How to add a search utility to your Web site

Whenever you visit a Web site, you immediately find what you’re looking for, right? Chances are some visitors to your Web site experience the same frustrations. No matter how logically you think information is presented, there are always people who can’t find what they want. That’s what makes an on-site search utility invaluable. Visitors to your site can locate exactly what they’re looking for–hopefully–without negotiating numerous menus or wading through multiple site levels.

Adding such a helpful and complex feature to your Web site doesn’t require an advanced programming degree or a high-priced consultant. Atomz, Google, and PicoSearch all offer free search hosting for your site without additional hardware or software. These services and others like them operate along the same lines. You register with the company and provide some information about your site, such as your domain. The company analyzes and indexes the pages of your site, providing limited customization options like color and placement of the search box. Once this is complete, the company sends you a form or code to add to your Web site that enables it to display the search box. Users type search terms into this box on your site and are sent to a search-results page on Atomz, Google, or whichever service you are using.

The free services work great for most sites and provide basic feedback (e.g., search reports) and periodic re-indexing. But the companies also include their logo with the search-box graphic. If you can’t tolerate the logo on your site or just want more from your search service, the aforementioned companies also offer paid search services that cost anywhere from $100 - $24,000 per year.

To register or for more information about these services, visit Atomz (www.atomz.com/search), Google (www.google.com/services/), or PicoSearch (PicoSearch.com).

Illustration © Artville.

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