Better branding part I

Posted by: Jennifer Hyman, Product Marketing Manager

In our constant quest to simplify things, we've made a small, but important change to the language you see from Google on Custom Search Engine search results pages. Now, instead of the long string of text that previously said "Google search results customized by [XYZ site] using Google Co-op," you'll see a small Google logo with the words Custom Search. We think this new branding is an improvement both in design and clarity -- not only do the search results look better, but it should be clearer to your users that they're benefiting from Google CSE.

Later this week, we plan to roll out some additional branding options for your search boxes, and hope you like our first attempt to improve the look and feel and of your CSE.

Add Music to Blogspot blog

This article is updated to address the difference in the way the code is interpreted by the different browsers, namely Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox. We have also included a sample music file which you can use to test the effects of adding the sound file to your Blog. As well, read our article on Flash Music Player and Music Playlists to add a playlist of several musical pieces or songs.

Using Google Page Creator and Google Groups

If you are looking to have a Favicon (icon next to your URL) or music on your blog, you will need to upload the files onto a web host. Most bloggers do not register and pay for a .com site. Fortunately for us, there are many sites offering free hosting of your files, documents, photos, and so on. I shall cover 2 very useful free web hosts which you can consider using – Google Page Creator and

Site search gets supplemental

Posted by: Patrick Riley, Software Engineer

One of the common uses of Custom Search Engines is to provide site search. A number of users have suggested that we can improve Custom Search for this application by also including supplemental results in Custom Search Engine's results. We put fewer constraints on what pages go into our supplemental index and therefore there are many pages which are available only there. This is our first step to give you more results. If your search engine operates as a filter and has three sites or less or your search engine includes the whole web, you'll get supplemental results as well. For example, take a look at the Hanayama Puzzle Store search engine I've created. Hanayama makes some great puzzles, but they aren't always so easy to find. The queries "hanayama baroq" (possibly my favorite puzzle of all time) and "hanayama laby" only return supplemental results in this search engine. Check out the FAQ entry about supplemental results for more information.

Here's some love for our Custom Search friends

Posted by: Mike Cancel, Community Manager


Since it launched in October, we've been pleasantly surprised by the nice ecosystem that has built up around Custom Search Engines. Here are some of the more interesting resources we've found outside Google that you might find useful. Happy V-Day from us to you!

Tools
Add CSE to browser (firefox and IE)

Importing del.icio.us bookmarks for CSE (aka Vik's tool)

Lijit: Personal Network Search


Lists
Finding Google Custom Search Engines

List Your Custom Search Indexes


Directories
CSE Links Directory

CustomSearchEngine.com - the directory of Google Custom Search Engines

Guide to Custom Search Engines

Workarounds
Using ASP.NET site with CSE

Google Custom Search Results Page on Your Wordpress with Adsense Deluxe

How to save search queries on Google Custom Search Engine

Google Co-op - An Intro & Some Insider Hacks

Submit Blogger Sitemap to Yahoo!

Publicize your site by having your Blogger.com or Blogspot.com blog site included in Yahoo! Directory and Yahoo! Search. I went to the official Yahoo! submission of URL page and clicked the link “Submit Your Site for Free”. You will be prompted to log in using your Yahoo! account. For those of you who do not have a Yahoo! account, simply sign up for one. It is Free.After you have your Yahoo!

Submit Blogger Sitemap to Google Webmaster

Submitting your Blogger.com or Blogspot.com blog site to Google Webmaster will enable Google to find, index, and rank your site. For those who are new to this, you may go to the official Google Webmaster Tools site to create a new Webmaster profile.Upon logging in using your Gmail account, key in your blog site URL, and click OK. You will then be asked to verify your site. This is to ascertain

JavaScript for Quote of the Day

If you are wondering whether I manually add a Quote of the Day, the answer is no. I have used a simple JavaScript to display a new Quote everyday. There are a few JavaScript codes written by several people - some make you pay to buy their program, while others allow you to tap on to their Quotes database. I was looking for something simple, and unfortunately a number of those I found online do

Add Images or Icons to Sidebar links

Sidebars are sometimes crowded with lots of text. There are many ways to make some of the items stand out. In my case, I decided that I will add icons next to the links, to differentiate links from normal text. I will also draw a thin line after each link. To be consistent, the color of these lines shall be the border color.Note: This is the style we used for our Minima template. Since each

Add Blogger search box

The Google Navigation bar at the top of your Blogger blogs has an embedded search box. However, you may want to include a similar box in the main body of your blog (like what I have done), or the sidebar. Other than the convenience for users, the added advantage is that unlike Google search box, the search results of this Blogger.com search box appear in the main body of your Blog.Under

Three Columns Minima Template

The typical new Blogger Minima Template has only one sidebar. We can add a third column to the left, to have two sidebars. This maximizes the space, and allows greater flexibility in adding page elements to the sidebar.Note that this guide is for those who want to convert their Minima template into a three column template by adding another sidebar. In our Rounders Template article, we have

Background Image for Blogger Header

Update:With the latest Blogger feature, there is an easier way to insert a background image into your Blogger Header. The steps are discussed in the article “Background Image for Blogger Header (New)”.However, by using the new feature, the image appears in the center, as a background to the title. For those who want more control over the position of the picture, like having the picture appear

Change Blogger Header background color

To change the background color of the Header, first determine what color you would like to have. You may look at the HTML Color Chart for the colors you can experiment with. For example, if you have decided on a color code #B38481, go to Template and click “Edit HTML”. Scroll to the part where you see this:-#header-wrapper { width:660px; margin:0 auto 10px; border:1px solid $

Hexadecimal HTML Color Codes and Names

Changing background and border colors will add a special identity to your site.Under the Template tab, you see “Fonts and Colors”. Clicking that, you will be able to change the colors, font types, and font size. However the available colors on the screen are limited. If you cannot find the color you want, you may want to copy the appropriate hex codes of the colors below, and paste them into

Add Favicon icon to Blogger URL

Have you wondered how these little icons appear next to the web addresses, like the one you see above? When you visit the sites or bookmark them, these icons will make these URLs stand out. These are “Favicons” or “Favorite Icons”.You would first need to have an icon which you would like to use, bearing the extension .ico format. If you search your hard disk, you might find some icons which

Add Page Element to Blogger Header and Blog Posts

You would notice under Template -> Page Elements that there are options to add a Page Element to the sidebar and the footer. However, there is none for the Header and Blog Posts. Having a Page Element option to these latter two is useful. You may want to add a picture at the top, or a Google Adsense ad at the top or bottom of your blog posts.To have an “Add a Page Element” option, under “