This Yandex search engine review provides answers to several questions about the search engine. There have been diverse questions raised about the search engine, with some being privacy-related.
Yandex is a popular search engine considered one of the best in tracking hard-to-reach content and images. Yandex’s market share, compared to other search engines, is 1.95%. While Google, a competitor, has a marketing share of 90.48%.
Here, we’ll discuss Yandex and expose everything prospective users need to know. Is the platform as reliable as claimed? Keep reading to get the full details.
What Is Yandex Search Engine?
There are questions like, “Is Yandex a search engine?” Google has been the gold standard for search engines for a long time.
In other words, Google sets the bar for how search engines should operate, and others follow. And yes, Yandex is a search engine established in 1997.
The version of Yandex used in Russia is “Yandex.ru.” However, there is an international version – “Yandex.com.”
Yandex.ru might not be popular in the United States of America and several European countries, but that isn’t the case in Russia. In Russia, Yandex has a 60% market share, making it the largest search engine in the country.
Yandex promises its users a speedy internet search. It claims users can find anything at lightning speed, from good music to images, videos, and articles.
Who Founded Yandex?
Yandex is a Russian-owned search engine, dubbed the “Google search engine” in Russia. The name is because of its size. Yandex is the largest search engine in Russia.
Unfortunately, the engine doesn’t receive as much North American attention as Google and Bing. But that doesn’t mean it’s a pushover. Yandex is the third largest search engine in the world, only behind Bing.
Launched in 1997, Yandex founders are Arkady Volozh, Ilya Segalovich, and Arkady Borkovsky.
Is Yandex Better Than Google?
For Russians, Yandex is obviously their preferred search engine. Whether for political reasons or otherwise, Yandex is the most-used search engine in Russia.
In reality, Google’s search engine is far better and superior. Google is the gold standard for search engines. It sets the standard, and others try to catch up.
When you’re trying to remember something, and someone says, “Google it,” they are simply asking you to search online. The person isn’t asking you to use Google but to conduct an online search. That’s how popular and massive Google is.
Yandex, on the other hand, is gradually gaining popularity outside Russia. So, it’s only a matter of time before the search engine experiences widespread adoption.
Here is a comparison of Yandex and Google search engines.
- Yandex and Google’s browser efficiency:
In terms of browser efficiency, Yandex is better. It’s faster than Google. You’ll get access to high-quality content faster with Yandex, even when your internet connection is slower. Yandex has a feature called “Turbo Mode” that makes the browser more efficient.
You can set the “Turbo Mode” on this browser manually. When turned on, it will filter the search results and display only high-quality content. This helps to reduce loading time and ensure you get high-quality results drastically.
Google is a massive search engine with more content. Thus, it doesn’t work as fast as Yandex when used with a slow internet connection. It doesn’t have the “Turbo Mode” that Yandex has. Instead, it will load all results for the search term, allowing you to make your choice.
If you want to enjoy browsing on the Google search engine, ensure your internet connection is fast. But that isn’t the case with Yandex. Whether you have a fast or slow internet connection, Yandex will still deliver great loading speed.
- Speed of providing search results:
When people search for information, products, or services, they want the search results provided as quickly as possible. Additionally, they expect the search engine they are using to provide the most relevant search results.
In this category, Yandex excels. It not only provides quick search results, but it ensures they are relevant. How does Yandex do it? It will analyze your location, behavior, preferences, search history, and more to deliver more personalized search results.
From top to bottom, Yandex will provide you with relevant search results. You won’t have to sieve through dozens of search results to find the most suitable content for you.
How does Google perform in this category? Everyone knows Google’s size. The content the platform contains is massive. The crawlers spend time crawling billions of content to find the ones most suitable for users’ search queries. That is why Google isn’t as fast as Yandex.
A Handy Tip: Using location-based keywords is the best way to make Google provide search results much faster. Besides delivering the results fast, using location-based keywords will help Google provide the most relevant search results for your query.
For instance, let’s say you’re looking for a Hotel In the United States of America, Houston to be precise, while you live in Croatia. If you don’t enter a location-based keyword, Google may provide irrelevant results.
- How long Yandex stores search history compared to Google:
Google and Yandex are similar in this aspect. Both stores search the history of users. However, the difference is the duration of time both search engines store users’ search history.
While Yandex stores users’ search history for 3 months, Google can keep your history for as long as 18 months. Both search engines will delete your data after the duration above elapses.
- Yandex Vs. Google features:
Yandex and Google are two powerful search engines. However, over the years, Google has invested heavily in upgrading its infrastructure.
Both search engines are a breeze to navigate and have user-friendly interfaces. However, Google is more advanced.
- Yandex Vs. Google indexing speed:
Google search engine has the fastest indexing speed compared to Yandex. You can get your web page indexed on Google within a few days to a week.
Google has billions of bots that make indexing happen faster. The number of bots at the search engine’s disposal makes it more efficient.
Additionally, Google has the option of force indexing, a feature you can use to index your page manually if the search engine fails to do so.
