DuckDuckGo - Protect Your Privacy By Using DuckDuckGo As Your Search Engine

DuckDuckGo - Websites have been collecting user data for many years, either to sell to third-party sites or to use for targeted advertising.

Facebook and Google are two well-known examples.

Serving an ad or displaying relevant search results regarding the shoes you desired appeared to be a reasonably innocent use of personal data that benefited (what appeared to be) everyone.

Then came the data scandals.

Online consumers have felt the pain of exposed data from the Microsoft Hotmail disaster to the Cambridge Analytica controversy to the Zoom scandal of 2020.

COPYRIGHT_MARX: Published on https://marxcommunications.com/duckduckgo/ by Keith Peterson on 2022-05-17T09:53:24.051Z

These incidents have made people more conscious of how their data is being used on the internet – and many have wondered how to increase their online privacy.

DuckDuckGo is an example.

What Is DuckDuckGo?

DuckDuckGo is a search engine created exclusively for people who wish to safeguard their online anonymity.

DuckDuckGo, unlike other search engines, rigorously limits the amount of personal information it collects.

As a result, it is a fantastic choice for those who wish to keep their data secret.

DuckDuckGo's services are succinctly summarized as "Same Internet, greater privacy."

While DuckDuckGo isn't the most popular search engine in the world, it does have a sizable user base.

DuckDuckGo allows more than three billion monthly searches and assists users with over five million downloads on mobile applications and desktop computers by 2021.

DuckDuckGo customers are similarly pleased with the search engine, with an average rating of 4.8 in the Apple and Google Play stores.

How Does DuckDuckGo Work?

To begin, DuckDuckGo does not track searches conducted via its browser extension or mobile app.

Other browsers, including Chrome, let you open private or incognito windows that do not trace your search history, but their default windows do.

DuckDuckGo never monitors your search history.

DuckDuckGo searches also connect you to encrypted versions of websites wherever feasible, making it more difficult for others to see what you're looking at online.

This is another case where both choices (encrypted and unencrypted) are available on different search engines, but the default isn't necessarily the most private.

DuckDuckGo saves you the time and effort of manually navigating to encrypted connections.

How Does DuckDuckGo Protect Your Privacy?

Google has an account structure, and by default, a history of your Google searches is saved in your Google Activity.

Google also utilizes your behavior to tailor your search results, striving to provide more customized, relevant results.

Google retains your search history and associates it with a browser cookie even if you aren't signed in.

Of course, Google Analytics monitors you across other websites, YouTube videos you view, and Google Maps knows about your travels, among other things.

Google collects a large amount of data, which it uses to customize your experience and offer you personalized adverts.

Much of this information is sent to Google AdSense, which displays tailored adverts on many of the websites you visit.

(You may see a lot of this Google account activity data and delete it.)

DuckDuckGo does not keep track of your search history. DuckDuckGo claims that it does not even log the IP address linked with a search in its server logs.

DuckDuckGo does not have an account, and it does not associate search history with a customized cookie.

For additional information, please see DuckDuckGo's privacy statement.

DuckDuckGo does not show you personalized search results based on your browsing since it does not track any information about you.

In other words, there is no "filter bubble" displaying different search results than others.

DuckDuckGo Is Better For Privacy

DuckDuckGo's features safeguard users from a specific danger.

While some of these hazards may appear little and trivial, they may soon mount up.

Every day, the majority of internet users conduct several searches.

You're unintentionally providing websites with bits and pieces of information about yourself.

Finally, DuckDuckGo provides some of the privacy and anonymity benefits of more sophisticated solutions such as Tor without interfering with your online surfing experience.

However, DuckDuckGo is not a flawless tool.

Difference OF DuckDuckGo To Google's Incognito Mode

DuckDuckGo takes the opposite strategy to other major digital companies such as Google and Facebook, which have typically generated money by targeting adverts based on your browsing history and personal data.

While Google has stated that it would discontinue this practice, the platform continues to gather a large amount of data about you, including your location and search behavior – yes, even in incognito mode.

Incognito mode simply deletes information from your computer relating to your browsing session: your history, cookies, and any information you've input into fields.

Notably, it only does so after you have finished your session by closing all your tabs.

So, even if you leave your incognito tabs open for hours or days at a time, that data will accumulate.

Even if you use incognito mode, Google can remember your searches, and corporations, internet service providers, and governments can still monitor you throughout the internet.

DuckDuckGo is unique in that it does not save any of your browsing data and prevents trackers while you browse.

How To Approach SEO For DuckDuckGo?

