Search engines have evolved to make it easier to find the information you need without having to search various websites. Google has a Knowledge Graph feature that displays useful information in a neat grid above (or next to) search results. It can perform great functions such as calculations, flight information, and even currency conversion.
While these features are very useful, Google Knowledge Graph has limitations. The biggest problem is that the results are not the same. When we searched the Knowledge Graph tool for cool things we didn’t know Google could do, we found that the results weren’t always the same. If someone searches for Apple stock, Google will show the usual search results, but if a colleague searches for the same term, it will show the latest stock information and charts.
These limitations prompted us to look for alternatives and we found one that impressed us with its ease of use: DuckDuckGo. DuckDuckGo is a search engine that shows all users the same results for any search term. Unlike Google, search results are filtered based on the websites you visit. You can now also make DuckDuckGo the default search engine for iOS 8 and OS X. Simply type your search query into the Safari browser and instantly get results. Of course, you can also use DuckDuckGo with Chrome or Firefox by visiting DuckDuckGo.com and clicking the “Use with Chrome” or “Use with Firefox” buttons. With no attempt to personalize results, DuckDuckGo Instant Answers works for everyone and has a large community of developers and users who are constantly adding new answer sources.
After using DuckDuckGo as a primary search engine for a while, we’ve found that it often gives instant answers that are better or better than Google’s Knowledge Graph. Here are 5 amazing things DuckDuckGo can do that Google can’t.
- Social Media Profiles
DuckDuckGo lets you view people’s social media profiles without leaving the search engine. Search for ndtv gadgets to see all your profile information on one page. The same goes for Google and Gravatar. Enter a nickname to find a Twitter profile. Type “G” for Google and then your username. Gravatar to search, enter Gravatar followed by the username. You can find other interesting related features on other sites. Google allows you to use location: edit to search for results on a specific page, but you have to open the link to see the results. DuckDuckGo provides location-specific search functionality. For example, if you’re looking for someone’s LinkedIn information, you don’t need to open the page. Typing “!Linkedin” followed by the person’s name will take you to the LinkedIn search results page. Many sites allow you to do this.
- Search for Alternative Apps in the App Store
When you find a popular app on DuckDuckGo, a shopping cart full of apps with similar names will open. Check out the NDTV Gadgets app to see what we have to say. When you click on a card, the carousel shows the cost to use, a description, and a link to the store. I couldn’t find this feature in unknown apps, but I found the most popular ones. Another useful feature is to show other apps in a neat carousel. Tired of Microsoft Office? Search for “alternative names” and find the answer yourself. It also works for web services, so you can also search for “DuckDuckGo alternatives” if you want.
- Create a password
Can’t think of a strong password? Just go to DuckDuckGo and search for “password 20”. You should see a strong 20-character password. You can substitute numbers to change the number of characters in your password. If you find these random passwords hard to remember, you can ask DuckDuckGo to generate an XKCD-style password. These passwords consist of four common words that are easy to remember but difficult to decipher and first appeared in the XKCD webcomic. Search for “random passwords” for these. Switch between upper and lower case and control the number of characters
- Changing case and no. of characters
Do you want to change the sentence to title case, lowercase or uppercase? Just add one of these three words before the sentence and enter it into DuckDuckGo. For example. “ndtv-gadget-caps” produces “NDTV-gadget”. Another cool feature is the number of characters. You can quickly check the number of characters in a search query by adding “characters” before or after the query. Try searching for “I really like the characters in this article” without quotes and see the results.
- Loan calculator
Another useful instant answer from DuckDuckGo is the Loan Calculator. This is useful if you want to see the monthly payment and the total interest paid. Search queries in this area are a bit difficult to remember, as are the terms and conditions of most loan agreements. This is “LOAN AMOUNT in PERCENTAGE for TERM”. All capitalized words are what you need to enter - total amount, interest rate, repayment percentage, and term of the loan. Try “Rs 50,00,000 loan at 4.5% with 25% down payment within 15 years” for the answer.
Conclusion
With a search engine like DuckDuckGo, there are several advantages over Google. If you want the search engine to get crawled by its browsers, ask your managed SEO providers what are the best practices for doing so. If you have any other doubts or queries with respect to DucDuckGo, please share them in the comments section below.
