DuckDuck go sucks, I'm going back to Google :(

[LuftWafflePilot]

I started using DDG maybe a year ago or a little earlier, and have recently noticed it was not giving me all the results. At first I was excited for not having sponsored shit that looked like search results mushed into my face first, but after recent findings I decided it was time to go back.
For example, there is a relatively new part for a bike shock that is slowly appearing on the market, and I know for a fact it is being sold here and there. I've been googling i by EAN and product number for way over a month, and didn't find much. Then I opened one of the czech eshops I have bookmarked and tried looking it up directly, and to my surprise it was there. Then it hit me, I opened google, looked up the EAN, and sure enough, there was a result pointing to this very eshop.
I have no idea what is DDG doing to the data, but this sucks big time, and I can only assume I missed a lot of important stuff when looking for whatever since I made the switch.
I hate Google, but I'd rather have real seach results mixed with annoying shit than useless results. Meh.

[RealityRipple]

Google's gotten measurably worse in the last two months. It's practically a reddit-centric search engine now, and I've never found a useful answer to a question from a reddit result.

I find it's best to hop between search engines with DDG as the front-line for regular stuff and Google for messier requests that DDG doesn't give any decent results for.

[suzyne]

In terms of results, I agree that DuckDuckGo is inferior to Google for various types of searches. But then, as a Pale Moon user, I'm clearly willing to use something that in several ways is not as good as some of the competition. So I use Pale Moon, but am ready and willing to use something else (right now it's Edge) when the need arises.

What I am trying to say is that I get a good feeling using DDG most of the time, but am ready to drop back to Google when necessary. Just because DDG can be rubbish at times, it doesn't mean I need to abandon it.

[Moonchild]

I almost always get good results with DDG and if I don't, I just use the google !g bang to one-shot a search to Google. Google has become crap though ever since they've started pushing "AI search" so I'm usually ending up ultimately trying aggregator searches when I have a difficult query.
I'm still looking into getting a Bing deal set up for the project, by the way. DDG won't go anywhere but the default would change to Bing in that case (2 clicks to change back to DDG if you don't want Microsoft to get your search telemetry).

[LuftWafflePilot]

I am still using DDG exclusively on my phone, because the mobile search results is something out of this galaxy. It's almost literally just ads for eshop or whatever. Fucking garbage.

What Moonchild describes (doing google search if something feels off) is certainly an option, but then I could just use google right away, because there really isn't a way for me to tell something is missing, unless I'm trying to look something I have knowledge of about.

This really pisses me off, but I feel like I have no other choice but to go back

[suzyne]

I feel like I have no other choice but to go back

Have you tried any other options?

What about the Brave, Ecosia, Qwant or Startpage search? It's not like just because DDG sucks, there's nothing else and it has to be Google and you have no other choice.

[Night Wing]

I do a lot of "detailed" searches on the subject of surfing whether it be for many different types of models for surfboards (longboards, 50/50 rails, 60/40 rails, square tails, pin tails, swallow tails, rocker, etc). These also include searches for different types of fins which include base length, length of fin, rake of fin, foil of fin, thickness, upright, swept back, tip flexibility, etc.

DDG does not cut the mustard for me. So I use two other search engines which gives me the results I am looking for and they are in order of preference:

1) Startpage
2) Google

[Moonchild]

Keep in mind that most "alternatives" do use the same web indices. The outlier there is Mojeek of the ones we offer by default in Pale Moon which uses 100% its own index. So if you are really looking for completely separate results, try using that.

[suzyne]

Sure, there are "alternative" search engines that heavily rely on Bing. But the four I listed are trying to do something a little different, and at least one of them is building their own database of content, so I would be surprised if Brave, Ecosia, Qwant and Startpage are merely regurgitating the same results anyone gets on DDG.

Mojeek looks interesting, but from my short time on it (a little while back) it felt small and a WIP. That's not to suggest that it isn't worth supporting or using, but I don't think I could use for all my searches. Maybe it has improved and I should revisit it?

[athenian200]

Google is only "good" because it's so dominant and everyone uses it. It's the data they get from users and the money they get from advertisers that makes them so good. It's hardly that their algorithm is superior or their overall experience in other ways is superior.

Your post actually highlights the exact reason why Google stays on top. It sucks and they make it worse every year, but collectively most people aren't willing to support a competitor that's not doing as well or better right out of the gate to help them get off the ground so we can actually have an alternative to Google. They just got too far ahead and have an effective monopoly because all the money and users flow to them, people can't imagine using anything else, and nothing else can keep up. In some ways, it's kind of like the struggle Pale Moon itself faces with Chrome. All the websites are designed around Chrome, users want those websites to work as designed, so they get frustrated with any browser that doesn't do everything in the same way Chrome does it and just use Chrome.

