====== Search Engines for the Small Web ======

Alternatives to Google that surface independent, personal, and text-heavy sites.

===== Why This Matters =====

Google search has been in structural decline: traffic to quality sites fell 60%+ between 2021–2025 while AI-generated spam flourished. News publishers lost half their Google traffic between 2023–2025. Algorithm updates dropped from 10/year to 4 while volatility hit record highs.

Human curation and alternative search become essential when the dominant engine is broken.

===== Search Engines =====

**[[https://kagi.com/|Kagi]]**\\
Paid search engine ($10/month) with actually good results and no ad-based business model. Also offers [[https://kagi.com/smallweb/|Kagi Small Web]] — a free search specifically for independent sites.

**[[https://wiby.me/|Wiby]]**\\
Search engine for the classic web. Surfaces old-school, lightweight sites that modern search ignores or buries.

**[[https://search.marginalia.nu/|Marginalia]]**\\
Explicitly favors text-heavy websites. Penalises modern web design bloat, tracking scripts, and JavaScript-heavy pages. One of the best ways to find personal sites and long-form writing.

===== See Also =====

  * [[indieweb:directories|Directories & Blogrolls]]
  * [[protocols:smallweb:browser_monoculture|Browser Monoculture]]
  * [[indieweb:start|IndieWeb]]
  * [[start|Return to wiki home]]