Google plans to discontinue its site search function this spring. This is the program that allowed websites to have the power of Google’s search engine technology specifically for their site. In other words, visitors could use a Google search bar to sift through blog posts and webpages on the site.
Google has not officially made an announcement about this, but they sent out emails to existing customers. If your website currently has a Google search bar on it, you will need to make a slight adjustment to your web design to accommodate the changes.
What To Do Now…
Google will maintain the site search function for the duration of your license. They will stop selling new licenses on April 1, but they will offer a three month license extension for website owners whose licenses end between April 1 and June 30, 2017. This gives you plenty of time to make adjustments to your website and test for issues before the site search ceases.
Talk to your website designer about using a different site search option on your website. There are many site bar add-ons available, depending on the way your website is coded and how updated it is. Most are completely free to use, but you may prefer a paid option if you have a large website with a lot of content. Your web designer will help you every step of the way.
Use This As An Opportunity To Update Your Web Design
If you haven’t updated your web design in a while, this would be the perfect time to do it. Make sure the site is compatible with the latest mobile devices, and modernize outdated features. If your customers have issues navigating through your website, you can improve that during your redesign. Complete this with SEO-enhanced website organization, and you won’t have to worry about a new design for quite some time.
Our web designers in Michigan are here to assist you. Contact Detroit Internet Marketing for a free website evaluation, and we will let you know exactly what you can do to improve your design and your search engine ranking. Your visitors will appreciate the easy-to-follow, visually appealing design that we create, to the point that they won’t even notice the change in search bars.
What If I Don’t Update Before The Deadline?
If you don’t make any changes to your website before your Google Site Search license is up, your account will automatically convert to Google’s Custom Search Engine (CSE). This is a free service, but it includes advertising that you may not want on your website. Your customers may get turned away because the ads will make your site look less authentic. Ideally, work with a website designer to ensure that you have a new search bar in place before your license is up.
Contact our Michigan website designers at (248) 234-4830 to learn more about beneficial updates to your website.
