December 19th, 2016
When it comes to search engine optimization, most people tend to focus on one name in particular: Google. As the company that dominates not only our Internet search queries but also much of our email and browsing, too, there's good reason why the word "Google" has become not only a household name but also an everyday verb.
Be that as it may, Google is not the only search engine around. In fact, when you're looking for something in particular -- images, restaurants, videos, etc. -- it may not even be the best search engine to use. Here are five other sites that give Google a run for their money when it comes to quality results.
- YouTube
This first choice may seem like a cheat, since YouTube is also owned by Google's parent company, Alphabet. But the fact remains that it is the second-most powerful search engine on the Internet, more significant than Bing, Yahoo!, AOL, and Ask combined, even though it deals exclusively in video content.
- Yelp
Remember the Yellow Pages? Yelp has made them all but extinct, providing localized search results for businesses of all kinds. And with user-generated reviews, you don't have to take a chance on finding the quality you want.
- HipMunk
Everything travel-related is all under one roof for this vertical search engine, from flights to trains and from expensive hotels to modest Airbnb spaces. The website generates around 900,000 page views per month.
- Flickr
There's no more comprehensive database of images on the web -- not even in Google's own image search results. You can search and browse through a dizzying array of filters to find the picture-perfect image.
- Pipl
We all have that desire to Google ourselves. But with Pipl, you can find much more complete results, including social media pages and all of those blog posts you forgot you wrote back in the day.
Though it may feel like it sometimes, Google is not the only place to find relevant information. If you want to get your business noticed on the web, it's essential to pay attention to verticals as well as natural search engine results. By tapping into the best SEO strategies and web design, you can get more traffic to your page by paying more attention to the road less traveled.