Optimizing your website for Google is your first step, but it’s important to also consider the other top 3 search engines out there that can bring you targeted traffic: Bing, Yahoo, and the newest craze, DuckDuckGo. An online presence is one of the most important features for new businesses; thus, this may be a good time to see what other search engines are out there and how they could potentially benefit your small business. After all, who doesn’t love an underdog?

pie-chart

Above shows a great pie chart from Search Engine Watch that shows visually the breakdown of other search engines. And so without further ado, below outlines 3 alternative search engines to Google and how they can help your business:

  1. Bing

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Seeing as how it’s the second most used search engine on the Internet after Google (aside from YouTube), Bing seems like a good place to start. Here are some of the benefits of turning to Bing instead of Google:

  • Bing has better access to social data like Twitter and Facebook, unlike Google that has to rely on Google+.
  • After typing in an item you want to search, Bing gives really helpful categories and suggestions on the left-hand side of the page.
  • Bing also comes out on top of Google in terms of local searches.
  • Bing has a lot of interactive features that other search engines are lacking.
  • Bing can directly help your business by allowing users to create an account with Bing Places. Therefore, when a person searches for something related to your business (whether by name or keyword) your listing will show up on Bing’s SERPS. (To be fair, Google also does this through My Business– but who says you have to choose? Set up an account with both to maximize your Internet traffic).
  • The Bing SEO Analyzer will give you a report of your current SEO strategies.
  • The Bing Webmaster Tool will help you improve your website to increase traffic and visibility to your page (again, just like Google).

Still unsure if Bing is right for you? Test it yourself on Bingiton.com. This is a great website to help you see which search engine you prefer and why Bing might be the right choice in terms of usability and your audience.

  1. Yahoo!

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Yahoo! Is the 3rd most used search engine on the Internet, and it has some great features that are definitely worth investigating. The ones I found to be most relevant are:

  • Yahoo answers!: You have access to millions of people to help you problem solve whatever issue you’re dealing with. I’ve also used it on numerous occasions when I’ve struggled with various technology-related issues, and I’ve found it to be a quick and fairly reliable source for information.
  • Yahoo! is very generous in that it gives its users free access to the Yahoo! User Interface Library, which if you’re not familiar is full of code like JavaScript. You can use this to make your web page more elaborate and interactive, and hopefully grow your business.
  • Yahoo! mail: It’s 100% encrypted, and users get 1TB of storage for free. Or, you have the option to pay for Yahoo! ad-free mail. Although this costs a small fee, there are no ads and your account can’t be deactivated by Yahoo!. This makes it a more reliable email system for business owners.
  • AAbaco Small Business (formerly known as Yahoo! Small Business): this allows you to create a website, sell products, advertise locally, and expand your business. It’s definitely worth checking out if you’re new being a Webmaster. Below shows a screenshot of the homepage:

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  1. DuckDuckGo

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DuckDuckGo is a startup (and personal favorite of many in the tech world) that gives a solution to one of Google’s biggest problems: Privacy (or lack thereof). I’m sure there are people out there who love when they type 3 letters into Google’s search engine and it returns results for their current address, type of car they drive, favorite food, and genealogical background, but many actually find this uncomfortable and like an invasion of privacy.

DuckDuckGo is a great alternative because they do not use or preserve data from their consumers.   This gives patrons back their fundamental right to privacy, which I appreciate. Their homepage even proclaims this as their tagline:

It certainly makes me hopeful that my future won’t be dominated my Internet giants who know my every move before I even do. That alone is worth checking out DuckDuckGo in my opinion, but if you’re not sold yet here are some other positives:

  • There are currently no ads to distract you from your intended target.
  • All the search results show up on one page. This doesn’t limit the number of results, however. New ones load as you scroll to the bottom. This is called infinite scrolling, which was made most popular by Facebook.
  • There are numerous keyboard shortcuts to make searching faster and more simple; go here for a list of some of the most useful ones if you’re into that.

So the next time you’re looking for information, trying to start a website, or just get your business off the ground, check out one of these alternative search engines. They’re great to use as a consumer and great to dig into deeper if you’re looking to reach new audiences. Optimization can be generally the same as for Google, so you shouldn’t have to do much extra work, you just have to get involved and start using the engines through setting up local accounts and creating PPC ads.

Is there an engine other than Google that has given you better results for your business? Do you like using one better than another when searching? Let us know in the comments below.