Google Custom Search

Google Custom Search is a service of the search engine that allows you to set up a custom search function for your website.

Definition

Google Custom Search allows website owners to host a website (or web) search box and search results on their website. Users can customize the search engine, which is created using Google’s core search technology.

Advantages of Google Custom Search?

Google Custom Search offers numerous advantages for you as a site operator as well as for the users:

• you can avoid the weaknesses of integrated search functions in CMS this way
• it is free of charge
• Suggestions for improvement for search terms that brought no or only few results
• Search options and filters
• You can limit them to your own website
• Simple integration and operation
• Earn money with Google AdSense ads on search result pages

How does Google Custom Search work?

You can customize Google Custom Search: When creating your own internal search engine, you can prioritize or limit search results based on specific web pages that you choose. Once you define your search engine, Google provides the code for a search box that users can copy and then paste directly into their own website or blog.

The search does not have to refer to your own website. Google Custom Search can be applied to any web page included in the Google index. Users can also determine whether or not Google’s image search should be integrated into the search process. You can also activate the autocomplete function if you wish.

So that your own internal search engine fits visually and stylistically to the page on which it is to be integrated, you can also design the search mask to your liking: There are predefined designs available and you can also select the fonts and individual colors individually.

You also have the option to display ads alongside the Custom Search results.

The importance for SEO

While Google Custom Search doesn’t have a significant impact on your website’s ranking. But it does influence usability, which in turn has a positive effect on Google’s rating. Google Custom Search meets high demands and often works even better than search functions integrated in the CMS. In addition, an internal search function plays an important role in the area of conversion optimization.

Conclusion

With Google Custom Search you can create your own internal search engine for your website according to your wishes. This simultaneously increases the usability as well as the conversion rate and thus also the Google ranking.