Google Advertising Tools, 2nd Edition

AdSense for Search Settings

As I’ve noted, AdSense for Search allows you to add a customized search box to your site, and to make money from the ads on the search results page.

To get the code for placing a search box on your web pages, open the AdSense Setup page and click AdSense for Search. You can then choose from various options, including whether you want to have the box search specified domains or the entire Web, and what language should be used.

The site search box is a nifty alternative to Google’s web search box. You set this box up by choosing your domain as the site to search (rather than the entire Web) as shown in Figure 8-32.

Figure 8-32. AdSense for Search lets you implement a site search box that is useful to your site visitors—and can make you money

Google can only return results from pages it has indexed, so the site search box results of your domains will only be as good as Google’s job of indexing your site. Usually, this is pretty good indeed—so you have a double whammy advantage: users can search your site with a state-of-the-art tool and you potentially increase your revenue.

You can also make some simple layout selections, as shown in Figure 8-33, and decide to exclude adult content from searches by enabling SafeSearch (this option is further down the dialog).

With search box units, as with ad units, you use channels to track the performance of your search boxes. ...