How to Create Your Own Search Engine

A couple of weeks ago I published a post about two ways to add an image search tool to your website. One of those methods is to build your own search engine. Thanks to Google's Programmable Search tool it's much easier to create your own search engine than you might think it is. In the short video embedded below I demonstrate how to create your own search engine.



Applications for Education
Creating your own small search tool can be helpful when you are introducing younger students to web search strategies. By making your own search tool you can limit how many sites are indexed, know which sites are indexed, and have a reasonable expectation of what will appear when your students use your custom search engine.

Search Strategies for Students - Webinar Recording

Yesterday afternoon I hosted a free webinar, sponsored by Choosito, all about search strategies that all students can employ. The webinar was recorded for people who couldn't attend live (I realize that 4pm Eastern Time isn't the most convenient time for teachers). The recording is now available for everyone to watch. The video is embedded below.



(If you're reading this in RSS or email, you may need to visit the hosting page to view the webinar recording).

You Can Build Your Own Search Engine

Earlier this week I received an email from someone who had found the custom video search engine that I built last summer. The person who emailed me asked how I did it. There's not much to it other than following a few steps at Google.com/cse. As you can see in the directions embedded below, you don't need any coding skills in order to build your own search engine.



Applications for Education
Creating a custom search engine is a good way to provide some gentle search assistance to students. You can create search engines that only include websites that are appropriate for your students' reading levels.

How to Create Your Own Custom Search Engine

I've posted directions for creating your own Google Custom Search Engine in the past. Since the last time I published those directions Google changed some of the settings so this morning I made a new slideshow of directions for making your own search engine. Those directions are posted below (use the full screen mode to see the details).