That said, I frequently use Bing, and I've never really noticed that Google was better at the kind of searches I do. I still compare them side-by-side sometimes, and it's rare that Google can find results for me when Bing can't. Google is slightly better at finding news articles that should be behind a paywall reposted to free blogs, and also stuff from much older websites that haven't changed in 20+ years, but other than that they are pretty close.

[Basilisk-Dev]

DuckDuckGo does suck indeed. I switched to Kagi a while ago and have never been happier with my search results. Kagi is paid though.

Also, convenient timing: Google loses massive antitrust case over its search dominance - https://www.npr.org/2024/08/05/nx-s1-50 ... ust-search

[andyprough]

I've been googling i by EAN and product number for way over a month, and didn't find much.

I've been getting best results for product numbers with SearX for quite awhile. DDG for day-to-day routine things. In DDG, put specific search terms like model numbers in +"search phrase" punctuation and you'll get much better results.

[van p]

Echoing Moonchild, I have a bookmark for Mojeek. In the Settings you can select a lot of search engines whose logos you want displayed right below the search box. You can use only one search engine at a time, but it would allow you to quickly search and compare results. Actually, I rarely use Mojeek, normally just using the default for whatever browser I'm using. I'm not usually searching for anything life-or-death, so what I get is normally good enough; also, of course, I detest Google.

[suzyne]

While I am content with DuckDuckGo because even though I know it's not great, I am ready to work within its limitations, I have been flirting with a different search.

On my phone, I have installed the Ecosia browser, and I am now using it for my searching and browsing. I admit, it's not like I am ever doing heavy-duty searches from a phone, but when I do need to find something, the idea (which as far as I can tell is 100% legitimate) of helping to plant trees is cool.

[LuftWafflePilot]

Google is only "good" because it's so dominant and everyone uses it. It's the data they get from users and the money they get from advertisers that makes them so good. It's hardly that their algorithm is superior or their overall experience in other ways is superior.

Your post actually highlights the exact reason why Google stays on top. It sucks and they make it worse every year, but collectively most people aren't willing to support a competitor that's not doing as well or better right out of the gate to help them get off the ground so we can actually have an alternative to Google. They just got too far ahead and have an effective monopoly because all the money and users flow to them, people can't imagine using anything else, and nothing else can keep up. In some ways, it's kind of like the struggle Pale Moon itself faces with Chrome. All the websites are designed around Chrome, users want those websites to work as designed, so they get frustrated with any browser that doesn't do everything in the same way Chrome does it and just use Chrome.

I really don't understand what are you trying to tell me.
The moment DDG fixes their crap I'm going back. Until then I'l go with that which I know works. DDG is not that. If they use the same data as Google, there is no reason why I shouldn't get the same results.
And in fact, I DID support the competitor. I couldn't imagine using anything else just like you wrote, I was way too used to Google search's interface/visuals, but then I said enough, I should at least try. I did for quite some time (don't tell me year is not enough), and in the end realized it was not what I expected. Hell, even czech regional search does give me results for the product I was talking about. No, there is no excuse. Google it is.

[moonbat]

You could use Startpage; it works as a Google proxy - that way Google won't personalize your results or build a profile based on what you search for. I've only used it instead of directly accessing Google for several years now.

[Lexx Diamond]

I use DDG primarily. Albeit, I also use Bing and Google from time to time if I suspect DDG, hasn't given me enough viable search results. The same way I use ten browsers and Palemoon, is my main browser. The world wide is web quite vast and some virtual terrains are best traversed with the best equipped means for doing so. I personally won't involve myself a browser that doesn't entertain the addition of Ublock Origin. Protect yourselves at all time folks. Some of those Internet streets can be unforgiving like NYC in the 1970's.

[LuftWafflePilot]

So after using Google for about a week, I remembered another reason why I switched to DDG: It's so fucking slow in PM I want to smash things. just like Youtube and FB, it's a complete pathetic lag fest.
And what's more, the retards changed it so that you get "all" results by default instead of web, so instead of let's say questionably ordered search results I get a full page of pictures, video previews, shopping shit and whatnot, followed by actual links you'd expect. That also makes the whole thing even more laggy than before. I couldn't find any setting that would change the default category to "web" (there's a tab/link for that at the top of the page).
Fuck this shit.
Really, WTF are they thinking?

[ron_1]

Not sure how they do things, but you can also try:

Swisscows
Mojeek
Startpage

[adoxa]

https://udm14.com