For privacy, yes, arguably better. DuckDuckGo doesn't track your searches, doesn't build an advertising profile, and doesn't personalize results based on your history. For search quality, it depends on what you're searching for. DuckDuckGo uses Bing's index as its primary source, which means it's solid for general queries but often weaker for local searches and very recent content. Google's local search, including the Map Pack and "near me" results, is significantly better because Google has more data from Google Business Profiles, Google Maps, and years of location behavior. If you're a business owner wondering which matters more for your SEO strategy: Google, by a wide margin. Google still handles the vast majority of search traffic, and its rankings directly influence what AI assistants like ChatGPT can find and cite about your business. Optimize for Google, and the other engines largely follow.
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