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Presearch

Presearch

Next-gen decentralized search engine

Created on 6th May 2025

Presearch

Presearch

Next-gen decentralized search engine

The problem Presearch solves

Presearch is redefining online search as a decentralized, privacy-first alternative to traditional options. We have grown to over 150,000 active users supported by tens of thousands of active node operators, forming a robust ecosystem. Our core mission is to ensure searches are as unbiased and private as possible, meaning we collect no personal data, so users cannot be profiled.

Unlike competitors prioritizing paid listings, Presearch implements a "Results First" approach, ensuring organic search results always appear initially, delivering the relevant answers users seek without sponsored clutter.

Presearch is experiencing significant momentum. April marked our fourth consecutive month of revenue growth, with revenue increasing 40% month-over-month. Search volume continues to climb, reaching a 2025 record of 498,126 searches in April.

We are on a clear path to profitability, leveraging a diverse monetization strategy. The beta phase of our full Web3 transition is live, integrating the PRE token which powers our ecosystem.

Looking ahead, we are actively developing a proprietary, AI-centric decentralized search engine. Driven by a lean, high-performing team executing relentlessly, Presearch is a movement offering a secure, transparent, and user-focused internet. Join us in redefining search.

Challenges I ran into

Here are five key challenges and our approach to overcoming them:

  • Building a Decentralized AI-Centric Search Engine: Creating our own search engine, especially one that is decentralized and integrates AI, is a significant, long-term endeavor requiring specialized expertise. Indexing the entire internet, with its trillions of pages, is a massive undertaking. We are addressing this by actively developing the Minimal Viable Product (MVP) of this engine. Our plan is to strategically roll out portions of the search engine over time, starting with pieces of searches. This is a strategic asset being built for the future.
  • Ensuring Security and Stability During the Web3 Transition: Transitioning from a Web2 to a fully decentralized Web3 platform is a complex process aimed at giving users more control and enhancing security. We have entered the beta phase of this full Web3 transition. To ensure security and stability during this crucial phase and before the full rollout, we are undergoing a comprehensive security audit.
  • Combating Abuse and Gamification of the Reward System: Presearch rewards users for searching with PRE tokens, which can unfortunately attract those who try to unfairly game the system. We have addressed this by significantly reducing the default reward amount per search to decrease the incentive for gaming. A key solution is the introduction of Search Staking, which allows users to stake PRE to increase their rewards, thereby rewarding genuine economic support and helping to combat abuse. This system includes a minimum stake requirement and a 24-hour lockup period to prevent rapid manipulation. Additionally, we have upgraded our fraud and violation detection system.
  • Operating with Lean Resources While Maintaining High Execution Speed: Presearch operates on a "lean budget with minimal resources" compared to many competitors. The challenge is to continue innovating and delivering new features rapidly despite these constraints. We overcome this through an efficient, highly adaptable, and deeply experienced team that can execute and ship updates quickly without the bureaucracy often found in larger organizations. We have a pragmatic approach, strategically leveraging external expertise, partnerships, and technology providers when needed to maximize efficiency, and we execute and ship more updates than almost any startup.
  • Combating Misinformation and Bias in Search Results: Traditional search engines often prioritize paid content and advertising, cluttering results and potentially introducing bias. Presearch's challenge is to deliver truly relevant and unbiased results. We addressed this with our "Results First" update, which ensures that the first results seen are always organic. Unlike competitors who dominate pages with paid ads, Presearch places community-staked Keyword ads in the third position. Sponsored and partner ads are designed to replace links in existing organic results, ensuring relevance without pushing genuine content down. Our core mission is to be as unbiased and private as possible.

Tracks Applied (2)

Consumer

Presearch is undergoing a full Web3 transition, currently in beta phase. This transition utilizes Base blockchain to ena...Read More

Showcase

Presearch provides a decentralized, privacy-first online search engine. A key aspect of this service is that Presearch s...Read More

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