What do you do when you need to know the answer to something? Yes, you got that right. You Google it! This is the answer of almost 90 percent of people I asked.
You simply bring out your mobile phone, tablet, or laptop, and search the information that you need in just a few clicks.
Of the many search engines available on the internet, Google is the top choice for most people. They think that this is where they can find the answers to all their questions. This makes Google the biggest search engine that accounts for 92.37 percent of the market share worldwide. Wow!!! The number is really crazy! Google takes almost all the market share.
I’ve been mentioning “search engine” quite a lot, a term which I’m sure is not new for many people. But in case you are part of the small percentage of people who don’t know what a search engine is, let me tell you about it.
Search Engine is a facility permitting users of the internet through the World Wide Web (www) to look for content by simply typing in phrases or words that they would like to know about. In a split second, they will receive all the relevant results that are available in the internet.
That doesn’t sound difficult at all, right? Whether you’re looking for a recipe, a DIY project, or even a person, you can have all information you need with just a few clicks. If you think that things can’t get any easier than that, you have to read on.
For those who want to know how they can get more detailed answers to their questions, there’s Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for you. Now you’re asking, “What is Search Engine Optimization?” More specifically, “What needs to be optimized?”
SEO refers to techniques, strategies, and methods that are utilized to expand the number of visitors to a website. This is done by securing high–ranking placements in a search engine’s results page (SERP).
Google definitely has a strong presence in the Internet, almost everyone uses it. But what if you want to shift to other search engines? Are there any alternatives? Yes! There are many alternatives for you, like Bing, Yahoo, DuckDuck Go, and others. But if you are like me and are looking for a site that does not gather and store your personal information, try using Ecosia. I’ve been using this search engine for the past few years. Let me tell you what it is, how to use it, and its differences from and similarities with Google.
What is Ecosia?
Ecosia is an internet search engine like Google. Do you know why I prefer Ecosia for most of my Internet research activities? Well, Ecosia is an extension that runs off of Bing. When people use it, the company donates 80% of its revenues to plant trees worldwide. Don’t you think this is amazing?
How to use Ecosia?
First, download the extension on the browser that you currently use. Once you have Ecosia, you can start searching. You can also click on the advertisements (ads) if they catch your interest. That’s it! The ads that you click generate revenue for Ecosia.
Hold on a bit and let me explain about the ads. A company can pay a certain amount of money to search engines like Google, Ecosia, etc. to run advertisements of their products and/or services to appear as a top result. These ads appear alongside related searches. Search engines are paid on a Pay-Per-Click (PPC) system which is an advertising model where advertisers pay the search engine company for every click made on their ads.
Differences and Similarities between Ecosia and Google
#1. First, the number of results appearing is varied. The gap between Ecosia’s and Google’s number of results is huge. No wonder Google is the top search engine out there. However, despite the varying number of results, results are still similar. In reality, you are acquiring more or less the same information.
#2. Second, if an ordinary user would take the path most travelled, then Google has a very convenient interface. Google uses developed algorithms which offers users a more thorough search. I’m not saying that Ecosia doesn’t have these qualities since it also has a good interface. It just doesn’t have developed algorithms the way Google has, still relying on Bing searches.
#3. Lastly, Ecosia might be a good contender in terms of data collection. In its website, it claims that it does not use any of the users’ information to sell to advertisers. It also doesn’t store data permanently. It deletes user data after seven days. If a user doesn’t want to be included in analytics, Ecosia offers a ‘do not track’option.
Conclusion
It’s nice to have an alternative to Google. But how can you be sure that Ecosia is legit? Does it really plant trees? Ecosia is a B Certified Corporation since 2014 which means that Ecosia is verified by the B corps company. Additionally, it also shows transparency to public by posting its financial report online.
Every search engine has its own advantages and disadvantages. Now, if you want to save the environment, while doing the things that you’re already doing, then Ecosia can help you with that. You can help plant trees and lessen your carbon footprints, all while using the Internet. What do you think about Ecosia? Of course, if there are pros to using it, there are also cons. So, will you consider switching to it for all your search engine activities?
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Hi Crystallia,
Thank you for such an informative read. It is interesting to know that Ecosia exist! I always thought that search engines mainly comprise of Google, Bing, Yahoo, Baidu, but this is the first time I am hearing of this company!
It is comforting to know that Ecosia does not store user’s data permanently, as privacy issues are a concern nowadays. I feel that this is an added advantage for users to use this site. And what is truly great I feel, is that they actually donates their revenue to plant trees! That is so environmentally-friendly of them! This shows that they are a considerate company, and it is also a good marketing strategy to get users to use their search engine. After reading what Ecosia offers and do, I would like to download and try my searches there so that I can do my part to contribute to the environment!
