Create your own search engine

By Etan Horowitz, Technology / Internet

Doing a Google search can sometimes be overwhelming because it provides so many results. Creating a Google Custom Search Engine allows you to only search the sites you choose, so you get fewer results. You may want to have several custom search engines, each focusing on different subjects. Custom search engines can also be an alternative to bookmarking interesting links and articles you want to read later.

1. Go to google.com/cse and click on "Create a Custom Search Engine." If necessary, sign in with your Google account or create one.

2. Enter the basic information about your search engine, including the title and description. Choose if you want your custom search engine to search only the sites you enter or the entire Web, with an emphasis on your selected sites.

3. Enter the sites you want to search into the box in the "Select some sites" section. Enter one URL per line. Agree to the terms of service and click "Next."

4. Test out your new search engine by entering some search terms into the blank field and then click on "Search." Click on "Finish."

5. Click on "homepage" to go to your search engine. Bookmark this URL so you can easily return to your custom search engine. You can add more sites to your search engine or modify it by going to your search engine homepage when you are logged into your Google account.

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(Etan Horowitz is the technology columnist for the Orlando Sentinel. He can be reached at ehorowitz at orlandosentinel.com.)

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