Google tailors search to your site

A new Google tool will let people use Google's search platform to create search engines focused on the content of their choice.

With the Google Custom Search Engine, which is similar to Yahoo!'s Search Builder, website and blog publishers can provide custom results most relevant to their readers - incorporating a site's online community and its ability to provide contextual ads. These customised search engines can also be tailored to aesthetically match any website.

The search engine can be customised quickly by choosing keywords and a list of sites the publisher wants included in the search index. These can be the only sites searched, or simply the ones with the highest priority. Alternately, users can exclude sites from the search index.

The custom search product lets new and old AdSense customers combine their custom search results and split the ad revenue with Google.

Custom Search also has the Google Marker tool, which allows sites to be immediately added or restricted from the search index. This tool can be set to allow only the site's publisher to exercise this option while surfing the web, or invite a few people, an entire community or random visitors to do the same.

Erica Ogg writes for CNET News.com