We are pleased to announce that Programmable Search Engine now includes support for JSON-LD structured data in addition to the many formats already supported. This JSON-LD support includes:
Structured data restricts
Structured data sorting and biasing
Structured data in search results
We currently support JSON-LD annotations that include any of 42 Schema.org types descended from Event, ClaimReview, and EducationalOrganization. If you have other types that would be useful for your specific use case, please let us know in the Support Forum.
Google recommends using JSON-LD for structured data whenever possible.
Use a simple, search the web engine, like this, and search for:
more:pagemap:broadcastevent-islivebroadcast:true
A more specific restrict like:
more:pagemap:event-name:new_years_day
searches for results with structured data events with a name starting with new years day, and returns fewer results. The results become more focused when the restrict is combined with other query terms, like “music”. We can also use more than one restrict to generate a very precise query, like:
more:pagemap:event-name:new_years_day more:pagemap:event-description:louisiana
Structured data queries like these work on any Programmable Search Engine. The structured data restricts can combine with the Search Engine’s site restricts to give a tightly-focused search.
Here’s a search engine that uses restricts based on JSON-LD structured data to search YouTube. It includes two refinement selections:
Startdate in 2020
Live Event
The values of the corresponding refinements are:
more:pagemap:broadcastevent-startdate:2020
We’re pleased to announce that search engines will have access to a much larger pool of autocompletions. These additional autocompletions will not be customized to each search engine, and will be shown below any available engine-specific autocompletions.
Engine owners who prefer to limit their autocompletions to only those customized to their particular search engine can configure this by switching off the “Include autocompletions from the entire web” settings in Control Panel > Search features > Autocomplete.
Engines that have custom autocompletion excludes or exclude patterns will have this option off by default.
Beginning April 30th, 2021, we will discontinue revenue sharing on the following search engine layouts:
The public URL - a link provided for a Google hosted public page for your engine that hosts both the search box and the search results
The Google hosted layout, in which only the search results are displayed on a Google-hosted webpage
Search engines that fall into the two above categories will continue to show ads, but no revenue will be shared.
What does this mean for me?
To continue sharing revenue, you’ll need to use the Search Element deployed on your own site, which will continue to allow for monetization. To deploy the search element tag, please review the developer page.
To change your search engine layout:
What should I do next?
Please visit the help center for help with any other questions / concerns.
We’re pleased to announce that search results URLs rendered by the Programmable Search Element will now use the more descriptive breadcrumb trails. This change will be rolling out over the next week.
Engine owners who prefer to show the full URL can configure this under the Result URL settings in Control Panel > Look and feel > Customize.
The Programmable Search Element offers a straightforward way to add Programmable Search to your website. Until now, the only version of the Search Element available to most customers has been the free ads-supported version.
Today we’re happy to announce a new ads-free configuration of the Search Element using the Programmable Search Element Paid API. By enabling this API and linking it to your search engine, you can opt to pay on a per-query basis ($5 per 1000 queries) instead of showing ads. No code changes on your website are necessary to switch from a free ads-supported Search Element to the paid ads-free version. You can switch back to the free ads-supported version of the Search Element at any time.
Setting a Paid Element key in the Control Panel:
Search Element results, ads-free:
Click here to learn more and get started with the Programmable Search Element Paid API.
Note that this does not affect the existing Custom Search JSON API, which continues to offer a programmatic ads-free way to access search results without using the Search Element. Click here to see a comparison of all Programmable Search offerings.
Search Results that are created using Programmable Search Engine may display “Enhanced by Google”. If the Search Box and Search Results are rendered through the Programmable Search Engine Search Element, then this will happen automatically.
Today, we're happy to announce that users using their own search box or the Custom Search JSON API may add this attribution using the new Programmable Search Attribution API. Simply include a single tag:
<script src="https://www.gstatic.com/prose/brand.js" targetId="divId"></script>
Everyone using Google branding in their own search box should use this new resource. For more information see the help pages on Attribution API and Branding Guidelines.
Many of you have requested a process to allow multiple users to own a Programmable Search Engine. For instance, you may have created, developed and customized your website's search experience under your Google account, but want the long-term management of the search engine to be performed by someone else.
Now, you can easily add a new owner to your search engine by simply selecting the Owner User Role when you add a user in the Users tab in the control panel.
