Web search without advertising

There are good reasons to opt for an ad-free search:

• Distraction and confusion: Often the search results page is cluttered with irrelevant or superfluous information that dominates the visible field. It is often difficult to intuitively distinguish between genuine search results and paid content. Without advertising, the search is focused , as all results are organized organically and in relation to the search query.
• Commercial bias: Ads can distort search results by favoring certain brands or products, regardless of whether they are truly useful or relevant to the user. Paid ads appear at the top even if they do not provide the best or most relevant results for the respective search query. Without advertising, the search engine remains more neutral and the results are less influenced by commercial interests.
• Loss of privacy and data security: Search engines that display advertising typically track user behavior in order to display personalized ads. This monitoring can lead to a loss of privacy as large amounts of data are collected about your browsing behavior. Users who do not see ads have a safer and more private online experience as less data is collected about them.
• Poor carbon footprint: Advertising, especially graphic and video ads, as well as ad trackers increase the volume of data which is transferred, which increases the energy consumption and therewith the negative carbon footprint of the search. In addition, a lot of computing power and AI resources are used to create sophisticated user profiles which leads to further energy consumption and CO2 emissions in the data centers.
• Unsustainable consumerism: Advertising on search engines promotes products and services that typically are not been selected or evaluated according to sustainability criteria. Those who pay most get the advertising slots. Smaller, sustainable brands who cannot or do not want to invest a lot in online marketing, are less present on ad-financed search engines than large brands with correspondingly large advertising budgets.
• Psychological pressure: Advertising, especially personalized ads, can exert psychological pressure on users to buy certain products or respond to specific offers. This can be intrusive and manipulative. Without advertising, the search engine remains purely an information-gathering tool, without commercial pressure.

In other words: Ad-free search engines offer a clearer, more neutral, more sustainable and more private experience, where the interests of users come first, not the commercial objectives of the advertising industry.

In the western world, Google has a market share of over 90%, Microsoft Bing comes second. Most alternative search engines such as Startpage, DuckDuckGo or Ecosia rely on the algorithms and advertising networks of the two big tech companies Google and Microsoft. GOOD is different. We rely on independent search indices developed from scratch instead of repackaging Google or Bing.

The dominance of Googlecan – so the concern – limit the diversity of opinion and openness of society. Some of the concerns are:

• Limited diversity of opinion: if only a few companies determine what information is visible, this can limit the diversity of opinions and perspectives. However, a broad range of opinions is crucial for a functioning democracy.
• Manipulation of information: The algorithms of these large providers may be designed to prioritize certain content that may serve commercial interests while suppressing critical or alternative viewpoints.
• Less transparency: The algorithms of major search engines are often opaque, making it difficult for users to understand why certain information is displayed. This lack of transparency can undermine trust in the information source.
• Dependence on advertising revenue: As these search engines rely heavily on advertising, the content may be more focused on clicks and sales rather than information quality. This can lead to the promotion of sensationalized or misleading content.
• Monopolistic practices: High concentration in the market can lead to monopolistic practices that push smaller providers and innovative alternatives out of the market. This reduces choice for users and weakens competitiveness.
• Impairment of public discourse: If search results are influenced by the interests of a few large companies, this can have a negative impact on public discourse and limit democratic debate.
• Erosion of user autonomy: Users may feel that their search results are being manipulated and that they cannot independently find the information they are looking for. This can lead to a feeling of powerlessness.

These points illustrate how important it is to promote diversity in the search engine market to ensure that democratic principles are upheld and information monopolies are avoided.

The search results are currently provided by Brave, based on a search index created from scratch. We have developed other components such as widgets, browser extensions and mobile apps ourselves or together with partners – often on the basis of open source applications.

In the future, we plan to integrate further independent search indices and develop features that will further expand our position as a sustainable search engine without advertising.

The GOOD search does not need to hide behind Google. Already today there exist strong alternative search indices. With no advertising in front of the actual search results, searching with GOOD is more focused and neutral than with Google. You find what you are looking for, not what others are paying for.

