An early impression of Neeva, the ad-free search engine
Neeva is a new, ad-free search engine that could impose real competition on Google.
In Silicon Valley, there is a saying that goes something like, "The next Facebook won't look like Facebook." And, truth beholds, 8 years after its inception, Facebook bought the next Facebook, Instagram. Six years later, around 2017, Instagram "copied" Snapchat's Stories, which might have become the next Instagram. A year later, ByteDance merged its international version of Douyin with Musical.ly into TikTok, which seems to be the de facto new Instagram today. Even though TikTok is not a social network, its traction was concerning enough for Instagram to copy its main feature and launch "Rheels."
But where is that danger for Google? No other search engine ever became a threat the same way Snapchat, Instagram, or TikTok were to Facebook - with one exception: YouTube. Google didn't just acquire the video platform; it still holds the largest search engine share (source) worldwide. Not even Pinterest was able to grab image search share. Bing develops great features like useful webmaster tools and API Indexing plugins, but Google still dominates.
Where other search engines fail
Part of the reason for Google's dominance is that Bing, DuckDuckGo, Ecosia, & Co can't offer a true alternative to Google.
Bing tries to just be a better Google
Ecosia plants trees
DuckDuckGo provides "privacy"
But where is the real differentiation? All three alternatives make money with ads, but you can't outgoogle Google. Their data network effects, partnerships, and search experience are too strong. Other search engines don't lead the pack; they provide the same value as Google.
And that's where Neeva is different.
An early review of Neeva, the ad-free search engine
Last week, I got access to Neeva's early Alpha version. It's fully functional, but take my impression with a grain of salt.
Neeva's look and feel is clean and modern.
Notice that you can find results in the screenshot above on Google and DuckDuckGo as well. Neeva's point is not to provide even better search results (outGoogling Google) but to provide a better, ad-free experience
Neeva's SERPs contain the classic elements we already know from Google:
Related searches
SERP Features like featured snippets, knowledge panel, people also asked boxes, carousels, etc.
Vertical search: images, maps, news, videos, etc.
But it's not all same old same old, Neeva comes with new features that set it apart. One of them is the tab below certain searches that help you narrow the type of site further down.
https://twitter.com/RamaswmySridhar/status/1377470193421574145
Neeva provides the same tracking restrictions as DuckDuckGo but doesn't display any ads.
ne rabbit Google pulled out of the hat was to push the web towards mobile-first.
See, the genius behind mobile-first wasn’t to make the web better for smartphone users but to add another layer to display ads – Google doubled the ad real estate!
But, as life has it, success begets an expectation for more success.
So, what other contenders for revenue streams are there? Well, there’s Google Maps, which seems to slowly show more ads. As it integrates more local businesses, such as bars, restaurants, hotels, and more, it could venture into a bigger revenue stream over time.
Or it could be simply more ads in Google Search, even though I have a feeling that the SERPs are maxed out in terms of ads. However, I don’t really have data to prove that.
It could be the growing commoditization of brands, as it happens in Google Flights and Google Hotel search.
There might also be an ad play behind Discover, Google’s push and discovery feed on the homepage. Google could start showing ads next to “organic results”.
Lastly, image search – the second largest “search engine” after organic search – could drive way more ads than it already does." Google, the most successful startup in history
That insight led me to write about the nasty side-effects of Google Search traffic about a year ago. The point was not that Google is evil. The point was that Google is a victim of its own success - and monetization model. How do you grow when most of your revenue comes from ads? More ads!
But the world is moving away from Ads. The New York Times and Spotify make way more money from subscription revenue than ads. BuzzFeed moved to mixed-income streams. SaaS is exploding. Even Apple moves to subscriptions.
How successful Neeva will be is yet to be seen, but it has a chance to send sites more organic traffic without being dependent on ads - if it can reach critical mass. As Google seemingly squeezes more ads into the user experience, it opens a wider gap for Neeva. We shall see.