Why doesn't my browser do this?

[wheel]

I was reading the podcast thread over in foo and someone dropped a name that I wasn't familiar with. So I cut and pasted the name into Google to find out who they were.

What I'm wondering is, why can't I just highlight the term, hit one button and have it googled for me? Maybe even a really cool ajax thing that shows the description snippet from the website that ranks first in Google without my ever leaving the page?

Maybe it's something I'd never need again. Maybe this has already been developed. But maybe it's something one of you seo types could offer as a free tool to build backlinks, no? If it takes off, it's a consumer level tool so plenty of potential exposure. Maybe even the whole digg/slashdot thing as well.

[jdMorgan]

With Google Toolbar installed (in Firefox), I can highlight any word or phrase, right-click, and do a search for it...

Jim

[Shaddows]

FF3.0.7- I can highlight, right-click and "Search google for [highlighted word/phrase]".
No Toolbar required

[edited by: Shaddows at 9:56 am (utc) on Mar. 19, 2009]

[steve]

^^Great tip, thanks Shaddows.

[engine]

That capability is also now in IE8

[Robert Charlton]

Wasn't there a giant outcry some years back when Microsoft was going to add this feature to Windows?

(Or maybe it Google going to add it to the Toolbar).

[piatkow]

I wasn't aware of that feature and I just went through the whole copy/paste thing on something interesting in a previous thread. It even opens the search in a new tab.

[leadegroot]

Appears to be built into Safari (ie I don't recall ever adding anything to get it)

Double click the word and right click, select 'Search in Google'. A couple of other options too.

[nealrodriguez]

yeah, macs open a menu by clicking the ctrl button while clicking a highlighted term. you click 'search google for _____'

[g1smd]

Safari also has a facility where you can highlight a text URL and can open it in a new tab or window.

Other browsers may also be able to so that.

[topr8]

ditto opera, you can highlight a word and right click giving all kinds of options including translate, dictionary, search in whatever se you choose etc.

[penders]

FF3.0.7- I can highlight, right-click and "Search google for [highlighted word/phrase]".
No Toolbar required

Same in FF1.5 ! (Except it's "Search Web for [whatever]")

[oluoch28394]

good stuff, i never noticed it before. I always opened a new tab and searched from the google search box

[Yoshimi]

How have I had that feature all that time and never used it? Now I am kicking myself, all of those wasted seconds must add up to a good 15 minutes, I'm forever searching for terms I see on a page :(