Google Custom Search Engine is more powerful than the default search engine of WordPress. More and more webmasters like google custom search engine. Every one can use the standard edition freely. If you have a google adsense account, you can also associate your search engine with google adsense. Just do it right now.

1. Log in Google Custom Search

Google Custom Search Address: http://www.google.com/cse/, Screenshot shown this:

2. Enter Your Custom Search Engine Information

Input information includes:

  • Search engine name
  • Description
  • Search engine language
  • Site to Search
  • select a edition (the Standard Edition is free for every individual)
  • Accept the license and agreement

Screen shot shown here:

When finished settings, click Next.

4. Custom Search Engine Management

Choose a customized style and click Next:

Here it is the search element code, but it is only the default search code, we do not use it commonly, we will get another customized search code from Look and feel. Just follow with the next description.

5. Indexing your sitemap

Indexing your web site from a special sitemap. If you are using Webmaster tools. You may choose the xml record for your web site here.

6. Make Money

If you have no google Adsense account, You may ignore this step. Usually google will put some ADs in the search results, you can customized its layout from the panel. If you have a google adsense account, you can associate the custom search with it.

Select I already have an Adsense account and type some necessary information of your adsense.

Note: After setting here, you will get a email from goole, you still need to authorize it's access to your adsense from your email. 

 

7. Look and Feel

Highlights:

  • Search box and search results display not a single page
  • Need to modify Sidebar.php, or changes in the background Widge (if supported)
  • Need to manually create a Search Page

Here it is a example of Iframe option. Click Look and feel in the left menus, select Iframe in Choose a hosting option. This is a common selection for most users. you can put your search box code and search results code in different pages. Screen shot as:

When finished selections, click Get Code.

8. Get Custom Search Code

You may get this page like this. There are two partition code for us.(Note, if you choose search element in the selections, you may get only one code here. 

Enter your address in the specified URL box for the search results displayed, such as http://www.zzsay.com/search, make sure your typed address can be normal access to.

9. Copy and Paste Search box code

Usually search box code should be placed in your widge or top banner. They will work properly in both methods. Here it is a example of placing in widge(Sidebar. php file under your current theme). You can modify this file from the wordpress background or a professional editor.

The search results code should be pasted in a single page usually. You can create a new page for search results, just like this screen shot. Paste the search results code in the source code of the new page. when finished, click Publish in your wordpress panel.
 

10. Congratulation!

Okay, you can using your google custom search engine now, if you want to view the effect, just search something in my site from the side bar. If you get some errors or questions from this article, feel free to let me know.