Looking forward to more interesting post of yours! 🙂
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Hi Jasline. Thank you for sharing your thought with me. It is really glad to know that you want to use Ecosia as your alternative search engine. I am here not to promote them though. I just want to share my experience using this search engine. Yes! They donate their profits to the tree planting. Although I haven’t seen proof of it in person. But since they also have the ‘don’t track’ feature, I really enjoy using Ecosia as my alternative of search engine (other than Google). I feel like I can sit on my couch and save the world. Isn’t it interesting? Anyway, theres a lot of pros and cons about Ecosia. I would like to recommend you to do a little research if you want to about Ecosia before you use it just to ensure its legitimacy for yourself. If you want you can also take sometime to read my thought on the previous comment. And we can share about tit too!! Hope you have a great week ahead Jasline! Cheers..
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Hi Crystalia! thanks for your blog!
I will try to use Ecosia as my search engine 😉
Do you think that Ecosia is legit? And not fake..? Like do you really believe that they plant tree as per they claimed?
Look forward to your reply!
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Hi Jovlyn! Thank you for reading my blogpost. Yes, I highly recommend you to try Ecosia.
There is a lot of pros and cons about it. It also depends on the one uses it whether she/he wants to believe or not. Before doing my research, I saw many videos posted on Youtube about the legitimacy of Ecosia. Some people says Ecosia is scam and fake, but some said it is really legit. For me personally, I believe Ecosia is legit even though I haven’t seen proof of their work in person. Let me share to you my thought about its legitimacy. One thing that I like about this search engine is that they are very transparent to the public. As you can read in my blog, I stated that they publish their financial report online where everyone is able to access it. Of course, it might not be trustworthy but as stated in the reading, that Ecosia has been verified as a B corporation since 2014. This means that they have been verified by the third company that assesses how much of a positive impact Ecosia has on their employees, customers, community and environment. Based on this finding, I came up with my conclusion that Ecosia’s financial report is correct.I hope someday I can see the trees that I plant from every ads that I click on. What do you think? I hope this can answer your questions. Please feel free to share your thought with me. Thank you.. Have a great week ahead Jovlyn!
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Hi Crystalia, very informative post. I like reading your WordPress very much. Thanks for sharing about Ecosia, now I know about this!
Just my two cents of thought, I still prefer using Google as my number one search engine. Since I am more comfortable with Google! I am pretty skeptical about whether Ecosia actually plants trees? How cool is that! However, what are some limitations you think about using Ecosia as a search engine besides the advantages that you have elaborated in your post.
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Hi!! Thank you for visiting my blog. At the first time my sister introduced Ecosia to me, it took a long time for me to finally use it. Until now, I also sometime use Google as my search engine. Google has become everyone’s Best Friend, I guess. You don’t have to really shift from Google to Ecosia though. As what I stated in my title, you can use it for your alternative and keep use Google! Regarding your question about Ecosia’s limitations as a search engine; here is my opinion. In fact, Ecosia is powered by Bing (Microsoft). Based on the fact, we know that Google uses 100% renewable energy to power their data centers. But, Microsoft does not. They only use around 40%. This makes Ecosia seems less-environmentally friendly. However, from the news that I read, Microsoft has committed to reduce its carbon emissions by 75% across its operations. The other limitation that I can tell is the results, as you can see in the reading, the number of results appearing is varied. The gap between Ecosia’s and Google’s number of results is huge. Ecosia might not be able to give you as many search results as Google can. Lastly, I guess its a big homework for Ecosia to really prove to public that they are really legit as the financial reports may not be sufficient. I hope this can answer your questions. Please feel free to share with me your concern. Thank you so much for your input! Have a great week ahead..
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Hi Crystalia! Thank you for your blog, you gave a really great example. I’ve never heard of Ecosia before, but they sound really interesting, especially knowing that they also try to be environmentally responsible. However, I think I will still continue to use Google as my main browser because I’m pretty comfortable with it and know how to utilize them. Considering their popularity, I think Google would have more complete data too, and it would still be more effective for marketing since it can reach more of the target audience. Really intriguing blog though, I really enjoy your posts!
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Hi Jessica! Thank you for your feedback. Yes, I do agree with you. It is really hard to switch from Google to the other search engine.To be honest, I also still use Google sometimes because it is very convenient though. It provides a lot of information for us. I also mentioned in the blogpost that the difference between the search result is quite varied. Anyway, it is really up tp you to choose which search engine you want to use. Hopefully the blogpost gives you a new insight so if you want to find an alternative for your search engine you can consider Ecosia and contribute to save the earth..
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