Site Customization

Customize search for a site

Search options for a site

If you enter a term in the Google Sites search box, you can search across all the site's content and attachments. However, you can also customize your search box to search across more content. Google Sites offers multiple search options:

  1. Search across multiple sites (not just the current site). For example, an algebra class site might configure the search box to search its own site as well as related math or algebra class sites to increase the relevant content searched. This option can only include sites that exist on the school Apps domain.
  2. Search across the entire domain. A school portal site might change the search box to search across all sites in the domain to provide the visitor (most likely a student or faculty member) the content or site within the domain that is most relevant.
  3. Search using a Custom Search Engine. A math class site, for example, might offer an option for a particular topic to search using a Custom Search Engine which includes third- party sites on the same topic (math resources/help/tutorials). Custom Search Engines are used often in educational contexts to create a 'safe' search by pre-selecting the sites you want to include in the search results. In addition, by pre-selecting the sites, the results will be higher quality and prevent students from a surplus of inaccurate sources.

If there is just one search option enabled, the site displays the search button only. If there are multiple options enabled, a drop-down list appears, so people who visit your site can select what type of search they want to do.

Configure search for your school domain and Google

To enable search options for your site, follow these steps:

  1. In your site, make sure you are not editing a page (if you see the Save and Cancel button, you are in editing mode). If in editing mode, click Save or Cancel to exit.
  2. Click the More menu and select Manage site.
  3. Select the General tab.
  4. Click Site layout and click the Configure search button.
  1. Select Advanced.
  2. Click Add provider and select a provider from the drop-down menu.
    1. This site
    2. All sites in myschool.org
    3. google.com
  1. If you like, you can select the default search option from the drop down.

Configure search by selecting school domain sites or a Custom Search Engine

To select specific sites for your search option or to use a Custom Search Engine you have created, follow these steps:

  1. In your site, make sure you are not editing a page (if you see the Save and Cancel button, you are in editing mode). If in editing mode, click Save or Cancel to exit.
  2. Click the More menu and select Manage site.
  3. Click Site layout and click the Configure search button.
  1. Click the Advanced tab.
  2. Click the Add provider button and then select a provider type (If you already have one provider, you can add another by clicking Add provider again):
  3. If you would like to specify websites to be included in search requests, select search across multiple sites
    1. Enter the name for this search option (e.g. Math department if you will be specifying other math sites at your school domain).
    2. Select the site on your school Apps domain you wish to include in this search option from the drop down menu. Click the Add site button.
    3. Continue to select and add sites until you have finished. Click Remove if you wish to remove a site from your search query list.
  1. If you have a Custom Search Engine created and ready to use, select Custom Search Engine.
    1. Enter the name for this search option (e.g. Math resources for a custom search engine you created that searches various math tutorials, tips, and resources pages).
    2. Enter the URL for the Custom Search Engine (see the next step as to how to find the URL for your search engine).
  1. If your school has a Google Search Appliance and you would like to include the information indexed on the appliance, select Google Search Appliance.
  2. Click Ok to save your search option.
  3. Click Save changes on your site settings page. Please note: If you do not click the Save changes button on the settings page, your new search option will not be saved and will not be available to use.

Find the URL for a custom search engine

If you have created a custom search engine, you can find the URL by following these steps:

  1. Go to http://www.google.com/cse/manage/all to see a list of all your created Custom Search Engines.
  2. Click on the name of your search engine, this will take you to a homepage for your search engine.
  3. Copy the URL in your browser bar. This is the URL you will use when adding a search provider in Google Sites.

For more information about Custom Search Engines in education, visit http://support.google.com/customsearch/?hl=en

    1. Enter the name for this search option (e.g. School intranet).
    2. Enter the URL for the Google Search Appliance (if you do not know, ask your domain administrator).