Build Your Own Google Custom Search Engine

Google Co-op is Google's platform for customizing the Google search, and one of it's new features is the ability to creat your own "Custom Search Engine"
 
According to Google, you can "Harness the power of Google search to create a free Custom Search Engine that reflects your knowledge and interests. Specify the websites that you want searched - and integrate the search box and results into your own website."
 
This feature requires you to have a Google account to (if you don't already have one, it allows you to create an account), whereupon you login and click on "New search engine", which walks you through the process of naming your search engine, identifying the main keywords for your search, specifying your selected sites, and indicating whether you want to restrict searches to just your specified sites or search the entire web while emphasizing the specified sites.  You can then test your search, customize the look and feel of the search box and search results to match your web site, and if satisfied, you can copy a small segment of code for placing within a page on your web site.
 
An interesting option is the ability to allow collaboration on your search engine by assigning people to contribute or allowing people to volunteer to be collaborators.   Another option is the ability to to add refinements, which are labels that you apply to web sites to give priority and allow refinements on searches. 
 
Intuit Inc, the Quicken and Quickbooks software company, has used the feature's tools to create a search engine for a new Web site, JumpUp.com, devoted to small business issues.  Click here for some additional examples.
 
The one caveat to using this feature is that Google will run their text ads in the search results, but you have the option of sharing in the revenue generated by the use of your search. (Government agencies, universities and nonprofit groups can use the custom search tools without having the Google's ads.)
 
If you want to provide the ability to search all of your web and blog sites, including your Active Rain blogs from one access point, this will do the trick, as well as allow you to easily set up searches for your favorite topics, such as fishing for example. (Click here for FAQs.)
 
 
 
Visit my web site for real estate services and support: LawrenceYerkes.com
  
and visit Besthomes-NJ.com to find the latest New Jersey Real Estate property listings (Residential, Commercial, Multi-Family, Farm, Land).   
 
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