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When it comes to search engines, one or two big players get most of the attention. However, there are many alternative search engines to Google that can help you find the content and products you are looking for. Ecosia is one of them.

If you see “Ecosia” as a referrer in your analytics account and have been wondering “what is Ecosia?”, this article is for you. We will discuss what makes this search engine different and why you should consider using it.

Finally, we will look at how to optimize your content for Ecosia.

Let’s get started.

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What is Ecosia?
Ecosia calls itself an environmentally friendly search engine. It offsets its carbon footprint by using profits from search ads to plant trees in more than 30 countries around the world. At the time of writing, the search engine has funded the planting of more than 140,000,000 trees:

Like most (if not all) search engines, Ecosia receives its funding from ads . However, it reinvests 80 percent of its revenue into nonprofit organizations dedicated to planting trees around the world.

In addition to its efforts to increase tree populations, Ecosia also highlights search results from companies that engage in environmentally friendly practices. Armed with this information, you can choose to reward “green” companies with your traffic and money.

Using Ecosia is the same as any other search engine. Its search results are powered by Bing , with some algorithm changes exclusive to Ecosia. A big advantage of using this “green” search engine is that you can view as you browse Using Ecosia is the same as any other search engine. Its search results are powered by Bing , with some algorithm changes exclusive to Ecosia. A great advantage of using this “green” search engine is that you can view as you browse a tree counter among the results: a tree counter :

This icon indicates how often you use Ecosia, including new searches and moving from one results page to another. According to the search engine, it takes about 45 searches to fund a new tree. Which actually isn’t that many when you think about it. How many times do you search for something, don’t see the right results, refocus your search and repeat it a few times until it’s right? Probably many.

By using Ecosia and looking at that icon, you can keep an eye on how many trees you are helping to plant around the world.

Who should use Ecosia?
Since Bing powers Ecosia’s search results , the real question is “when does it make sense to use Bing?” 2.88% of users worldwide rely on Bing for their results. Ecosia, on the other hand, has a market share of 0.11% .

This is not to say that Bing and Ecosia are not good search engines. Bing, in particular, receives a lot of attention because of its intuitive video search capabilities . In our experience, searching for videos on Bing provides a better experience than Google:

One disadvantage of using Ecosia is that it does not emulate Bing’s SERP layout. Instead, it opts for a more Google-like style:

They are mostly the same video search results as Bing, but Ecosia’s usage seems more like Google than its Microsoft counterpart.

Arguably, Bing search has made strides since its launch in 2009. However, it takes a lot of effort to pull users away from their favorite search engines. That is why there are so few alternatives to Google with considerable market share.

For the privacy-conscious
When it comes to privacy, this environmentally conscious search engine treats your data with much more respect than most other search engines. It does not store search information permanently, sell data to advertisers or use external tracking tools . It also encrypts searches.

If you want to use a search engine that offsets your carbon footprint and does not store search data, Ecosia should be your first choice. On the same note, if you already use Bing but want to help plant trees around the world, consider switching to Ecosia.

Your choice becomes easier when you compare it with other search engines such as Yandex or DuckGoGo. Because of its partnership with Bing, Ecosia offers much better results than Yandex (at least for Western audiences).

In terms of privacy, DuckGoGo has a clear advantage, as it does with the vast majority of search engines. However, DuckGoGo certainly does not follow in Ecosia’s green footsteps.

Optimizing your content on the SEO side for Ecosia
Although Ecosia’s search results are powered by Bing, the search engine also “improves” its rankings with its own algorithms. If you run the same query on both search engines, you will see similar but not identical results .

One disadvantage of using Ecosia as a webmaster is that the search engine does not publish much information about optimization. Its algorithms are not public and do not mention any additional ranking factors beyond those used by Bing.

Ecosia highlights “green” results. , but does not promote them in rankings. However, you may attract additional attention and traffic if your business is considered environmentally friendly. You can achieve this by stocking sustainable products, using environmentally friendly business practices, or following official green guidelines.

Overall, if your website follows the fundamentals of search engine optimization (SEO) and you optimize it for Bing, your content should also rank well in Ecosia. By optimizing for Bing , we intend to follow the following practices:

1.Using Bing’s Webmaster Tools.
2.Registering your business on Bing Places
3.Keeping up with the Bing Webmaster Blog
4.Increasing your social media presence

Bing and Ecosia also include social media in their search results. If your website has a sizable following on online networks or your content gets a lot of shares, your site might rank better on Ecosia and Bing than on Google in Google SERPs..

Overall, there is a great deal of overlap between website ranking factors for different search engines. Following SEO best practices will guarantee you excellent results across the board.

Conclusion
Ecosia may not have the most significant market share among the various search engines. However, we recommend that you optimize your content for both Bing and Ecosia. That way, you will be able to tap into audiences that may not find your content using more traditional options such as Google.

As a searcher, it is worth taking note of this search engine as an alternative to Google because of the good the company is trying to bring to the environment.

When it comes to growing your website, it rarely makes sense to put all your eggs in one basket. This principle also applies to search engines. Although Google is the dominant option, you’re leaving a lot of traffic on the table if you’re not optimizing your content for other platforms like Ecosia.

