Google copies Yahoo? How's that for a change? On Monday, the world's No. 1 search engine rolled out a new tool that lets Web sites and blogs offer visitors a customized version of Google Web search.
The new product lets Web site owners control search results, choosing which pages they want to include in their index and ranking them accordingly. It's also free.
To build a custom
index, users fill out a Web-based form, and are then given a code for a search box that they cut and paste into their own Web pages. The ease is astounding, and should help drive Google's reach and
usage.
Andrew Frank, a research director with market research group Gartner, also likes the move. "This definitely helps improve the relevance and skip the noise."
Yahoo's
Search Builder is a similar product, but Google claims its service allows publishers room for even more customization. "We allow people to restrict or prioritize search results based on the sites
they've chosen," says Marissa Mayer, Google's vice president for search products and user experience.
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