Janine,

I would like to put a search engine on my company’s Web site — something I can throw in the header that will search all the pages on my site and return what they are looking for. I’ve been through a couple of tutorials that explain how to search for things in a database, but that doesn’t seem like what I am looking for.

Do you think you could direct me somewhere that would explain how to do this? I would really appreciate it.
Best Regards,
Brandon

Hi Brandon,

Although there are many ways to create a search engine for a Web site, doing it well is more complex than most people realize.

One of the solutions I’ve seen that is both simple to set up and powerful in its abilities is the search tool offered by Google. Many people don’t realize Google offers a highly customizable tool anyone can add to a Web site. You can learn more about it at http://www.google.com/coop/.

You can also use ASP.NET or PHP or any of the other dynamic site technologies supported by Dreamweaver to create a search system for a site, whether it searches a database or simply searches across the text of many pages on a site. Creating a custom solution is complicated and you may want to hire a dedicated search programmer to help develop such a tool if you choose to go this route.

If you search the Web, you will find other search tools that can be customized to work on individual Web sites, but again you may need an experienced programmer to set them up for your site.

I hope that helps. Please let me know what you find works best for your site.

Janine

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