SMTP ports play an important role in sending SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol). That is why it is important to choose the right port when configuring an e-mail server. Incorrect configuration can cause errors when sending and receiving e-mail.

This article will describe what SMTP ports are used for and analyze four of them. We will also explain their functions and features to help you choose the right port for your SMTP server.

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What exactly are SMTP ports used for?
SMTP is a mail-sending protocol that allows users to send e-mail over the Internet, and SMTP ports act as communication endpoints that handle information transfers from one server to another.

To begin using an SMTP server, you must set up your e-mail account. This can be done by entering an IP address and port number to properly route your emails.

There are three stages that emails must go through before they reach the recipient:

• Sending e-mail : sending e-mail to an outgoing mail server. This happens via SMTP, so you will have to decide which port to use.
• SMTP forwarding : forwards messages between two mail servers. Usually, users do not have to configure a port because it uses a default one.
• E-mail reception : e-mails arrive at the recipient’s server. This process is handled by Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP)/Post Office Protocol 3 (POP3).

Which SMTP port to use to connect to the mail server?
Each SMTP port supports at least one level of encryption that determines the security of the e-mail transmission process. When choosing a port, be sure to choose the one that best suits your needs.

Four levels of encryption are available:

• Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). SSL encryption is an outdated technology that protects e-mail transmissions between two SMTP servers.
• Transport Layer Security (TLS). TLS is the successor to SSL that encrypts Internet traffic using modern, secure systems.
• Opportunistic TLS (STARTTLS). STARTTLS is a protocol command used to upgrade an insecure connection to a secure one using SSL/TLS.
• Null (NONE). No encryption provided.

Here is a table of each SMTP port with its type of encryption:

Use of unencrypted SMTP port 25.
Initially, the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) assigned SMTP port 25 as the standard transmission channel for e-mail.

Although the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) still recognizes it as the default SMTP port, it is not recommended to use it as a channel for sending mail. In fact, port 25 has been used to spread spam and malware.

In addition, port 25 does not encrypt messages, transmitting information in plain text. Since threat actors can intercept unencrypted data, this raises many security concerns.

As a result, many Internet service providers (ISPs) and web hosting have decided to block any traffic on port 25. This is done to reduce unwanted e-mail sent through it.

That said, port 25 is a good channel for testing the connection or troubleshooting e-mail configuration problems. For example, if the server does not respond using port 25 when configuring your Web site’s contact form, this indicates a problem with the non-SMTP server.

Sending mail using SMTP port 465
Port 465 serves as a better alternative to 25 in case port 587 does not work.

IANA introduced SMTP port 465 as an upgrade to port 25. It facilitates the secure transmission of e-mail using Simple Mail Transfer Protocol over SSL (SMTPS). However, the IETF never officially approved it as an official SMTP port.

Sending mail via port 465 is protected using implicit TLS, which means that the initial connection is encrypted using an SSL or TLS certificate.

Currently, SMTP port 465 is obsolete and no longer considered an accepted standard for sending mail. We recommend using it only if your hosting provider requires the protocol.

Sending messages via SMTP port 587
SMTP port 587 was introduced as the successor to channel 465. Both IANA and IETF recognize it as the current default SMTP port for sending e-mail.

SMTP port 587 supports STARTTLS, which means it also works with SSL and TLS encryption. It allows messages to be sent securely and provides a level of protection from spam and malware.

STARTTLS is a protocol command issued between an e-mail program and a server. It encrypts information transmitted using TLS connections. In addition, STARTTLS offers SMTP authentication, which requires the SMTP client to authenticate with the mail server to gain access to the system.

SMTP port 587 is currently the best option and we recommend that you use it for sending e-mail as it provides a more robust security mechanism than the other ports.

Try the non-traditional SMTP port 2525
Port 2525 is a modern protocol used for connecting to SMTP servers. It is considered a secure option because it supports TLS encryption for e-mail transmission.

Nowadays, it is a commonly used port supported by many ESPs, ISPs, and cloud hosting services. In some cases, port 2525 is used to configure virtual private servers (VPS).

Port 2525 serves primarily as an alternative if you experience connectivity problems when sending SMTP. If you use port 587 but the connection is blocked or rejected, try switching to port 2525 instead.

However, port 2525 is a nonstandard channel, so it is not widely monitored by IANA and IETF-it is not recognized as an official SMTP method. In addition, some hosting providers also do not support it.

Conclusion
During the e-mail transfer process, different ports are used to send e-mail to one outgoing mail server and forward messages from one SMTP server to another.

SMTP is a protocol that allows you to send e-mail over the Internet. SMTP ports help route messages to the right server and act as communication endpoints between mail servers.

Choosing the right port is important in order to send e-mail. Here is a summary of the four SMTP ports:

• Port 25 : has no security mechanism and therefore is not recommended for sending e-mail. It is currently used as an SMTP forwarding port.
• Port 465 : This port was designed for SMTPS since it used SSL encryption. However, IANA stopped supporting the protocol and replaced it with STARTTLS encryption.
• Port 587 : The successor to port 465 and currently the default transmission channel for SMTP. Port 587 provides secure e-mail transmission using STARTTLS encryption.
• Port 2525 : An alternate port to be used in case of connection problems with port 587. However, it is not recognized by IANA and IETF as an official SMTP port.

We hope this article has helped you choose the right SMTP port.