Google Toolbar: How to add the Google Search Bar

I ended my previous article on the Google Desktop Search tool stating that trying to keep up with Google is trying to catch up with a mirage in the desert. After installing Google Toolbar 5.0, I get the feeling that the mirage is on the run again while I am rooted on the spot marveling at the ease that Google has brought into my life.

How to add the Google Tool Bar?
The latest version of the Google Toolbar available for download is the Beta 5.0. You can download it free of cost from Google’s website and install it on your computer by clicking on the executable. Once the installation is completed, you will see a new toolbar in your browser below the address bar. It cannot get simpler than this.

Google Tool Bar: Features

The features of the toolbar are innumerable. Before listing them out, I want to first talk about my favorite feature, which is the Google Page Rank Display. This feature actually indicates the importance of the page as per Google! Moving on to some of the other features provided by the toolbar:

• Pop-up Blocker: One of the best features provided by the toolbar. It blocks all the annoying advertisements that pop-up on the screen.
• Spell Check: An excellent feature for bad typists. It finds spelling mistakes on the web page and as it comes with an auto-correct option; you can clean up a bad typing job with a few clicks.
• Translate: This feature allows the user to translate web pages in French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Simplified Chinese into English.
• Synchronized Toolbar Settings: The toolbar is now available with a login feature. This feature helps you access all your toolbar settings on any computer that you login.
• Send To: This feature enables you to share web pages through email or blog. You have the option of sharing the entire page or just an excerpt from the page. Highlighting the part of the web page that you want to share does this.
• Highlight Search Terms: After using the toolbar to search for a web page using key words, you will not have to scroll through the web page looking for the key words. The highlight feature of the toolbar will highlight the key words for you.

What is the Google Search Bar?

The Google Search Bar is part of the Google AdSense program. It is a completely free feature provided by Google and provides an opportunity to a user to make money from their website. You can add this feature to your website which will enable the visitors to your website search for information on your site itself. Along with the search results, the search engine will return the Google AdSense advertising results. It is a fully automatic process wherein the advertisements are directly linked with the search criteria. Coming to the money making part, when the users clicks on the advertisements returned by Google, you will be paid money. It is a ‘pay per click’ feature wherein you are paid according to the number of users who have clicked on the advertisements returned by Google.

How to add the Google Search Bar?

Following are the steps you will need to follow to add the Google Search Bar to your website:

• Sign up to the Google AdSense.
• Log on to the AdSense toolkit and navigate to ‘AdSense Setup’ and then select ‘AdSense for Search’.
• You can either select the option ‘Google WebSearch’ (which will allow the user to search the web directly from your website) or you can select the option ‘Google WebSearch & Site Search’ (which will allow the users to search the web or specific sites of your choice).
• You can choose the appearance of the search bar on your site using the ‘Search Box Style’ option.
• Next, in the ‘More Options’ section, select your site language. Also select the option to ‘Open results in a new window’.
• As you navigate through the next couple of steps, you will have the option of customizing the logo and the style of your search page results to align them with the style of your website. You can create your AdSense palette, choose your country to specify the Google domain and use the ‘Use SafeSearch’ option to exclude sites with explicit sexual content.
• On completing the entire process, you will be provided the code by Google which you will have to copy and paste in your website. The entire process cannot get simpler than this.

Now that you are aware as to how to add a Google Toolbar to your browser and add a Google Search Bar to your website which will not only make your site better, it will even make money for you, what are you waiting for. Log on to Google and enjoy!