I have a shameful secret I can no longer hide, which I must confess: I have been unfaithful, and even promiscuous. It has been going on for so long, I don’t even quite remember how it started any more. Did it begin with a faint dissatisfaction with the default search engine of my Web browser? Its query results just didn’t ignite the same passion anymore? Was I perhaps jealous of the unseemly attention garnered by sponsored ad results? Perhaps it was all of these things, and more.
I am of course speaking of the exotic, forbidden world of vertical search engines; also of the custom search engine – the search engine that dare not speak its name. There have been so many, I barely remember all their names. Nor do I need to: for I have a System, which now perforce I must share with you.
Have you noticed that many Web sites have a search box? Site-specific searches are a form of vertical search, and they are a great way to get good results fast. Unfortunately, they can also be a lot harder to remember than the generic google.com. But what if you had a system to keep them organized? (What if you don’t care? Then you can go back to drinking your Bud Lite and watching ESPN. Or whatever you people do. Those of you who read without moving your lips; continue.)
Method #1: Browser- Agnostic
Use delicious or some other online bookmarking service which uses tags. Save the search engine and tag it with keywords that make sense to you. It helps if you are consistent with tags and also if you stem them; i.e. use only the root word "run" and not "running, runs, runner, ran." This makes it more likely you will remember the right keywords later.
Method #2: Firefox Bookmark Keywords
Firefox has some great built-in functionality to help with search engine usage. The easiest to use is keywords. In this context, a keyword is an alias you assign to a bookmark. When you type the keyword into the Location Bar, Firefox will know that you are referring to a specific URL. Try this the next time you are on a Web page that has a search box:
- Right-click on the search box.
- Select "Add a Keyword for this search" from the context menu.
- In the resulting dialog box, chose a name for your search engine.
- Add a keyword in the corresponding field. You can use any word that hasn’t already been assigned; I like to keep them short for convenience.
- If you wish, you may also choose a folder to put it into. Maybe you might want to create a folder called "Search" as a subfolder of your Bookmarks Toolbar.
- Click the "Add" button.
- Now try it out! Type Cntrl+L to focus on the Location Bar, then type your keyword followed by your search term. Hit Enter.
- The results page for your search term will open directly.
Method #3: Firefox Search Bar
Have you tried using the Firefox Search Bar? Did you give up on it because adding new search engines is such an awkward process? Well, that’s too bad because with the right add-ons, your Search Bar can become a real power tool. I recommend two add-ons which really bring out the best that the Search Bar can offer:
Add to Search Bar is extremely simple to use: right-click inside a search box and select "Add to Search Bar" from the context menu. Now the search engine will always appear on the drop-down menu in your Search Bar.
Organize Search Engines is a complementary add-on which allows you to change search engine ranking and create folders for your search engines. It really helps to cut down on the clutter once you have collected a bunch of search engines.
Another useful thing to know is that you can access your Search Bar via keyboard shortcuts:
Cntrl+K will focus your cursor inside the Search Bar.
F4 will activate the drop-down menu of search engine choices,
Up and Down Arrows will move the selection up and down the list.
