How To Create A Google Custom Search Page For Your WordPress Blog
If you are using a WordPress Blog and running Google Adsense Ads, one of the ways to make better money from both resources will be to replace the Search Engine on your WordPress Blog with a Google Custom Search.
What Are The Benefits Of Using Google Custom Search
The few benefits of using Google Custom Search will be that the Search Results are much more relevant and accurate and it’ll look more professional on your site as it blends with your blog design. You’ll not be seeing just plain posts title, but rather search result links like what you get when you search with Google.
Secondly, you’ll be driving Google Adsense Ads on the Search Results as well, so you have another income source from Google.
To do a test-drive, please feel free to do a search (on the right) and this is what you’ll be getting and seeing…
Do note that I have enhanced my site search engine’s CSS style.
If you have been wondering on how to set up and make some money out of the Google Custom Search for your site, just like I did, this is a handy tutorial for you to try, and if you have any issues, please feel free to drop off your comments.
Ingredients Needed:
- Google Adsense Account
- Your WordPress Blog
- Access To The WordPress Admin Page
- Minimum knowledge of Creating A WordPress Page
- Minimum knowledge of CSS Style and Theme Editing
- Most importantly, be patient!
On Your Google Adsense Account
First Step:
Access into your Google Adsense Account, Click On The Adsense Setup and Click On The Adsense For Search as seen below:
Second Step:
Once you are in, this is the area whereby you start inputting some of the information needed.
- Search Type: If you want a search engine for your current site, choose “only sites I select” and key in the URL of your site into the “Selected Sites” text area.
- Optional Keywords: If you are targeting on a few major keywords, you can key them in here. This will help to drive targeted Google Adsense Ads to the Search Results.
- For “Country for Google Domain” – if you want your Search Results to be based like www.google.com.sg, you can choose Singapore or the default United States will be good enough.
- Custom channel: create a channel to track your daily search engine results.
Third Step:
This is very straightforward. Choose the look and feel that you want for your Search Bar.
Fourth Step (please pay attention to this):
Opening of the Search Results Page:
If you do not have your own designer to design a new page for you, the next best option is to choose open results within your own site.
Take Note:
- The Search URL that you need to take note is in this format: http://www.yourdomain.com/yournewwordpresspagename and this page name should be the same title of your new WordPress Page. Like my case it’s “Search Results” therefore the wordpress page is http://www.affilicore.com/search-results/. This new page title is crucial to creating a new php documents to process the search results. Confused? Hold on for now and read on for the **…
Second Part of the Taking Note:
- The minimum width of the Search Area is 795px. Make sure your WordPress Page Template can cater for this.
- Ad Location is your choice of where you want your Google Adsense Ads to appear.
- Next will be the choosing of the colors. Mix and match on your own to get the style of the search results you want for your site.
Once you are done with this page, proceed on to save your first-ever-created search engine and to get the code needed.
On Your WordPress Admin Page
Create your Search Page by clicking Write then Page.
- ** Under the Title, type in the your preferred page title, e.g. Search Results. To make sure you are on the right track, make sure your permalink is the same as per what you have keyed in earlier in your Google Custom Search.
- You can choose to keep this page as private so as not to appear as part of your menu.
Next, click on Design > Theme Editor > and look for the “Page Template” under the Templates section.
- Open up your favorite Text Editor, create a new page, copy whatever you have inside the “Page Template”, then copy your Google Custom Search Code in and save the name as per your preferred page title, in my case, my page title is “Search Results”, my new file is searchresults.php.
- This new file is then to be transferred into your selected Theme Folder, together with the core files. To make sure you have done it correctly, just go to your theme editor and you will see that file together with the rest.
The Last Step:
Guess what? You are actually done in creating your Search Engine for your WordPress Blog! But… your default page template may not go well with your Search Results and you may need to tweak your CSS a bit here and there to make sure that everything looks well and professional for the search results.
Be patient on this!
Once you are done, play around with your new search engine page!
And That’s All!
And that’s all you need to do to create your first Google Custom Search Engine for your WordPress Blog. Remember the benefits of having a Google Custom Search Engine are that you will have a more relevant and accurate search results and one that blend well with your Blog. You can also make good money out of your visitors’ search.
If you have any issues following any of the steps here, please drop me a comment.
Related posts:
Recent Comments