This is why the big search engines are throwing money at large language models. They hope AI-curated results is the next revolutionary advance.
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Discovering new search machines would be an alternative. But they all have their filters and algorithms which make it hard to find exactly what you want. In the long run the internet will be run by AI serving copyright cowbows and big governance.
Well since you can't change how google works you have to just either deal with it or change search engines.
Try other search pages, like Qwant.
I'm late to the party and I don't understand several things I read in the comments, so I need to ask for clarification.
What is Google's Search Engine Optimization (SEO)? I looked it up, but the websites StartPage was giving me were not useful (probably ads or spam sites). Is finding these ads/spam sites the problem?
How is this a search engine's fault? I mean, if the internet is now made by walled gardens and spam sites, search engines have trouble finding something really relevant, but how is it their fault?
I should add I navigate logged out on Firefox with the Ublock Origin and NoScript extensions (among others) so I at least don't see Google's ads.
I agree there are some searches where it's next to impossible to find informed sites from spam ones: just a week ago I was looking for "Best Nintendo Switch games released in 2023" and I got lots of dubious blogs, and even when I got hits from IGN, GameSpot or PcMag sites, I realized I don't know if any of these last sites are genuine or bought out (and checked the Wikipedia for more wisdom about their veracity), but how is it the search engine's fault to not navigate through seas of crap?
When I search for academic things, Google or StartPage still seem to give me useful answers.
I have been wary about searches related to reviews about anything, but it just seemed to me the internet is a worse place now in general (because of walled gardens and spam)
I can give a fun example for both ddg and Google:
Earlier today I was writing an exam paper for my students, and one of the topics is "basic" normal distribution. So, I thought to myself, why not make it I testing, give them a real world normal model.
Try it yourselves - the number of bot reposts is frightening.
I dunno if its the stuff I'm searching for or what but I'm just not running into this issue.
FWIW my last few searches were- "Malta", "war is a racket", and "russias egg crisis". None in quotes. The only one I had to poke around a bit for was the last and that was to change to the news tab. Maybe I just usually search for hard stuff to monetize? I dunno
I have also noticed it seems harder to find stuff on Google now. My pet theory is that it is the building in of AI to search (Bing Chat anyone?) that is affecting Google search results. Lately, I have been going to Bard & ChatGPT to do searches but treat it more as a jumping off point to help point the direction of where or how to search.
Not perfect, but just a method I've been playing with for the past month off & on.
I struggled finding reviews of Asgard's Wrath 1 on the Quest 2 headset. Google just assumes I want the newest game.
Struggled? I just searched "Asgards Wrath 1 review" and that's all it is, I had to scroll all the way down to see the "people also searched for" to even see Asgards Wrath 2