Adsense for Search - Customizable!

[icedowl]

Yay! We can now pick our own background colors to exactly match our site. Also there's a new search button that if used will really streamline this baby.

[skipfactor]

Nice, the ability to use your logo on the SERPs is cool, though the limit of 100x100 px won't work for busier logos.

[James_Hatts]

Unfortunately with SiteSearch you can no longer set your own domain as the default.

[ebound]

Unfortunately with SiteSearch you can no longer set your own domain as the default.

This is exactly why I don't use the Google Site Search and why I will never use it until they allow my site to be the default selection. Why would I want to draw visitors away from my site be letting them search the web rather than my domain?

[Broadway]

Same here. I finally decided to add Site Search to my home page and have spent the last 20 minutes or so mocking up a test page. Out of frustration I came here looking for the answer to how you set your own site as the search default (the set up page even implies that you can do this) and it seems the answer is you can't.

I agree with the sentiment here. My website's text and reputation attracted the visitor. Why would I want to employ a search box that helps them leave my site (other than by way of clicking an Adsense ad)?

[dragonsage]

We used to be able to do that by selecting our site's radio button in the example box.

Unfortunately, Google's new code change for that page "fixed" that.

Good thing I have my old version, legitimately created by the Google Search wizard of the time. This means I can't tweak colors, etc, but I _can_ have my site as the default.

[skipfactor]

>>Unfortunately with SiteSearch you can no longer set your own domain as the default.

Yes you can. Comparing old code with the new should help.

[skipfactor]

>>I agree with the sentiment here.

Same here. Shouldn't have to hack it. The USER is doing a site search. That should be the default.

Google compromises...the logo option in the SiteSearch SERPs is hyperlinked, bravo.

[Jalinder]

the logo option in the SiteSearch SERPs is hyperlinked, bravo
>> Google needs some more backlinks :)

Unfortunately with SiteSearch you can no longer set your own domain as the default.
>> Seems deliberate Javascript bug. Probably we should not care too much and make required changes directly in the code?

[TheDonster]

Unless I'm missing something here you can still set the Google search box to your site as the default. You just have to click on the radio button for the domain you designate LAST before you click to generate the code. The radio button always seems to default to Google's web search whenever you enter another input lower on the page. I just checked the code and it is generated properly with the domain name radio button = checked. Your logo was always linked to your domain on the SERP, nothing new there.

I'm still not sure what "new" features Google has announced here. Publishers have been asking for the ability to color customize the search box for a long time, just like the premium publishers have always had. Black, white and grey are not applicable to all sites, nor is the size of the box very easy to set up on all pages.

[ronin]

Publishers have been asking for the ability to color customize the search box for a long time

Use CSS?

[TheDonster]

Can't modify the search box colors in any way, shape or form. I asked when I implemented it and got a direct no way. Only your SERP can be customized to fit your site color scheme.

[skipfactor]

>>Unless I'm missing something here you can still set the Google search box to your site as the default.

I believe you, but I can't replicate what you're doing. It always defaults to www for me, in Opera at least. Easy enough, just set the radio button as checked in the code and uncheck www.

I was mostly referring to after the user does a site search. The radio button on the SERP defaults to a www search. You have to hack it to make your domain the default.

[Jalinder]

TheDonster,
Thanks, your notes helped me keep domain selected.

[ebound]

You just have to click on the radio button for the domain you designate LAST before you click to generate the code.

I absolutely cannot get this to work. Every time I click the 'Update Code' button the Option selected switches from my domain back to the 'Web' option and the code does not change.

[TheDonster]

After you do Update Code, reclick the domain button on the Search Box you see in the example. The code is still generated properly without having to hit Update. Copy your code from the page immediately after you select the Your Domain radio button. It should work in IE but I can't say for Opera. Whenever you input something on this page, the default returns to Google web search. A small but annoying feature that Google seems to have overlooked?

[AdSenseAdvisor]

Hi all -

Thanks for bringing this matter to our attention - our engineers will investigate further. Please be assurred that it's not our intention to disable setting of the default search position to 'site search'. We do want you to be able to have this feature.

I'll keep you posted as to any updates.

-ASA

[ebound]

HA! I'm tripping out over here. Its still not working, IE6. I've followed everything you've said and tried every combination of clicking this and that, no luck. It simply will not work.

[skipfactor]

>>We do want you to be able to have this feature.

Does that include a default to site search in the SiteSearch SERPs? :)

[jetteroheller]

Just rolling out the new search box on all my domains.

[skipfactor]

the logo option in the SiteSearch SERPs is hyperlinked, bravo
>> Google needs some more backlinks

Not Google's hyperlinked logo with the search box on your site, that's been that way. I meant your personal logo you can now add to the search results pages; it's linked to your homepage.

I have my logo to the left of the search box and Google's is on the right--quite generous of them--good real estate. It gets the user back to your site quickly, and it's a good reason to not have the results open in a new window. Nice addition.

>> Your logo was always linked to your domain on the SERP, nothing new there.

My apologies if this is not new. I need to dig around more often.

[AdSenseAdvisor]

Hi all -

Just wanted to give you an update that our engineers have fixed the problem, and you should now be able to set your AdSense for search query box to default to Site Search when generating your code.

Let me know if you have any questions.

-ASA

[viggen]

well i had the same problem, and contacted the Adsense Team about it, i was told i could change the code manually and was even given by the Adsense Team the exact way the code snippet should look like and it works now...

regards
viggen

[BillyS]

Just make sure the code has the right one "checked." If a newbie like I could figure this out, you can too!

<input type="radio" name="sitesearch" value="foo.com" checked="checked"></input>
<font size="-1">Sitename</font>

It's completely customizable. I've been using my own background color for months now. There are only a couple of important lines of code in the entire script. Mess with it, break it, try again - that was my approach.

By the way the "Logo dimensions are limited to 50 pixels by 50 pixels for logos that are placed above the search box" isn't true either. Around 600w x 50h is more like it.

[Rolozo]

I am not sure about that so i am asking
1)
is it ok to remove bgcolor inside <table>?
2)
is it ok to change code to match with website design
changing are just adding css class
<input type="text" name="q" size="15" maxlength="255" value="" class="xyz"></input>
<input type="submit" name="sa" value="Google Search" class="xyz"></input>
?

Thank You.

[surftrack]

ummm i thought site search was montenized?

am I missing something? there are no advertising boxes or links showing up on my site for very very generic searches (like music).