12 Best Video Search Engines and How to Do a Video Search

Video Search Engines
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Online video has never been more popular than to date. Whether you’re a video content marketing professional or an average Joe, you can start making videos on all budgets nowadays. This high accessibility and the growth of popular video search engines and social video platforms like YouTube and TikTok are likely the primary reasons online video has become so prominent. Today, video content makes up 80% of all consumer internet traffic

What Is a Video Search Engine?

A video search engine is a specialized search tool that helps users find and discover engaging video content. However, conventional search engines can also serve this purpose and display videos from multiple sources. 

The general principle is that users can enter keywords, phrases, or specific queries into a search engine’s search bar to find relevant video content they are looking for. 

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Top 12 Video Search Engines in 2023

Although Google is the unprecedented king of search engines and owns the majority of digital search real estate, it is far from the only option out there. There are many other search engines you can strike gold with if you use them correctly. 

To help you get started, here is a list of the 12 best video search engines in 2023

1. Google

Google Logo
Google

Google is the biggest search engine globally, holding 85.53% of the market share with one of the largest video databases. Likewise, this engine is effortless to use. So, it’s an easy first choice for most users looking for any type of video content. Google also has one of the most advanced search engine algorithms and displays results from various sources. Although Google is biased toward YouTube results and prefers to show them over other platforms, it is still one of the most versatile video search engines on the market.

Google Search Bar
Google Search Bar

How to Use Google Video Search Engine

Browsing through videos is relatively straightforward:

  1. Enter your desired keyword in the search bar and press “Search.”
  2. Then select the “Videos” option below the search bar to display only video results for the target keyword.
  3. Lastly, if you wish to narrow your search, click the “Tools” button to filter your results by video duration, upload date, video quality, or source website from the menus below.

2. Bing

Bing Logo
Bing

Bing is another prominent name in the industry as Google’s biggest competitor. Even though it holds only a fraction of the search engine market share and has lived in Google’s shadow for years, don’t underestimate it.  

Bing’s UI is sleek. The search engine has more filter options than Google and better optimization for mobile viewing. Bing also lets users search for paid videos straight from its search box, a handy addition to its algorithm that not many competitors have. However, it does favor more recent uploads, so you might have to use filters to locate older content. 

Despite Bing having only 2.79% worldwide search engine market share, it is an excellent search engine in no way inferior to Google. Moreover, it will come particularly in handy for users looking for premium video content

Bing Search Bar
Bing Search Bar

How to Use Bing Video Search Engine

You can start using Bing to search for videos online in just a few steps:

  1. Select the video option at the top of the screen, type your desired keyword in the search bar, and press search.
  2. Afterward, you can browse the search results or narrow them down by opening the filters box from the right-hand side of the screen.
  3. You can also narrow your search results according to video length, upload date, video quality, source, or price.

3. Yahoo 

Yahoo Logo
Yahoo

Yahoo’s search engine and UI are most similar to Google’s, so users won’t have a hard time using it. Its algorithm offers fewer filters than Google’s. However, it provides more options to filter videos by their source

One of the advantages of using Yahoo as a search engine is that its algorithm differs significantly from its competitors. That means your SERPs will vary considerably from other search engines. This result diversity makes Yahoo an excellent option for anyone looking to do in-depth research. 

Yahoo Search Bar
Yahoo Search Bar

How to Use Yahoo Video Search Engine

Here’s how you can run a search query on Yahoo:

  1. Enter your query in the search box and run your search.
  2. Then select the videos tab under the search box to view video results for your desired query. 
  3. If you wish to filter your results, you can do so according to video length, upload date, video quality, and source from the drop-down menus below.

4. YouTube

YouTube Logo
YouTube

YouTube is the world’s largest video-sharing website and video search engine, with over two and a half billion monthly users. Moreover, it has one of the world’s best video search algorithms that users use to consume hundreds of hours of video content every minute.

YouTube Search Bar
YouTube Search Bar

How to Use YouTube Video Search Engine

There are several ways users can search YouTube for various types of videos

  • Using the search bar at the top of the screen;
  • Choosing content from your YouTube feed that recommends videos based on your watch history;
  • By browsing through trending videos from the “Explore” tab;
  • Content from the channels you subscribed to;
  • Using voice search.

Aside from its high-end video search and recommendation algorithm, YouTube offers extensive search filter options to zero in on your desired content. Since the platform is the world’s most extensive online video library, you’re unlikely to leave it disappointed. It is even possible for businesses to embed YouTube Shorts on a website for free to gain more traction.

5. Dailymotion 

Dailymotion Logo
Dailymotion

Dailymotion is a video-sharing platform similar to YouTube, where users can browse and watch millions of videos. Although nowhere nearly as popular as YouTube, Dailymotion still has over 300 million users

Dailymotion Search Bar
Dailymotion Search Bar

How to Use Dailymotion Video Search Engine

Dailymotion’s search engine lets users browse through its library and filter their search results seamlessly. When you enter your search query, you can select one or several filters on the right-hand side of the screen. While its filtering options are more modest than YouTube’s, Dailymotion is an excellent way to search for videos online, especially if you’re looking for sports, music, news, and entertainment content. 