Yandex takes between two to three weeks to index a web page. It can even take longer sometimes. Yandex has fewer bots compared to Google. In addition, it doesn’t have the option to force an index.
Is Yandex Search Engine Safe?
There have been diverse questions about Yandex’s safety since the search engine became popular. While some believe it’s safe, others think otherwise.
In Russia, Yandex is the main search engine. It is even more popular than Google. Additionally, Russians trust Yandex more than they trust search engines based in other countries.
Three highly talented Russians founded Yandex. So, anyone who knows about how most people from other parts of the world perceive Russian-based businesses will expect questions about the search engine’s safety.
In Reddit, there have been heated debates about Yandex’s safety, and Redditors agree that the search engine is safe for activities like image searches or browsing non-sensitive content. However, Redditors think it might be too risky for personal data and sensitive searches.
How has Yandex responded to claims of users’ safety concerns?
Firstly, Yandex is no stranger to the various claims about their safety. However, they have reassured users that they can use the search engine without fear of being exposed to hackers.
Yandex collects and stores users’ data. However, the Russian-based search engine claims they only collect and use users’ data to create new services and deliver personalized results.
This statement by the company was in response to the question, “Does Yandex sell users’ data?” The company has reassured users that it has good intentions, just as other reputable search engines do.
Yandex is transparent about its user data practices. And in all fairness, there has never been a report of a data breach by the search engine since its inception.
Can Yandex Search Engine Track You?
Privacy is one of the major concerns many prospective Yandex users have raised. But the question is, can Yandex track users?
Even if you turn on location on your device, the search engine can’t track you. Two things determine your location – the device’s IP and the nearest wireless access point.
Another thing you need to know is that device location data is depersonalized. In other words, it’s not unique to individual addresses. The search engine only receives geographical coordinates.
Which Country Uses Yandex The Most?
Based in Russia, Yandex was founded by three Russians. The search engine is also popular in the country, with a 60% market share.
Besides the founder being from Russia, how did Yandex become so popular in the country?
Firstly, the search engine is designed specifically for the Russian language. The alphabet the Russian language uses differs from English, making it easier for Russians to use Yandex for their daily search.
Furthermore, Yandex can interpret the language and deliver relevant results in a way that the Google search engine can’t.
Another event that enabled Yandex to cement its place in the Russian market was when Russian Android phones stopped using Google as their default search engine in 2017. People now had the option to make Yandex their default search engine and chose it without wasting time.
Russia is not the only country that uses Yandex. The search engine is also popular in countries like Belarus, Turkey, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine.
Companies with a presence in Russia, Belarus, Turkey, Kazakhstan, and even Russia can benefit by ranking high in the Yandex search engine. By implementing an effective search optimization strategy, you can rank high on the search result page and make it easier for prospects in countries that support Yandex to find.
What Platform Does Yandex Support?
The Yandex search engine is available for Windows, Linux, and MacOS. Additionally, the search engine runs smoothly on top-rated browsers like Chrome, Explorer, Edge, Safari, Brave, Opera, UC Browser, and others.
Another interesting thing about this search engine is that it runs smoothly on Android and iOS devices. So, head to your Play Store or App Store and download the Yandex mobile browser.
Yandex Search Engine Competitors
Yandex’s main competitors are Google and Bing. For the record, Yandex is the third-largest search engine by market share. Here is how it ranks compared to other search engines:
- Google– 90.48%
- Bing –3.93%
- Yandex– 1.95%
- Yahoo – 1.32%
- Baidu – 0.79%
- DuckDuckGo – 0.64%
Quant and Ecosia are Yandex’s competitors. Both search engines also offer privacy-oriented experiences but aren’t as advanced as Yandex in auto-result generation from one’s previous searches.
Yandex’s search engine is more similar to Google and Bing. The similarity is that they all store and analyze user data to create new products and deliver personalized experiences. Unfortunately, the concern people have about search engines that store and analyze user data is knowing who these search engines sell user data to and what they are being used for.
Final Verdict
The conclusion of this Yandex search engine review is that performance-wise, there isn’t much concern. Yandex is fast even when you’re browsing with a slow internet connection. It boasts a turbo mode that lets you find relevant results faster than even Google search engines.
Though Yandex doesn’t have the amount of content the Google search engine has, it ensures users have access to the most relevant results. In terms of indexing, Yandex is slower. It can take two or more weeks to get a web page indexed.
Yandex doesn’t have force indexing like Google. Additionally, Google has billions of bots, which makes indexing fast and easy.
Furthermore, while no Yandex user has raised an alarm about the search engine’s security, the fact that it stores and analyzes user data leaves much to be desired. The company claims it doesn’t sell user data. Unfortunately, it isn’t easy to verify if they do or not.
As a business operating in Russia, Belarus, Turkey, and Kazakhstan, ranking high in Yandex is a great decision for your business. When you rank high, prospects looking for products or services you’re offering will find and patronize you.
