While Google is the dominant search engine today, many others exist, each with their own set of priorities and focuses. Some search engines focus primarily upon searching social media resources. while others promote privacy, cybersecurity, or even environmental protection

Social Search:

mention.com - requires an account, but a free account is available. 

boardreader.com - a powerful resource to find information that is being treated in online discussion boards

social-searcher.com - perhaps the most powerful social search tool, Social-Searcher looks at 11 different social networks, identifies trends, and provides statistical information on your search terms. 

Privacy Search*: 

It is a well-established fact that trackers are used all over the internet. These trackers follow you online to observe your browsing habits, to see what sites you visit, what you buy, and to create a profile of who you are as a consumer and more. Some browsers and search platforms have come out and promised not to track people online. In the image below, Duck Duck Go has published who the biggest trackers online are and how prevalent they are online. Check out some of the privacy-focused search engines below. 

Duckduckgo.com - Duck Duck Go is currently the most prominent search engine that guarantees the anonymity of your search. 

Qwant.com - France-based search engine, Qwant, also guarantees online anonymity for its search users. 

Swisscows.ch - Like other privacy browsers, Swiss Cows promises to protect user information, but also provides a semantic map to help refine search results. 

Other Search:

Ecosia - Uses its advertising revenue to plant trees around the world. 

Wolfram Alpha - Not so much a search engine, Wolfram Alpha describes itself as an "engine for computing answers and providing knowledge." Wolfram Alpha answers questions rather than directing you to offsite resources.  

* A Note on Privacy:

Whether using a search engine that focuses on privacy or using your browser's incognito mode, you must always be careful online. None of these services renders you invisible to system administrators, people monitoring network usage, or hackers. Search engines focusing on privacy are merely promising not to track your searches or to sell your information to third parties. Incognito modes block cookies and stop collecting your history but not too much more. Practicing good habits in regards to cybersecurity, being careful about what you download or click on, will always be necessary.