Overcoming the Visibility Crisis in Web3: Designing a Search Engine for the Decentralized Web

Abstract

The rapid growth of decentralized web technologies, such as IPFS, ENS, and Arweave, has enabled the creation and hosting of censorship-resistant, open-access websites.However, these systems suffer from a fundamental usability problem: decentralized websites are effectively invisible to the average user due to the absence of an indexing and discovery infrastructure.This paper introduces Web3 Compass, a search engine purpose-built for the decentralized internet.Unlike traditional search engines that rely on centralized servers and behavioral tracking, Web3 Compass discovers and indexes content from decentralized domains through real-time blockchain monitoring, resolver contract interactions, and a custom IPFS infrastructure.It outlines the visibility problem, examines failed or insufficient past solutions, and presents the architectural design of a hybrid, privacy-preserving search tool optimized for the decentralized web.The contribution aims to address the core bottleneck in Web3 usability by making decentralized content discoverable and accessible.