Not because DDG got better, but just because google got worse.

google is still better for site-specific searches, and google scholar still has minimal AI slop

  • Wrongdoer1@lemm.ee
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    38 minutes ago

    I use QWANT but I have the same feeling tbh. Or maybe Google search has been worsening I’m not too sure…

  • azalty@jlai.lu
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    5 hours ago

    Compared to a few years ago, it’s better. Some websites still aren’t indexed, and even by entering their name exactly, they don’t show. Google doesn’t have this problem.

    Brave search is also pretty good

  • tfm@europe.pub
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    7 hours ago

    I like DDG a lot more, especially because of the bang shortcuts. But I transitioned recently to Qwant. It also has bang shortcuts and is hosted in Europe.

  • BaumGeist@lemmy.ml
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    8 hours ago

    Yes, I switched back in 2023 and noticed it was already better than google.

    All major search engines feel like they’re either filled with AI slop results, or just only returning major corporations’ sites anymore, though. DDG just falls into the latter, while Google is mostly the former.

  • dx1@lemmy.ml
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    8 hours ago

    It’s my primary but Google unfortunately is often a fallback. And Google is tracking the shit out of us these days. Certain obscure searches don’t work well on DDG, sad to say.

  • HouseWolf@lemm.ee
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    11 hours ago

    I’ve been using DDG since 2016 and never felt it was worse in terms of “search quality” than Google.

    Especially nowadays I hear friends whine near weekly about Google, but it’s still somehow “better than DDG”.

    Honestly people just make excuses not to change what they’re use to. Even if what they’re used to has changed around them for the worse.

    My only real complain I have is I wish ‘search by date range’ was less finicky use and also worked in the image tab like it does in Google images.

    • makingStuffForFun@lemmy.ml
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      6 hours ago

      I just typed “african mouse” into both bing, and ddg. I got EXACTLY the same results. Which I kind of expected . Same order, everything. However, my understanding is, that DDG obfuscates the user, and doesn’t track. This is my hope, and why I use it.

  • Arfman@aussie.zone
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    8 hours ago

    Google is almost unusable for me even with ad block. I’ve been using DDG for the last 3 or so years now.

  • nutsack@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    10 hours ago

    no. i switch to using it as my primary search engine every once in a while, just to see how it’s doing. i always run into situations where i can’t find the thing im looking for. maybe im just the obscure searches man

  • ScoreDivision@programming.dev
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    12 hours ago

    As a general purpose search engine yeah it’s just as good. Google has some nice extra features which aren’t too important (for example if you search UFC it shows full fight card info and results on the search page).

    Where it falls behind is for more "power user " type work. I only use Google at work as it makes finding very specific results with keywords and date ranges on certain sites etc much easier.

    Nowadays I use Qwant though to boycott us. It’s much slower but still does the job for day to day use.

  • umbrella@lemmy.ml
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    16 hours ago

    ive been using it consistently for the past few years. it works well for me, but sometimes ill go to other engines just to see what they come up with, or when results are lacking. sometimes they are better, sometimes they are worse.

    meaning ddg is probably good enough nowadays, at least for me.

    • irelephant [he/him]🍭@lemm.ee
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      16 hours ago

      You probably already know this, but you can use search “bangs” to search other websites from ddg.

      For example, to search google, you would put !g or !google at the start of your search.

      • umbrella@lemmy.ml
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        14 hours ago

        i do! it transformed my address bar, i sometimes use other engines through ddg now. its the main reason its my search provider.