Google is the dominant search engine for more than 65 percent of web users. Yahoo and Bing are splitting the rest of the market share. It seems like the world of search engines would stop there but there are other options out there. The most successful Web professionals know to look elsewhere for more diverse, accurate or relevant search results. Here is a list of search engines to use to expand your results.
- Blekko: Blekko is a user-driven website that uses slashtags. A Slashtag is a tool to filter search results. Rather than search the entire web, a Slashtag allows you to search just the sites you want searched. Blekko users create, update and maintain the slashtags.
What should you use Blekko for? If you want to narrow broad searches, search within your favorite sites, or to access recent material and web data. It will provide more relevant and accurate results. - DuckDuckGo: DuckDuckGo is the master of instant search. Definitions, local search results, Wikipedia entries all appear within the search engine so that you can get answers without clicking on the link. DuckDuckGo also allows you to search by meaning so you can look for information on apple the fruit, without seeing results from Apple the company.
What should you use DuckDuckGo for? If you want a definition or an address quickly. If what you are looking for has several different meanings. - Greplin: For Greplin to work you have to open an account and authorize it to search through your social media sites, email or web apps. It then looks through messages, tweets, facebook posts, dropbox documents or any other place you authorize Greplin to go.
What should I use Greplin for? If you are all over the web and are the cluttered type, Greplin will help you find your personal data. - Wajam: Wajam is also a socially driven search tool but it is different from Greplin. Wajam works on the principle that “great minds search alike”. It makes searching more personal by adding results from your friends to Google or Bing. Wajam helps you recover links shared by your friends or follower directly in your search engines. Just add the Wajam extension to your browser and you will start seeing the results.
What should you use Wajam for? If you are active on many social media platform and have interesting friends or followers. - Quora: Simply put, Quora is a question-and-answer site. Users can ask questions, provide answers and add information to any question. The website will become a reference for topical information.
What should you use Quora for? If you want a person’s opinion and expertise in a well-organized manner.
