If Google Powers It, Check Your Site Search Today *

imageI may have discovered a shift in Google’s search strings that blocks searching a particular domain.  If you have a search box on your own site that uses Google, you should probably go test it to see if you’re having the same problems I’ve just encountered.

As I was looking at an entry on Darren Barefoot’s site, I tried to use his site search, but when I did, I got booted to a blank Google page, despite the search-term-encrusted URL:

http://www.google.com/custom?domains= http%3A%2F%2Fwww. darrenbarefoot.com&q=flash+dancer &sa=Go&cof=AH%3Acenter%3BAWFID%3A32303eaa8f068277%3B &domains=www.darrenbarefoot.com&sitesearch=www.darrenbarefoot.com

Now, Darren’s not likely to have a messed up site, but I’d probably have written it off, except that earlier in the day, the PMachine Expression Engine documentation search also went blank on me:

http://www.google.com/search?q=modules&
domains=pmachine.com&hq=inurl%3Awww.pmachine.com
%2Fexpressionengine%2Fdocs%2F&sa=Search+Docs

The likelihood of two decent sites both having problems with Google search boxes seems extraordinary.

So, either Google changed their query string format, or they’re having troubles returning domain-specific results all of a sudden, or they’ve decided to block certain types of searches.  If you give me a few more examples, perhaps we can figure out which it is.

Update: 3/12 Darren Barefoot’s search is working now.  So perhaps this isn’t the uber-crisis I made it out to be. :(

Incidentally, if you’re a business debating whether to design / install your own site search or use a Google-powered search, I would have said go with Google.  You get better relevance and options in exchange for a loss of branding.  If you’re a popular site, Google indexes you pretty frequently, too.  However, any time you introduce another Web site into the mix, you may potentially run into problems like I’m seeing today, so that’s a consideration as well, especially as in-tool search options improve.

Posted by Travis Smith on 03/12 at 02:57 AM • Blogging Tips -- Blogging News
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