5 Minute Tips General Adding Your Own Search Provider to IE7 | Adding Your Own Search Provider to IE7 |
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| Tuesday, 19 December 2006 | |
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Not long ago, there was much talk about default search providers for browsers and unfair competition. All these providers cherish that default slot for good reason. Most users don't change this setting, but keep the original search engine. Those who do care often install 3rd party toolbars such as Google or Yahoo!. That behavior may change as Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0. offers an array of alternate search providers, but makes it simple to add a new one. In fact, you could even add the Google Custom Search on our site. (Includes online tutorial) I have to admit I missed this feature when doing my first review of IE 7. I think this was partly because Firefox doesn’t allow you to easily add your own search engines. I say “easily” because if the one you want isn’t defined, you need to create a XML file. This is not something your average user will try.Different Search ProvidersThere are 3 types of search providers you can add to IE 7. The first type is the Web Search providers. These are the top 6 search engines that are common. These include: AOL
Apart from this list, there is a set of Topic Search providers. These tend to be smaller players, but more targeted. This list covers vendors from About.Com to USATODAY. Most likely, you might add some of these vendors, but not as your default. The real gem is you now have the ability to add one of your own provider. You’re not restricted by someone else’s list or mega marketing deals. This custom search provider could be a metasearch vendor like ixquick we used for the tutorial or even one as small as the Google Co-op search we built for our site. How to Add a Search Provider in IE(These instructions are for adding a search provider that is not already listed by Microsoft.) 1. Open IE 7 2. Click the Search Options down arrow to the right of the magnifying glass 3. From the drop down menu, select Change Search Defaults… 4. In the Change Search Defaults dialog, click Find more providers… 5. Open a new browser tab and go to the search provider you would like to add. 6. In this site’s search text box, type “TEST” without the quotes. 7. Copy the entire URL from that search result. 8. Go back to the Add Search Providers to Internet Explorer 7 page 9. Go to the Create Your Own section and paste your URL from Step 7 into the text box on line 3. 10. Add a name for your search provider on Line 4. 11. Click Install. 12. In the Add Search Provider dialog, check the box Make this my default search provider. 13. Click Add Provider. If you go back to your IE 7 search box and click Search Options, you should see a checkmark besides your new entry. Related Articles: 3 Minute Tutorial on Changing Search Providers in IEThe Portfolio and Custom Search |
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| Last Updated ( Sunday, 03 June 2007 ) |
