New AdSense for Search

[joelgreen]

Yesterday I saw new AdSense for Search in my account, today it is gone. Design of the search box looked much better, it also allowed to put Google logo inside the search box, select multiple sites for search (inside a text area), a text area to provide keywords for better search results (better targeted). I hope it is also XHTML compliant :)
But for some reason "generate code" button did not work. Looks like it is not yet ready but will be available soon. Could not find any related info on AdSense blog.

[Bddmed]

Try: [google.com...]
It does all you described above. I'm using it for years now. So it's certainly not new.

[ann]

Bddmed,

do you get paid for that one also?

Ann

[netmeg]

Yes, if you link it to your AdSense account.

I use it now too on most of my sites because it looks better and is more flexible, but I will say this - I made more money on the traditional AdSense for Search code. Why this is, I do not know, but there's a marked difference (and I've been comparing them for well over a year now)

[farmboy]

I made more money on the traditional AdSense for Search code.

Did the traditional search generate more EPC or more clicks per impressions?

FarmBoy

[netmeg]

Both.

Clicks on the CSE search are much lower.

What I really should do (except that I haven't enough time to set it up properly) is to test it with a PHP script that alternates CSE code and AdSense for Search code and get some insight that way. It probably would also be useful to compare the results pages from a CSE search and an AdSense search to see if there is anything noticeable about the results or ads served that might be causing the discrepancy.

The thing is, I use the search mainly for the search capabilities, not so much for monetization (although it certainly is nice) The CSE search lets you customize; you can tell it to only serve pages from your site (plus ads) or to give preference to pages on your site, or to give preferences as well to sites that you link to - and I'm wondering if by the time you do all that, you make it so nice and relevant that people don't see or feel a need to click on any ads.

Just a thought.

[farmboy]

...and I'm wondering if by the time you do all that, you make it so nice and relevant that people don't see or feel a need to click on any ads.

LOL. Maybe you need to do what Google does and include a lot of irrelevant sites in the results.

Viewing the examples they gave, there seems to be an option to make a devoted search engine/page or just putting a small CSE search box on an existing page. Is that correct?

I may have to give this a try.

FarmBoy

[Bddmed]

Yep, correct.

I use both.

[netmeg]

I have a search box on every page, and then there's also a search box on my results page. (You can either host the results page, or else let Google host it)

Then I have some sites built around CSE search (basically I've created my own niched search engines) that *only* bring up the results I've populated them with. They make a few bucks, but nothing spectacular.

[Malibucreek]

I saw the new version of AS for Search, too. Looked very cool, with the ability to embed custom Google search results pages within your own website template. But I after I used the set-up wizard, the "get code" button never returned anything. Nor did my new search channel show up on my "Manage Ads" page, as promised. So I guess I wasn't all that surprised when the AdSense for Search link on the set-up page reverted to the old form later in the day. Not yet ready for launch, I guess.

Still, I'm looking forward to this new version, though. Can't wait to try it!

[joelgreen]

[google.com...] looks very close to what i've seen, but it lacks a bunch of features. For example AdSense version had something like this "Show ads: 1) top and bottom, 2) right only, 3) top and right". Also more design customization options.

Update: i was wrong, [google.com...] has these features. Looks like Google wants to make it available from AdSense account.

[hyperkik]

That will be a good thing. The limited options presently available have kept me from fully implementing AdSense for Search.

[BillyS]

>>It does all you described above. I'm using it for years now. So it's certainly not new.

You must have been using CSE while it was still in Alpha testing. The offering was only launched 15 months ago.

[silverbytes]

Anybody noticed any improvement in earnings from old search to "new" one? I doubt about benefits of updating all my sites to new code.

Historically search feature brings me some 9% of income.

Any thoughts?

[netmeg]

Last year when they still had two, I tried the new one and the revenue tanked.

This year I had no choice but to use the new one, and I've been pleasantly surprised. So far it seems to be at least on par with the old one, and maybe better. Hard to judge exactly, because I've changed around some of the sites where I was running it, so I don't have an apples to apples comparison. But I'm no longer worried about the revenue tanking.