Discussing the Modern Search Engine, Part 1

Google is a tool that everyone uses to varying degrees, but the reality is that Google is but one search engine. There are others out there, and while they perform similar functions, there is a reason why Google is synonymous with web browsing. Let’s take a look at why Google is so popular, as well as how it works to give you the best search results.

Google is By Far the Most Popular Search Engine

As of this blog article, there are more than 99,000 searches per second on Google, accounting for over 8.5 billion searches every day. That is more than 92% of all Internet searches. People use Google like it’s a thing you do, i.e. “I’ll Google It,” and there is a good reason why this is the only search engine to receive this special treatment.

Why is Google the Most Popular?

The major reason is accuracy. Google has the most accurate search results, calling on information provided by the user to provide the best search results out there. It does this in record speed, as well, crawling through 30 trillion web pages to give you the best results you can imagine in less than half a second.

Google is not infallible, though. It can be tricked through means of search engine optimization to provide answers that may or may not be helpful to the user. Furthermore, online threats can manipulate Google under the right circumstances. Despite these flaws, Google still sits head and shoulders above the competition in terms of result quality.

Your Searches Are Customized
No two users have the same Google experience. Since Google pulls all sorts of variables into the algorithm to get the best results, two people with similar tastes and searches in different geographic locations and life circumstances could get wildly different results. Google provides the best results for the user based on these contexts.

Of course, this can also be a problem under certain conditions. Research has been done into what is called the filter bubble, a phenomenon that is created when an individual sees, reads, and hears only what they want to see, read, or hear. Since Google wants to show you stuff that you are interested in, you’ll more often than not see things that you agree with rather than things you do not agree with. While this is great for validating your opinion, it does little to broaden your worldview.

These algorithms are further utilized to show you information that you are more likely to interact with, and as you continue to engage with the content, Google will continue to show more and more of what it thinks you will like. Eventually, the results are so skewed in one direction that there is little hope of you seeing anything you won’t want to engage in.

Despite this, Google gets most things right, and you can bet that its majority market share is well-earned and well-deserved. Still, it doesn’t quite hold the same supermajority it once did when it brought in 98 percent of the search results on the Internet.

But You Do Have Options

With Google out of the way, we can discuss some of the lesser-known and less-popular platforms out there for search engines. Be sure to stay tuned.