Neeva Search Engine - Can It Match Google?

Google is synonymous with “search engine”, but there are other options. From Bing to Yahoo to DuckDuckGo, some have tried, but nobody else has matched up to the power of Google. However, there is a new player on the horizon: Neeva. What is Neeva search engine? A truly different, private, tracking-free search engine that aims to draw in users with the effectiveness of Google, but without the ads. 

Google and Neeva

Neeva was founded by former Google and YouTube executives, and it promises to be uniquely different from Google, without the ads that have steadily weighed down Google’s search results pages. Will Neeva search engine give Google a run for its money? That would be a challenge, because here are some fast facts about Google:

• Google holds 90.46% of the worldwide search engine market share.
• Google gets more than 63,000 searches every second, every day.
• An average consumer conducts at least three Google searches daily.

About Neeva

Even the best Google-wannabes only take home 1 or 2% of the market share. The former head of Google’s advertising division and Neeva co-founder, Sridhar Ramaswamy wanted to create a totally unique search engine; one that moved the business model from ads to subscriptions. Users would pay to use Neeva search engine and in exchange, they would get a search engine that does not track or pepper consumers with constant ads. Google’s ads have steadily taken up more of each page of results, and the Neeva founders wanted to improve user experience by moving the ads out of the way. Neeva is the first ad-free, private subscription search engine. It focuses totally on the consumer, aiming to deliver quality, trustworthy results. Neeva blocks third-party trackers and does not share data with advertisers or any third party. 

Neeva’s Team

Though Neeva is a unique new search engine, the industry is nothing new to its founders. Neeva has assembled formidable brain power for its growing team, including:

• Sridhar Ramaswamy is the CEO & Cofounder at Neeva, and an ex-Google employee.
• Vivek Raghunathan is Neeva’s co-founder at Neeva, plus an ex-VP at YouTube and Google.
• Margo Georgiadis is ex-president of Google Americas division. 
• Bill Coughran is an ex-SVP of Search at Google. 

What Neeva Offers

Neeva wants to make search better for consumers with its customizable, private, ad-free search experience. Neeva founders know that search is the gateway to global information, and they hope to help consumers have a completely new online experience — free from privacy invasion, frustration and distraction. The Neeva website displays the following features:

• 100% ad-free results.
• Use of Neeva on all devices, browsers and an iOS app.
• A browser extension that is compatible with all major browsers such as Chrome, Brave, Edge, Firefox, and Safari.
• Neeva blocks trackers that follow you.
• Never sells or shares consumer data with other parties.
• Option to search anonymously with incognito search.
• Customize your search results on your personal homepage.  
• Synch and search your calendar, email and documents if desired. 
• Neeva plans to be free initially, and then cost less than $10 per month. 

More Neeva Differences

Still confused? Still asking the question….What is Neeva search engine? Here are some more differences between Neeva and Google.

1. Users can make updates, add restrictions and access their data. Neeva deletes search history after 90 days, unlike Google doing this at 18 months. (However, you can change your Google search history to 90 days if desired.)  
2. Neeva does collect subscribers’ names, payment information and some personal data, but the difference is that it does not pass along personal information to other parties.
3. Neeva displays a left-hand panel, titled “Spaces.” You can bookmark a search result and add it to a Space, then share it or use it to create lists or feeds for yourself. 
4. Neeva plans to share 20% of its sales with content partners Medium and Quora, when content is directly used to answer a search query. This is a groundbreaking move, since Google does not remunerate publishers for their content. Medium and Quora would then pass along the revenue to their content contributors. 
5. Neeva’s age requirement for subscribers is 13. 

Neeva and Your Law Firm’s Marketing

As of Neeva’s recent public launch on June 29, 2021, co-founders Ramaswamy and Vivek Raghunathan hope to gain a million paid subscribers in the next two years. People who can afford Neeva will likely use it instead of Google. Paid search will then most likely reach a lower income or less sophisticated audience than it does now. If your law firm depends on PPC ads, your reach may soon shrink if Neeva takes off. What can your law firm do about the growing push to escape from ads?

Produce Content

In the future, more people are going to take steps to avoid the ads that assault them within search engines and on social media. Your law firm can prepare for changes by producing a steady amount of quality content that can be found organically online. Content marketing can bring in high conversions, when it stays relevant to your potential clients. Consider the following ways to keep bringing value through content, stay visible in search results, and bring traffic to your website.

Resurrect Your Blog

A law firm blog is a key way to draw traffic to your website, since people start searching for answers to their legal questions online. When they do, your relevant blog articles can be there to assist them in their queries. On your blog, you function like a legal expert. If you lack the time to bring back or start a blog, consider hiring a content company that specializes in legal content. 

Refresh Your Website

You can improve your website in ways that will boost its rankings, so take the following steps to make your law firm more visible:

• Get more great reviews.
• Sharpen your mobile-first website.
• Insert more links.
• Complete your Google Busi profile for better local search results.

Build Your Email List

Email is still sharp when it comes to reaching its intended audience, so build your email list and send out your law firm newsletter to remind past clients about you. This can be a great way to gain new referrals. 

Explore Creative Content Channels

You do not have to limit your law firm to blog posts and website articles. Consider the strengths of your team and think about a fresh way to insert SEO through various content channels:

• Videos
• Podcasts
• Reviews
• Polls
• Social media posts
• Courses
• Ebooks
• Images and infographics
• Webinars
• Press releases

TL;DR - Neeva vs. Google

So, what is Neeva search engine? Neeva is the first global, ad-free search engine accessed by subscription.  Now launched, Neeva offers untracked, high quality searches and unique features that welcome a new option for everyone. So far, Neeva is not doing damage to Google’s users, but if Neeva were to cut into Google, it might mean a different audience will be viewing and clicking on your law firm’s ads. Keep your marketing plan strong by adding more creative, relevant content that will surface in organic search results. 

How Law Quill Can Help Your Law Firm 

Law Quill can help your law firm grow on ANY search engine by providing interesting content that showcases you as an authority and expert! We make sure they keep reading enough authoritative content that they choose you for their legal needs! Consider reaching out to schedule an appointment today, listen to the Legal Marketing Lounge podcast, or check out the bestselling book Click Magnet: The Ultimate Digital Marketing Guide For Law Firms from Amazon today!

Annette Choti, Esq. has over twenty years of combined legal and digital marketing experience. She founded Law Quill, a full-service digital marketing agency for law firms and businesses in the United States and Canada. Annette is a sought-after CLE and keynote speaker for Bar Associations and legal events throughout North America. She creates and hosts the Legal Marketing Lounge podcast, and is the author of the bestselling book, Click Magnet: The Ultimate Digital Marketing Guide For Law Firms. Annette used to do theatre and professional comedy, which is not so far from the law, if we are all being honest.