Customizing the Google Search Appliance's (GSA) Search Results page

With the Google Search Appliance (GSA), you can customize the Search Results page on your site to give it a look and feel similar to your own site.

If you would like to do basic customization -- putting your own header and footer on your search results page, we provide instructions for doing this in the GSA Developer Kit.

GSA Developer Kit

Before you begin, READ THIS STATEMENT

The instructions in the Google Developer Kit are fairly complex, but if you can copy and paste, you should be able to do this level of customization with no problem. However, if you do not understand any part of this process, you should probably not customize your search results page at this time.

Once you have customized your Front End, email the XSLT file with contact information of the Web developer(s)/webmaster(s) associated with it to SNSMR.

KeyMatch and Related Queries

KeyMatch lets you promote specific web pages on your site. For example, if a department is releasing a new "Operations" web page that should be returned for certain types of queries, you can direct users to that new web page by associating specific search terms, such as "operations", with the new web page. A link for the new web page is returned alongside the search results for queries containing the term operations. This feature is especially useful in driving traffic directly to web pages that are not yet part of the crawl index or that have very few links to them, causing them to appear further down in the results list than you would like.

You can use Related Queries to suggest alternate words or phrases for search queries. For example, if a user searches for "marriage license" you can suggest "Marriage Certificate". Related Queries display as "You could also try:" on the results page.

Using a Front End to filter results will allow Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations (SNSMR) to add custom KeyMatches and Related Queries for each Front End. This gives individual departments and agencies the ability to display their own set of KeyMatches and Related Queries on results pages. Templates are available for departments or agencies interested in adding your own KeyMatches and/or Related Queries to your Front End.

Downloads

GSA Developer Kit
KeyMatch and Related Queries

Related Links

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What is my collection?
Site Search vs Collection Parameter