Using Google Custom Search Engine and AJAX API

April 25th, 2008 by The Break, under Internet. No Comments

For a recent project, I wanted to find a great search engine that used some sort of labeling system.  Since my competitors had been using Google Custom Search Engine, but they hadn’t been using the awesome label system, then I figured that the Google CSE didn’t have a label system,  so I searched far and wide for one, and nothing really fit my fancy that wasn’t way out of my budget.

So, i resigned myself to looking into Google’s CSE, and sure enough, they had a great label system!  I was very happy.  As I continued to work with the Google Custom search engine, I fell even more and more in love with it.  They have an awesome method for adding websites either individually, in bulk, or they even have an option to add websites on the fly.  All you do is save a certain page as a bookmark, and then click it and click “add” and choose your labels, and the site is added to your custom search engine.

I also delved into the AJAX API for the Custom Search Engine, and I was very surprised at it’s ease of use.  I have no programming skill and very little markup skill for basic HTML, but I was able to work around, doing trial and error, figuring out how to get the custom search engine to have a great ajax feel, that could make my search engine stand apart from my competition.

They also have some great examples with the full source code visible, so you can copy and paste what you need, and then modify it to the type of search you want to do.

Because I didn’t need it for my project, I never really delved into the local search, the video search, the blog search and the map search APIs, but they had some really cool ideas and mashups, allowing you to search for “climbing equipment” and you could have your local stores listed, plotted on a map, and different blogs, videos, and websites all showing up that have to do with climbing equipment, all from one search.

If your site needs a custom search engine, definitely check out Google’s custom search engine.