Alternatives to Google Web Search
May 7, 2009
Abhijeet Mukherjee wrote “Ditch Google For A Day: 10 Amazing Search Engines to Try Out” here. This article provides a list of search engines that may be useful. The premised of the essay is to assert that a reader may want to set Google aside for a day or two and use these systems. I don’t want to reproduce the list. Please, visit the original write up. I would like to mention three of the systems and offer a brief comment.
First, Docjax is a metasearch system. I have noticed that Google’s coverage of PowerPoint files has been changing over the last year. There are fewer PowerPoints available and Google does not do a particularly stellar job of indexing the contents of presentations on services such as Scribd. Docjax may be useful to you. I find it helpful for certain queries.
Second, Yahoo Glue is one of those Yahoo search experiments that deliver some useful search features. I used Mindset, now removed from the Yahoo Labs’s site, for certain types of technical queries. I don’t like Yahoo Glue as well, but you may find that Yahoo is more useful with the Glue service. When I first saw Glue, I thought it was a variation on Google’s universal search.
Third, Freshbargains is a useful bargain search engine. I would classify this as a vertical search system. Some results are spot on, others less useful. Worth a shot when looking for deals.
In my opinion, none of these is a leap frog service, and I don’t any of these systems can scale like Google for a couple of reasons. First, the cost would be high and the economy is not too good in my view. Second, Google has a magnetic brand. Trucks of ad dollars would be needed to catch user’s attention.
Marginally better won’t close the gap between these systems’ market share and Google’s. That 10 year lead looks more formidable each day.
Stephen Arnold, May 8, 2009
Comments
3 Responses to “Alternatives to Google Web Search”
-
- Subscribe to Beyond Search
Feature archive
News archive
-
[…] Source: ArnoldIT […]
[…] Alternatives to Google Web Search […]
Nice post. Thanks for sharing. I have read another article about google web search and about its new click tracking.
Would like you to read. Here is the link –
http://www.webguild.org/2009/05/google-web-searchs-new-click-tracking.php
You might like it.