6. AOL

AOL Logo
AOL

AOL is a search engine few people know about, but it is a reliable option for everyone looking for search variety. 

This search engine is similar to  Google’s and Bing’s but with limited filter options (it doesn’t allow filtering by source). However, AOL’s algorithm doesn’t favor YouTube, so it’s excellent for those looking for various video sources.

AOL Search Bar
AOL Search Bar

How to Use AOL Video Search Engine

You can begin your video search by entering your query into the search box and filtering the results to Videos. You can filter your results by video length, upload date, video quality, and safe search from the drop-down menus below.

It’s worth noting that AOL’s algorithm is not exactly precise, so you might have to dig through the results to find what you’re looking for. 

7. DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo Logo
DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo is the go-to search engine for everyone looking to protect their privacy, as it doesn’t collect personal information and track its users. Although it only takes up around 1.94% of the search engine market, DuckDuckGo has one of the most advanced products in the industry.  

DuckDuckGo Search Bar
DuckDuckGo Search Bar

How to Use DuckDuckGo Video Search Engine

This search engine has an intuitive interface, excellent filter options, and a reliable algorithm that push up-to-date content first. Users can narrow their search results by upload date, video duration, quality, safe search, and license.

One of the best features of DuckDuckGo is its option to display results by region. This feature makes this search engine incredibly handy if you’re looking for country-specific videos, as the SERPs vary significantly between geographical locations. 

8. Yandex

Yandex Logo
Yandex

Yandex is the Russian equivalent of Google and is a search engine widely used in countries like Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan. It also has a video search option, but its English-based library is pretty lacking

Yandex Search Bar
Yandex Search Bar

How to Use Yandex Video Search Engine

You can filter your search results by video duration and quality. You can also choose to display only recent videos. Overall, these options are rather underwhelming compared to other search engines. However, there is still merit in trying Yandex out if you’re looking for Russian content. 

9. Ecosia

Ecosia Logo
Ecosia

This search engine is an environmental alternative to AOL, Yahoo, and similar, with an organized team that plants trees for the searches you make. If you were to click on an ad that appears among your searches, 80% of the amount paid for your click goes to planting trees. 

Aside from its eco-friendliness, Ecosia has a well-rounded search engine that can find and display videos from various platforms. 

Ecosia Search Bar
Ecosia Search Bar

How to Use Ecosia Video Search Engine

Just enter your query and set the search results to Video. This search engine lets you filter your results by video resolution, duration, and upload date.

10. Veoh

Veoh logo
Veoh

If you’re looking for an extensive library of various types of videos, movies, and music, you should check out Veoh. This platform lets you search videos with custom queries or browse dozens of different user-generated and indie video categories.

Veoh Search Bar
Veoh Search Bar

How to Use Veoh Video Search Engine

One of the best aspects of Veoh is that it lets users search for videos in many global languages or by subtitles, which is something no other search engine allows.

11. Swisscows

Swisscows logo
Swisscows

Swisscows is a privacy-first search engine like DuckDuckGo and does not collect your data or create a search history. It offers a variety of films, music, images, and a wide range of videos to choose from. It is also family-friendly, as it does not host any adult content. 

Swisscows Search
Swisscows Search Bar

How to Use Swisscows Video Search Engine

The filtering options for this search engine include video date, duration, quality, and aspect ratio (widescreen or standard).

12. Baidu 

Baidu logo
Baidu

Chinese search engine Baidu is the fourth-largest search engine globally. Baidu doesn’t have an English version, and the results heavily gravitate toward Chinese sources even if you search for an English keyword. But if you’re interested in Chinese videos or the Chinese market, it’s a viable option. Unfortunately, Baidu does not have filtering capabilities. 

Baidu Search
Baidu Search Bar

Is There a Reverse Video Search Engine?

Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a reverse video search engine. But don’t worry; there are ways to look for an existing video online

How to Reverse Search a Video

One of the easiest ways to reverse search a video online is the following:

  • Go to a search engine;
  • Upload an image/screenshot from the video in question;
  • Set up search parameters;
  • Browse.

However, not all search engines will let you do this. That is why you’ll have to find one that supports this option. Websites like Shutterstock also offer reverse image search that works on the abovementioned principle. You upload an image/screenshot from the clip you’re looking for, and the search engine shows similar, if not the same, video results. 

How to Reverse Search a Video on Google 

Reverse searching a video on Google is the best choice since it has one of the largest video libraries online. That means you have the best odds of finding what you’re looking for with this search engine.

You can reverse search a video in these simple steps:

  1. Take a screenshot of the video you wish to reverse search.
  2. Then navigate to the Images home page.
  3. Click on the small camera icon in the search box. 
  4. Upload the screenshot you took.
  5. Press search.
  6. Dig through the results to find your source video.

While it might seem impractical to use the image search option to look for videos, it is undoubtedly the best way to do so.

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FAQ

1. Is there a search engine for videos?

2. What is the most powerful video search engine?

3. Can you Google search a video?

4. How to upload a video on the Google search engine?