Smaaz’s Blog

Google Introduces Hosted Site Search for Businesses

July 17th, 2007

Google today announced Google Custom Searchâ„¢ Business Edition, a simple and inexpensive way for small businesses to add Google search to their websites. In three simple steps, businesses can sign up online for the hosted service, and in less than 10 minutes customers and visitors are able to search their site using the power of Google’s search technology, for more relevant results.

“Millions of businesses have a web presence but offer users no ability to search their site,” said Dave Girouard, vice president and general manager, Google Enterprise. “While many of these businesses invest in search advertising and search engine optimization to help customers find their business, customers are left on their own to navigate content once they land on a site. As Google continues to make search technology more accessible to businesses of all sizes — first with our appliances and now with hosted search services — we are reducing the hurdles of cost, complexity and time so that small businesses can help customers find what they need every step of the way.”

To set up the Custom Search Business Edition, businesses simply:

1. Identify the site(s) to search, and select either all or selective searching of content
2. Add the search box and customize the appearance by adding logo and matching the site’s look and feel
3. Further customize search results with refinements that reflect site content (such as sectional groupings)

“The number of referrals generated to our homeowner base has increased by approximately 30 percent, and at the same time, the number of customer service requests has also significantly decreased,” said Andy Steggles, president of Holiday Home Rental, an online directory of 25,000 holiday rental homes with more than 150,000 pages of content. “The results have been overwhelming. The newly implemented Google search tool truly enriches the user experience by giving them the power to simply think and type their search parameters, which propels them to a more accurate and meaningful result set.”

With the Custom Search Business Edition, small businesses get:

• Site search hosted by Google, eliminating the need to install and maintain their own technology
• Power and reliability of Google’s infrastructure
• Relevant results and sub-second query response times characteristic of Google.com
• Ability to easily set up, purchase, and manage results online
• Full customization of search results available through an XML API
• Reporting features that give insight into visitor behaviors
• Options for email and phone support available through the Google Enterprise group
• Choice about whether to include ads or not

Custom Search Business Edition starts at $100 a year for searching up to 5,000 pages, and extends to $500/year for up to 50,000 pages. Larger volumes of pages are supported through Google’s enterprise sales group. The Custom Search Business Edition builds on the Google Custom Search Engine (a hosted search solution introduced in October 2006) by adding business integration features through an XML API, the option to turn off ads, a more customized look and feel, as well as email and phone support.
The Custom Search Business Edition joins other search offerings from the Google enterprise group including the Google Search Appliance and Google Mini, both of which offer additional control over crawl depth and timing, as well as secure access to internal documents.

Entry Filed under: Google