Please stop returning results that I didn't search for!

I found brave search about a year ago and it was amazing. Search operators worked, it showed results for what I actually searched for, and it handled searches for programming questions well. Also, Goggles are a fantastic idea, and they show interest in showing users what they’re actually interested in.

However, over the last 3-6 months or so, I’ve noticed things going dramatically downhill. It feels just like Google, now, but with a worse index. Search operators are ignored (though it tells me they’re in use). My searches are “corrected”, resulting in irrelevant results. Searching for exact results, like part numbers, is impossible.

You had something truly great: a search engine that respected its users’ input. Why go down the same road as Google? You’re not going to compete with them. You had found a good niche for technical users. Why throw that away?

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@bgshacklett,

Can you please be more specific about your issues? Can you tell or show me an example of the Search engine ignoring the operators and/or “correcting” your searches?

I have noticed the same thing on all search engines, and even the search functions on corporate sites. The guys at the commercial counter at Autozone here have to find the sku on google, if they can, and type it directly into their site. All info on part specifications has disappeared internet wide, discussion results no longer show up regarding anything technical, service manuals are all behind paywalls, and incomplete/incorrect once you buy them. Seems like we need a p2p meshnet to replace darpanet at this point.

When I decide to use Brave Search, I always go to:

https://search.brave.com/settings

and DISABLE Answer with AI:

Screen Shot 2024-12-06 at 6.59.22 AM

and DISABLE Discussions:

Screen Shot 2024-12-06 at 7.01.06 AM

. . . and then scroll to the top of that webpage and click on the “[Lion]brave” icon:

Screen Shot 2024-12-06 at 7.03.56 AM

. . . thereby going to the Brave Search webpage.


Regarding Brave Search Engine Operators (“SEO”):

In my experience, the plus and particularly the minus symbols usage have NOT been reliable:

  • +: Returns web pages containing the specified term either in the title or the body of the page. Example: to find information about FreeSync GPU technology, making sure the keyword “FreeSync” appears in the result, type “gpu +freesync”.
  • -: Returns web pages not containing the specified term neither in the title nor the body of the page. Example: to search web pages containing the keyword “office” while avoiding results with the term “Microsoft”, type “office -microsoft”.
- - - - -

I also block several elements of the Brave Search webpage AND of the Brave Search results webpages.

That blocking, includes the AI button that appears in the Brave Search field.

search.brave.com###submit-llm-button

so I do not inadvertently tap that button.


Learn to BLOCK elements and thereby store custom filters.

How to . . .


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