We are not anti-Google, but want to empower everyone to  decide for themselves how much big tech and how much advertising they want to be exposed to in their everyday lives. We have deliberately placed a link to Google on our search bar. This makes it possible to compare the search results with just one click, without having to enter the search term again or fall back on the tried and tested Google search for certain searches.

We want to make it possible for everyone to search the Internet every day with GOOD. With therefore opted for a social subscription model where you chose how much you like to pay. All subscription models enable you to use GOOD on all your devices with no limits:

• Basic subscription: €2 per month (€19 as an annual subscription)
• Impact subscription: €5 per month (€48 for an annual subscription)
• Karma subscription: €10 per month (€96 for an annual subscription)

The basic subscription is calculated very tightly to cover the costs of the search. With the Impact subscription, you also enable us to expand our commitment to sustainability and social change. The Karma subscription is for users who feel closely connected to us or who use the search very intensively as “heavy users” and therefore contribute to the costs with a higher amount. We invite this group, for example, once a year for a meet-up with us founders, for a look behind the scenes.

We recommend the discounted annual subscriptions, as these involve lower costs for payment transactions and increase planning security for us.

As a social enterprise that is integrated into a non-profit framework, it is guaranteed that all surpluses benefit our mission.

We have special offers for organizations, administrations, schools and universities. The best way to contact us is directly: andreas@good-search.org

We are a small social enterprise that is largely dependent on a voluntary work. We are therefore gradually expanding our payment options. The standard method as of now is by credit card.

We know that not everyone has a credit card or wants to use it for all transactions. We therefore offer subscribers to the annual Impact subscription (€48) or the annual Karma subscription (€96) the option to pay by invoice.

We will then send you a voucher code directly with the invoice, which you can use to log in directly without a credit card or further admin work.

Mail to: andreas@good-search.org

PS: If you include the address that should appear on the invoice directly in the email, we will save you an extra loop.

YES! There are not restrictions from our end. As a small social enterprise, we are developing our tools to manage subscriptions step by step. As of today, it works like this:

• Anyone can sign up for the GOOD subscription through our website. However, the language of our payment scheme as of today is German. If you have any problems, send us an email!
• For organizations abroad, we offer customized solutions. Send us an email: andreas@good-search.org

As soon as you signed-up online, you will receive a log-in that is linked to your email address. This is valid for all your end devices, whether smartphone, tablet or laptop.

With this log-in, you can manage your subscription online, change the subscription level or cancel it.

For daily online searches, we recommend downloading the iOS or Android app from the Apple Store or Google Play and installing the extension for your Chrome, Edge or Firefox browser if you haven’t already done so.

GOOD is the ideal search engine for organizations that have high ethical standards, are committed to sustainability and social change and for all those who are committed to neutrality, such as

• City and municipal administrations, public authorities / international organizations
• Schools, universities / educational institutions
• Social / church sector
• Companies of all sizes

For all B2B partners, we make offers that are individually tailored to their needs and framework conditions.

For corporates, we also offer engage for our social entrepreneurship program via the GOOD Club as part of their employer branding / corporate citizenship commitment. This then is independent from the choice of search engine for your employees: www.good-club.org

GOOD is a search engine operated by the company Good Search UG and is registered in Berlin. The charitable foundation Good Impact holds 100% of the company shares. So, as a foundation, the social start-up operates independently and without the intention of making a profit. It also has close ties to the other companies and initiatives of the Good Family, such as Good News.

It’s easy as 1-2-3:

• Tell your friends about GOOD. The topic of “excessive advertising” or the increasing  “commercialization of all areas of life” is probably something which comes up in many discussion. We take a stand against it.
• Sign-up your GOOD subscription and become part of our community. Choose the Impact or Karma subscription to actively support our mission. And don’t forget to sign-up for our newsletter: https://good-search.org/about/en/newsletter/
• Particular helpful are introductions to the organization for whom you work. We believe that it should be the new normal for employers to equip their employees’ computers with sustainable, unbiased – and that is: ad-free – tools. Help us spread the word to drive positive change within your organization!

There are many possibilities. Best contact us directly: andreas@good-search.org