Neeva’s ad-free search results page
(Picture: Neeva/Zi Wang)Over the years, many have tried, but all have failed, in the quest to topple Google as the search engine of choice for most of the world.
Now, a new search engine with some serious pedigree could finally achieve the once-unimaginable feat.
Neeva, a search engine with no ads and no tracking, launched in Europe and the UK on Thursday. The US-based firm already counts 600,000 users since launching stateside last year, who pay between $5 and $10 a month to access search results completely ad-free.
In Europe and the UK, it is currently launching a free, ad-free basic service, with plans to later introduce its premium subscription model with additional features such as a VPN and password manager.
“The internet should be your private corner of the web instead of a barrage of ads, SEO spam and irrelevant information,” said CEO Sridhar Ramaswamy.
The search results page is worlds away from Google’s: clean, minimalistic, and showing only the answers you’re searching for. It looks and feels similar to how Google used to be just a few years ago, except that there are no ads, and results are ranked based on their relevance, not on who pays the most.
The company also says it doesn’t sell your data and doesn’t let advertisers track you across websites (which might result in you seeing an ad for the trainers you searched for yesterday as you read this article, for example).
Taking on the goliath
To take on Google, the company has developed its own search engine technology, a gigantic feat when you consider Google can count on tens of thousands of engineers to maintain its one-bar search engine and spends one billion dollars a year doing it.
But will people be willing to pay to use something they are used to getting for free?
Neeva is counting on its superior search experience to answer that with a “yes”. And it’s bringing some major firepower to make it happen.
Its two co-founders, Ramaswamy and Vivek Raghunathan, used to head major advertising operations at Google, the former as the head of search advertising and the latter as YouTube’s head of revenue.
And to quell any doubt that Neeva’s search functions won’t be as good as Google’s, they’ve brought on Udi Manber, Google’s former head of search technology.
Of course, competitors have for years tried to give us alternatives to Google, pointing out its lack of privacy, worsening search results, and bias towards showing content paid for by advertisers.
First there was Microsoft’s Bing, then privacy-focused DuckDuckGo, then eco-minded Ecosia. None have really succeeded.
Turns out internet users just want something that works – and works well. Neeva might be just that.
While its 600,000 users are a drop in the ocean to Google’s four billion, Ramaswamy is confident that Neeva’s superior user experience will help it pull ahead.
“The ad-supported internet has created vastly misaligned incentives that have made Big Tech monopolies and advertisers richer, while exploiting the privacy and personal data of users.
“It’s time for a new approach to search that puts people first,” he said.