DuckDuckGo scans over 400 sources to get results for your queries.

DuckDuckGo searches for search results using crowd-sourced sites, established websites, and its own web crawler.

Just as with other search engines, solid SEO strategies will serve you well with DuckDuckGo.

Quality content, deliberate sourcing, and a fantastic website will always make a difference.

Attract Quality Links

Don't scoff at this suggestion.

It's straight from DuckDuckGo.

When we came across this information a few years ago, we grabbed a snapshot, and we feel that it is still relevant.

Link Building for SEO: A Complete Guide by Search Engine Journal is a wonderful resource for link building that you may use for this DuckDuckGo suggestion.

Tools like SEMrush, SpyFu, Ahrefs, and Majestic may help you uncover and assess link prospects.

You must prioritize excellent links, but shouldn't this be the case all of the time?

Optimize For Bing

Wait, aren't we discussing DuckDuckGo?

Here's a sample from DuckDuckGo's Help Pages about Bing:

We know DuckDuckGo uses Bing, so let's make sure we're following best practices for this search engine as well.

This is something you should do anyhow, given that it has a sizable portion of the search industry.

Examine your XML sitemaps, for example.

Check that they are correct and error-free before submitting them to Bing Webmaster Tools (credit to Micah Albert on this tip).

Furthermore, utilize Bing Webmaster Tools to assess the health of your website, track crawl and indexation performance, and uncover optimization opportunities.

Bing's SEO Reports may also be useful at this time.

Earn And Include High-Quality Backlinks On Your Site

Inserting high-quality backlinks into your content and link building, particularly from sites with a high domain score, such as the Wall Street Journal, will assist your website rank similarly to Google.

What difference does it make?

A website that has taken the time and attention to inject excellent backlinks will outperform one that does not appear to care about link development or its backlink strategy.

If you want to rank highly on DuckDuckGo, you must focus on adding high-quality links and getting high-quality backlinks.

The good news is that both Google and DuckDuckGo use backlinks and connections to your site as ranking criteria.

If your Google ranking plan includes high-quality connections, you may already have a strong link profile that DuckDuckGo might evaluate for their SERPs.

Choose Keywords With Care

Intentional keywords are important for SEO, especially when utilizing ever-changing sites like DuckDuckGo.

Keywords should be sprinkled throughout your material only when it makes sense.

You don't want to pack keywords in, just like Google. Instead, utilize them organically where they make sense.

You'll know you're on the right road when you master the skill of weaving keywords into your text in a way that flows nicely and improves quality.

People Also Ask

Is DuckDuckGo Owned By Google?

DuckDuckGo may be used to search as a web page, a browser plugin, or a mobile app.

Most major browsers allow you to designate DuckDuckGo as your preferred search engine.

DuckDuckGo is not affiliated with Google, Bing, or any other search engine.

Can DuckDuckGo Be Trusted?

DuckDuckGo is a somewhat secure search engine that you may use without jeopardizing your security.

DuckDuckGo, like any other browser, is vulnerable to viruses, spyware, and online dangers.

Your common sense and what you do online will determine whether or not you become infected.

What Is The Downside Of DuckDuckGo?

DuckDuckGo's money is still generated by advertising, therefore you will still see visible adverts in your searches.

The difference is that the advertising is not tailored to the specific user.

DuckDuckGo does not incorporate any virus, malware, ransomware, or other internet security features.

Conclusion

DuckDuckGo is an excellent Google, Bing, and Yahoo alternative for anyone looking to surf the web anonymously.

While DuckDuckGo's search engine isn't as powerful as Google's, it suffices for most everyday inquiries.

Furthermore, it has distinct privacy safeguards that shield your data from websites, other search engines, and unwanted parties.

DuckDuckGo's top features, in our opinion, are its ad-blocking browser extension, untracked browsing, Burn Bar, Tor exit enclave, and privacy grades.

About The Authors

Keith Peterson - I'm an expert IT marketing professional with over 10 years of experience in various Digital Marketing channels such as SEO (search engine optimization), SEM (search engine marketing), SMO (social media optimization), ORM (online reputation management), PPC (Google Adwords, Bing Adwords), Lead Generation, Adwords campaign management, Blogging (Corporate and Personal), and so on. Web development and design are unquestionably another of my passions. In fast-paced, high-pressure environments, I excel as an SEO Executive, SEO Analyst, SR SEO Analyst, team leader, and digital marketing strategist, efficiently managing multiple projects, prioritizing and meeting tight deadlines, analyzing and solving problems.