If any, is there a shortlist of alternatives that people use over wikipedia? i.e. people who just go to the first result or who avoid wiki; where do they end up?
In my experience, the first link is typically wikipedia if you search for an exact term rather than a question (“What is the capital of italy” vs “Italy capital”. the latter puts wiki at the top for me).
(b) Transactional websites for search terms that denote possible purchase intent, or other websites that are action-oriented (e.g., Yelp reviews).
(c) More “user-friendly” explanation sites (e.g., for medical terminology, a website that explains it in a more friendly style, or WikiHow)
(d) Subject-specific references (some overlap with (c), but could also include domain Wikias, or other wikis)
(e) When the search term is trending because of a recent news item, then links to the news item (even if the search query itself does not specify the associated news)
If any, is there a shortlist of alternatives that people use over wikipedia? i.e. people who just go to the first result or who avoid wiki; where do they end up?
In my experience, the first link is typically wikipedia if you search for an exact term rather than a question (“What is the capital of italy” vs “Italy capital”. the latter puts wiki at the top for me).
Varies heavily by context. Typical alternatives:
(a) Google’s own answers for simple questions.
(b) Transactional websites for search terms that denote possible purchase intent, or other websites that are action-oriented (e.g., Yelp reviews).
(c) More “user-friendly” explanation sites (e.g., for medical terminology, a website that explains it in a more friendly style, or WikiHow)
(d) Subject-specific references (some overlap with (c), but could also include domain Wikias, or other wikis)
(e) When the search term is trending because of a recent news item, then links to the news item (even if the search query itself does not specify the associated news)
Stackexchange (or Q&A sites in general) is also a popular hit for me, but that might just be google profiling me.