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

  • EveryMuffinIsNowEncrypted@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
    237·
    2 days ago

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

    …Oh, sorry.

    Hell no. If anything, it’s gotten worse.

    In their defense, however, it’s probably largely not their fault. In my admittedly one-person-sample-size experience, 90% of the searchable Web is either Reddit threads or articles, and with Reddit going officially with Google (meaning DDG doesn’t catch as many Reddit threads as they used to), that leaves most of the searchable Web being articles. Because SEO has to ruin everything.

    So, it’s not really that DDG is shitty (mostly), but that all searches are shitty. Though, with the whole Google-and-Reddit thing, I find Google’s results are noticeably less shitty (though still shitty).

    • untorquer@lemmy.world
      3·
      20 hours ago

      I feel the same except Google is worse due to higher number of ads in results and most SEO prioritizes Google over Bing meaning more Google results are AI spam articles.

      • EveryMuffinIsNowEncrypted@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
        1·
        11 hours ago

        I feel the same except Google is worse due to higher number of ads in results

        I generally don’t see ads due to uBlock Origin. Or am I just not noticing them? Lol.

        and most SEO prioritizes Google over Bing meaning more Google results are AI spam articles.

        I will give you that. But I find that’s the case with DDG too which is why I’m having to rely more and more on search operators like site:. I agree that it’s really annoying.

        • untorquer@lemmy.world
          1·
          10 hours ago

          I generally don’t see ads due to uBlock Origin. Or am I just not noticing them? Lol.

          I’m talking about the results as ads(paid for result ranking). Not as much a thing in DDG but google, they’re awful and you get maybe 2 results a page that aren’t paid promotion.

          Freya Holmer did a good video on AI/SEO i think touches a little on this…

    • shinratdr@lemmy.ca
      2·
      22 hours ago

      Yeah I really tried with DDG, switched my phone to it for 2 months. I was using !g so often it made the whole thing pointless.

      Google sucks, but right now nothing is better. This is why they’re able to push their AI bullshit results so heavily, because just like with YouTube, ultimately there is no real competition.

    • Lyra_Lycan@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
      2·
      2 days ago

      The killer for me has to be that it doesn’t support searching for phrases within websites I need. Latest example: github. I can be on the project page, copy a phrase from the code and search ddg with it in double quotemarks, and get 0 results. Copy - google.com - paste - enter - loads of results.

      Also the search function broke for about a day, a few days ago

      • flux@lemmy.mlEnglish
        3·
        1 day ago

        That’s a bit surprising, given DDG uses Bing, Bing is Microsoft and Microsoft owns Github.

        Did you try the same search with Bing, or have an example to share?

      • EveryMuffinIsNowEncrypted@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
        2·
        2 days ago

        To be honest with you, I didn’t even know that was a feature. (Unless I’m misunderstanding you.) Sounds cool!

        If I need to search a website, I use either Ctrl+F or the site: search engine operator.

        • Lyra_Lycan@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
          1·
          5 hours ago

          Yes, I’m so glad that operators like site: and before: are supported. Necessary for weeding out a few bad results aha