Google Custom Search

Google Custom Search (formerly known as Google Co-op) is a platform provided by Google that allows web developers to feature specialized information in web searches, refine and categorize queries and create customized search engines, based on Google Web Search. Google launched the service on May 10, 2006.

Services

The Google Custom Search platform consists of three services:

Custom Search Engine

Released on October 24, 2006, Google Custom Search allows anyone to create their own search engine by themselves. Search engines can be created to search for information on particular topics chosen by the creator. Google Custom Search Engine allows creators to select what websites will be used to search for information which helps to eliminate any unwanted websites or information. Creators can also attach their custom search engine to any blog or webpage. Google AdSense results can also be triggered from certain search queries, which would generate revenue for the site owner. This service is currently being beta tested, with bugs, enhancements and feedback from developers being recorded at the "Google Custom Search Engine Enhancement Page".^{[citation needed]}

Subscribed Links

Discontinued^[1]

Subscribed Links are web results that users can manually subscribe to. Anyone is allowed to make a new Subscribed Link, and do not necessarily need knowledge on how to create a feed, as a basic link can be created. Subscriptions are then available in a special directory.

Topics

Topics are specific areas of search, which can be developed by people with knowledge of a certain subject. These topics are then displayed at the top of relevant Google web searches, so the user can refine the searches to what they want. Currently, there is a limited number of topics that Google is wanting to develop, namely Health, Destination Guides, Autos, Computer games, Photography and Home Theater.

One of the topics with many contributions is Health.^{[citation needed]} They include the National Library of Medicine, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Health On the Net Foundation, Harvard Medical School, Mayo Clinic and others.

Google CSE's may offer better topical search results than the standard Google search.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• Yahoo! Search BOSS

References

1. ^ http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/09/fall-spring-clean.html

External links

• Google Custom Search
• DRAGNET A Google custom search created by librarians at the New York Law School that tracks more than 80 recommended web sites.
• Social Science Data Search A Google custom search of more than 800 recommended sites created by the University of California Berkeley.