Tailoring Google Site Search

Brett Lucas

Payman Labbaf

July 2008

Problem

• Relying on a separate cataloguing mechanism.• Unsatisfactory results prioritisation• Unable to index document other than html• Too resource intensive to maintain

Why Google CSE

• Ease of use• Well-known Search platform• Highly customisable

Introduction to Google Side Search

• Introduction to Google Site Search• Google CSE plus

– Ads & Google branding free– XML API– Email support

Features• Customisability

– Via a simple web interface– Via submitting an XML file– using XML API

• XML API

• Synonyms

• Data Biasing– based on the age of the documents– based on the domain from which the document is fetched– based on the path of the document

• Refinements

Tailoring Google Site Search

• Sign in to your Google account– Provide basic details– Provide all domains which define the scope of the search

• Create labels for refining or restricting the search• Create the search pipeline

– Wrap up the request and submit it to Google– Receive the response as an XML– Parse the XML and extract the results– Display the search results

• Provide final fine-tuning for Data Biasing

Potential Risks• Availability• Functional limitations• Google spec changes?• No absolute accuracy guaranteed

Contingency• Old system on stand-by• Loosely coupled modules• Documenting spec-related code

Future Tasks

• Perform Usability Test• Improve visual aspects of external navigation• Extend the refinements

Resources

• Introduction to Google Site Search http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=uUB04YCUQ7k

• Google Site Search Homepage http://www.google.com/sitesearch/

• Custom Search Engine XML Spec http://www.google.com/coop/docs/cse/cse_file.html#7

• Google Site Search XML API

http://www.google.com/coop/docs/cse/resultsxml.html