Implement a Flavor Of Site Search On Your Website

Build your website -> Website Design

Is there a way to find out the most popular search engine people use when they search for information they are looking for. Yes, research shows that Google has a huge market share in this regard.

Site search engines provide users with a simple and convenient way to locate products using the terms with which they are most familiar. When users can easily find what they want, they are more likely to buy - and in the end, that is what all Internet retailers want.

When users conduct a search on a website, they typically look for a text field where they can enter their term(s). According to Jacob Nielsen’s Web usability tips, this search box (or field) should be no less than 27 characters wide in order for the text to be clearly visible and easy to use.

I have collected information on the following such search engines. I personally prefer to use Google search engine.


Google Site Search
This is easy to plug in. The Search Engines Result Pages (SERP) have become so familiar to the end users that it has fast achieved a mainstay on many sites around the the Web. This also has the advantage of an addition revenue stream for publishers through PPC advertising.


Yahoo! Vertical Lens
This is part of the new and highly-talked about Build Your Own Search Service (BOSS) platform, and allows website developers to create site search engines that go beyond Google's plug-in offering. Among its major features are real-time indexing of propprietary content, customizing ranking, and structure search.


EveryZing's ezSearch
This is a universal site search solution that indexes and searches multi-media content.  Its features include full customization of search results, multiple content format, and time-stamping every word in the index. Ideal for Web properties with lots of video, this search engine could well become the standard in site search for multi-media content.


Omniture's Site Search
This is yet another product that puts the world of on-site search into the hands of those in constant pursuit of ensuring the right information is presented to the visitors. Users of this search engine can promote top-performing products and content in results using pre-defined business rules. For the analytics-conscious website developers, Omniture is an excellent search solution on the market.


In a Nutshell
Web design is not something that should be taken lightly. The goal is to strike a balance between client preferences, design principles, and trial-and-error tests based on end-user analytics data. Perhaps it is best not to view Web design as a one time, beginning-to-end project but rather as a continual work in progress.