How To Add Your Own Custom Search Box With Google And Make Money - Part 1

On my own journey to create a membership site with Your Shortest Path I keep finding more cool resources that anyone can use.  Best part about adding a Google Custom Search Engine is that it is free and you can DIY (do it yourself).

The Google Custom Search Engine allows anyone on Your Shortest Path to search the site for exactly what they are looking for as well as allows you to perhaps earn a little money by connecting it to your Adsense account.

Right now it’s probably not that useful to people coming to Your Shortest Path since I am still in the “getting it going” stage, but I know it will become more and more useful as the site grows and fulfills it’s intended purpose of helping home based peeps take the “no” out of technology with How To DIY Videos, tutorials and tips.

Here’s an example of the what the Google Gadget looks like:

Here’s an example of what a search box looks like:

You can add the your custom search engine to your blog or website a few different ways.

1. DO THIS:  Add the code to Google Custom Search Widget and add code to the Google Custom Search Widget. You can see my Custom Search Engine in the right column.  This puts the search tool on all of my pages.
2. DO THIS:  Add the code to a private page you create on your wordpress blog and use the title as the link.  This allows you to keep people on your blog when then see the results.
3. OPTION 2: Add the code to a page you set up, and put the page on your sidebar.
4. OPTION 3: Create a custom search box and then add it as a custom gadget from Google to your webpage or blog.  This is a link to Your Shortest Path’s gadget.  Notice on the bottom that it allows you to copy the code which means you can put it where ever you want.

Steps I took:

Step 1.

I did a search for “Google custom search” to find the right Google website.  Click on Create a Custom Search Engine.

Step 2:

I simply followed the directions from Google.  They are very easy for any DIY person.

Search Engine Name: Your Shortest Path Search Engine.

Keywords:  use the top 5 to 10 keywords and keywords phrases for your blog or website.  Don’t worry about making this perfect or getting distracted to find the perfect keywords.  Once your custom search engine is set up you will have an opportunity to review as well as change any of the information on this page.

Select: Only sites I select.  This allows you to keep the search to your website

Step Three:

Under sites to search add your url.  Be sure to put a /* after your url, this means it will create a search for all of the pages on your website or blog.  By clicking on the “tips on formatting URLs” you can also limit your search to specific areas of your site.  Since I already set up Your Shortest Path without taking snap shots I will be using my personal blog for part of the example.

Be sure to try out some queries in your new private search engine.  One mistake I made was to use the url above which is doesn’t actually host my personal blog Knee Deep Blog rather it simply forwards to the blog.  So when I did a test I had no results.  I needed to go back and add the full URL from typepad.  You can see the Knee Deep Blog custom search on the left hand column of the blog.  Notice that I didn’t set up a separate page for results.  The results are hosted by Google.  Below I will show you how to set up a private page to host your results and keep them on your blog.

By putting “breast cancer” and not just the words breast cancer I am able to have a more refined search.  The quotations around a word tells the search engine to search for those words in that exact combination.  If your queries come back with results you are good to go and have completed this step by clicking on “finish.”

Step 3:

The next screen you will see is the overview page that shows the names of the custom search engines you have set up.  I have set up two.  Click on “Control Panel.”

The control panel is where you are able to review as well as make changes to your name, description and keywords.

Click on “look and feel” to get to this page in your control panel.  I used the default because I like the clean look and feel.

The second half of the look and feel allow you to change the colors - this is a great way to allow the search results to really feel like they are coming from your website.

This is the bottom of the look and feel page.  Since we will be hosting the results on our blog you do not need to add your logo.  But, if you are also adding a custom search to a separate blog or website where you don’t have the capability or flexibility to create a private page such as my Knee Deep Blog, then be sure to add your logo here.

Don’t forget to click “save” before moving on to the next step.

Step 4.

Making some possible pocket change with Google Adsense when your visitors come to your website.  On the popular blog Dosh Dosh, Maki said that she’s making about $20 per month - one her readers asked if adding the Google Search Box Tool is worth the risk of your visitors leaving your blog.  I appreciated her saying that if they are coming to your blog in the first place they most likely will come back.  I’ll continue that thought with, if they are taking the time and effort to search your blog or website instead of searching on their browser I don’t think you have to worry.

The Google Search Box is both a resource for them to more easily find what they want as well as it may even earn some pocket change.

Am I worried about polluting my blog with Adsense or other ads?  Absolutely not.  I think it’s simply about finding the right balance for your readers.  As well as being sure that the products you are advertising fit in with the readership.  So for example you’ll see advertising for wordpress, icontact, and hosting because that’s what people coming to Your Shortest Path are looking for…resources to help them DIY.  More importantly, you are looking for resources that have credibility behind them - let’s call it word of mouth referral.

From the control panel click on “make money.”

Simply click and follow the directions.  It takes about 5 minutes to set up.

Since I already set Google Adsense up with Your Shortest Path Search Engine set up - this is how it looked when I set up Knee Deep Blog.

To continue the tutorial and to find out how to set up a private page on your wordpress site so that the search results stay on your site.

Tagged as: Adsense, custom search box, diy, Google Custom Search, Google Gadget, how to, tutorial, Wordpress Widget