Google launches customizable search service

Stan Beer
Tuesday, 24 October 2006 14:27

Your IT - Home IT

Google has launched a new search service today, which allows users to restrict searches to groups of specifc pages and websites. The Google Custom Search Engine, is designed to enable users to create their own customized search engine focused on any content they like.

The new Google service, which is available at www.google.com/coop/cse, enables users to choose which pages they want to include in their index, how the content should be prioritized, whether others can contribute to their index, and what the search results page will look like.

Organizations or individuals can go to www.google.com/coop/cse and select the websites or pages they'd like to include in their search index. Users can choose to restrict their search results to include only those pages and sites, or they can give those pages and sites higher priority and ranking within the larger Google index for their site. Users can then customize the look, feel and functionality of their search engine.

"We want to make it easy for anyone to create a search engine about all of their favorite topics, without needing a Ph.D.," said Marissa Mayer, Vice President of Search Products and User Experience.   "Everyone – businesses, organizations, moms, dads, teenagers, and teachers – can harness the power of Google technology to create a personalized search experience that reflects specific knowledge and interests."

As an option, Custom Search Engines can also be monetized through the Google AdSense program to generate revenue.

According to Google, a number of sites have already created Custom Search Engines. Intuit's JumpUp.com site, which provides information and resources to small businesses, is combining a Custom Search Engine with its experience in small business to provide useful resources on the Web to its users. RealClimate.org, a site that offers expert opinion on the science of climate change, has created a searchable subset of the Web to provide reliable scientific information to its visitors.

A consumer scenario suggested by Google is users creating search engines pointing their friends to sites about their favorite pop stars and place them on their personal homepages

Google plans to expand the offering internationally in the coming weeks.