How to Integrate Google Custom Search into your Blog

Google Custom Search is the best way to let your readers search your blog. It is just like giving the readers the power of Google search just this time the scope is limited to your blog alone. It is one of the most handy tool for each and every blogger out there. Its easy to setup and starts working the moment you put it in your blog. In this tutorial we will see how to embed a Google Custom Search Box into your blog and some tips related to it.

Demo
Some Thing You might want to Know

When a Blogger blog is created , a Custom Search Engine dedicated to it is also created with it. So technically speaking you might even not need to make your own Google CS Engine ( To Enable This just add a Search gadget from the Layouts ) . But wait here is the thing , there are some limitation attached to this search engine. Here is list of few

Can't access data related to search queries

No way to monetize the searches

Can't include the images from pages besides them

Sometimes results are not what you really want

With this said , it is would be far better choice to go with a Google Custom Search Engine rather than the inbuilt Search Engine for your Blogger blog

Well there is another inbuilt way to search your blog , using the query parameter on the /search directory of your blog . To add a search box of this type ,add the following code in a HTML/JavaScript Widget.

<form  action="/search"> 
     <input id="q" style="width:150px;" name="q" size="70" type="text" /> 
  <input value="Search" name="sa" type="submit"/> 
</form>

The results are more graphical but the way it functions is a bit unknown and the results sometimes can be a little off-target. No data related to queries is available

Now as we have seen how any other alternative is as good as Google Custom Search ,lets see how to implement it in your blog.

Why is GCS Good ?

Well some features that make it ~~good~~ awesome

Hourly Statistics about search queries

5+ Styles to choose from

6 different ways to show your results like Two Column , Two Page ,etc

Monetize your Search Traffic by connecting with AdSense

Options to link up with Google Analytics

Instant removal and Indexing options

Power to read your Readers brain ! (AutoCompletions)

Fire specific results when particular URLs are searched

Options to index all Images on your blog and make them searchable

Result Sorting according to Relevance

With so many features you might be asking whether its really free ..... Yes its all free to grab. There is a Business version available too but as thats for businesses !

Finally How To put it in your Blog !

Follow the Steps below and you will have running on your blog in no time

Video Tutorial

Steps

1. Go to http://www.google.com/cse/manage/all and Click the New Search Engine Option in the Left

2. Now Enter the details as asked and click the Next Button

3. Select the style of the comment and click Next

4. Copy the Code provided

5. Add it into a HTML/JavaScript Gadget and Hit the Save Button

6. The Custom search has been setup for you and your blog is ready to be searched !

This is the most basic version of the Google Custom Search , now lets get started with some customizing

Note: For every change you make , 90% times you will have to put a new code in place , so I suggest you make all the changes and then only add the new code in your blog

Getting the images to be Indexed

Go to the Basics Tab and under the Search Preferences check the Enable Image Search option and Save Changes

Monetize the stuff

You can simply link your AdSense account with the Custom Search so that all the Ads that appear in the Search Results become a another revenue resource for you

Autocompletions

This is one of the most talked about feature out there . You predicting your readers mind ! If you enable it make sure that there is a free quota of 100 queries a day, beyond this they will fail