With a share of around 78 percent in September 2021, Google almost claims a monopoly in the search engine sector. Even so, some challenges like the alternative search engine You dare to take on the Internet giant.
The concept behind Google is simple. It’s about having a simple answer to every question, keyword, and anything people search online. This concept is called the “true answer” concept.
The search engine You takes a slightly different approach. Because, unlike Google, you do not show the search results in a list. In addition, the terms privacy and data protection play a more critical role in the search.
Your Search Engine: Informative Tiles Sorted By Source
The basic principle of You is based on a summary of the Internet. Users should get the essential information about their search queries at a glance. Reading news, looking at pictures, or writing a tweet: all of this should be possible in one place.
Unlike the competition, You do not use the usual display search results in a list. Instead, a tile system is used. Each tile contains the most important content of the respective website that is linked.
In addition, the tiles are sorted by source. For example, users can filter out all search results from Instagram when searching for cat photos. You can also scroll up and down the individual websites or tabs.
In addition to the main page in the middle, there is also a bar on the left. With it, users can search for images, videos, and headlines, just like Google searches. In addition to the bar, there are also shortcuts to the You-internal apps.
Ability To Log In And Other Interfaces
While using the search engine, you can see what is behind it. Because when searching for suitable, technical entries from GitHub and Stack Overflow relatively high up. These tiles are highlighted accordingly, and users have quick access to the necessary information.
In addition, You offers the possibility to connect user accounts with the You apps. When users log in to GitHub, for example, an artificial intelligence (AI) shows suggestions for suitable repos and issues during the search.
So you are working with an AI responsible for the correct arrangement of the results. The mix of interfaces for finance, news articles, developer tools, and over 100 You apps ensure a clear search result.
Data Protection, CO 2 Neutrality, And Freedom From Advertising Are Vital Points
The developer regards his search engine as a competitor to Google. In addition to the above-mentioned intelligent search, the protection of user data is an advantage of the application.
You promise never to sell the data of its users to other companies. In addition, users can choose whether they want a personalized or completely private search experience. In the second case, the company does not save any user data.
In addition, the entire search process is climate neutral. Users do not see any ads. The sales that the start-up generates are based mainly on collaborations. According to You, these do not influence the search result.
Conclusion: Great Potential, But Still Being Expanded
A significant disadvantage is that the search engine is currently not available in languages other than English. You said that the company is still a tiny start-up that can only support the English language at the moment. An expansion to other regions is planned.
In addition, the search engine is still in the beta phase. But if the company manages to support additional languages and fix some bugs, it could be a serious alternative to Google.
Because: The combination of an appealing design (subject to a dark mode), the climate-neutral search process, and the topic of data protection, which is particularly important to you, is not available from any other search engine provider.
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