches do not meet our expectations. It is precisely in these cases that we must step up our game and try advanced searches.
Google Advanced Search
Google alone is already efficient. It is used by billions of users daily. So imagine the effectiveness of itAdvanced searchthat it offers. Don't forget to fill in all the fields indicated to have the most accurate results possible in the search results.
Google Scholar
Even if you are no longer students, Google Scholarcan be of great help to you. It contains intellectual works of all kinds: articles, theses, books, summaries, etc.
Google Books
Searching for book excerpts or an entire work (usually in PDF format) is easily done through the advanced search engine: Google Books.
Google Search Features
Google was not only designed for professional use. Even for simple things in everyday life, it is an essential tool: city schedules, sports results, local listings..
Forum Search
One of the best ways to promote your business is to be responsive. Forums are there to help you. But among all those that exist on the internet, which one is the most reliable? Here is a suggestion:
Boardreader
Thissearch engine It will help you search for topics that interest you in the field that interests you. You just have to type the appropriate keywords in the search bar, and the most recent results will appear first (available in multiple languages).
Find Blogs
Blogsearchengine.org
Better than traditional search enginesBlogSearchEngine.org is used to find blogs. Certainly, it is not at its peak, but the results are more accurate than those of traditional search engines.
Before you read this article, tell me honestly: have you ever heard of these 40 search engines? Either way, there is no best search engine. Just use the one that best fits your needs. For simple searches, Google is efficient. If you want more in-depth results, use the advanced search option. For more targeted searches (images, videos, etc.), you know what to do: use the appropriate search engines. What do you say now about sharing your discoveries of the day with your friends so that they can benefit from them in turn?