This question is loaded. Google does not index search results of other search providers and it never has, because it would create a really bad and potentially buggy user experience (Click through 10 search results to get the real link (if you don't go in a full loop!))

However if you search "Google Search Alternatives" on Google, it displays a large, pronounced box at the top, declaring "Here are 12 alternatives to escape your reliance on Google for all things search."

The poster above was claiming to not have trouble "finding a good competitor" to Google's services. I simply asked if they found one to Google's most synonymous service: search.

Bing at least claims to be. Is Bing enough worse that it isn't a usable alternative?

I've been daily-driving Bing for a few years now, and the only time I switch to Google is for searches on obscure programming errors. I've otherwise had no issues finding anything.

This is what killed Bing for me. I work at a .NET heavy company and it seemed like Bing was pushing (possibly not intentionally) MSDN and MS forums pretty hard. That generally was not where the answers to my questions were, and after a while I just gave up on it.

I tried DDG for a while. Search results were pretty good for me (and w! so! etc are nice), but google is so much faster. That takes capital investment, for local centers around the world. I'll try bing for a while.

I used it for 3 weeks in china, it is really bad compared to google imo. I could not wait to switch back.

DuckDuckGo

Somehow, I doubt Google is worrying about the next move that DuckDuckGo will make in competition with them.

Google names DuckDuckGo as their competitor. I think it's taken seriously.

Google has an incentive to name competitors because they have a monopoly. Which regulators like to observe.

Microsoft did the same when they were investigated.