Google closes paid search for sites

Google has announced the upcoming closure of Google Site Search (GSS, aka Google Search for sites ). This product was offered to install Google search on your site. For only $ 100 a year, it was possible to subscribe to a cheap tariff, providing up to 20,000 search queries (a tariff for blogs, personal sites). The most expensive of the open tariffs is $ 2000 per year with a limit of up to 500,000 search queries per year. For the largest partners individual rates apply.

Now Google will provide this service only in the form of the Custom Search Engine (CSE), that is, free of charge with non-switchable Google advertising and branding.

The company announced plans to close GSS yesterday in a mailing list for its partners and customers. But the bad news spreads very quickly, so the next day the information got into the media .
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The text of the letter that Google sent to customers

Today, information on the closure of the service is available on the GSS English page .

GSS has been working on partner sites since 2008. Current customers will be allowed to use the product until the end of the current license, but as of April 1, 2017, the registration of new licenses will be discontinued. So if you really need a Google search on your site - hurry to subscribe before April 1, 2017.

After the limit on the number of requests under the current license has been exhausted, the account will be automatically transferred to the Custom Search Engine (CSE) service, according to a Google announcement.

Despite the gradual closure of the service, Google promises to continue to provide technical support to customers throughout the term of the license. In addition, GSS customers whose contracts expire between April 1 and June 30, 2017, the company will provide three months of free use of the product with an additional limit on the number of search queries.

The mailing list states that CSE is based on the same search engine and offers similar functionality as GSS. This can be seen, for example, if you look at the search on Habrahabr + Geektimes sites , based on Google CSE technology.

Google also recommends that customers look at the spreadsheet with GSS and CSE differences. As you can see, some differences still exist, including the inability to remove the Google logo and turn off advertising. Of the technical support options, only the forum remains. There are restrictions on the number of requests for JSON API and other differences.

	Google Site Search	Free CSE
Search options
Search all over the internet	-	+
Search by image only	+	-
Appearance
The ability to remove ads	+	-
Access to XML API results	+	-
JSON API	Unlimited	Daily limit
AdSense Earnings	+	+
Ability to remove Google branding	+	-
Control
Transfer of ownership	+	-
Section of search quotas with a business group	+	-
Technical support
Access to the support forum	+	+
Email support	+	-

Unfortunately, CSE functionality may also change in the future. For example, Google now removes some useful and advanced features from this system, including support for the schema for searching from an XML file, in which it was possible to describe the paths and URLs for indexing. Such a file could be generated dynamically. In addition, support for several search queries within a single search has recently disappeared in the CSE.

Obviously, CSE cannot be called a full replacement for GSS. Some sites will not be able to carry out such migration painlessly. For example, if they used GSS to search for pages behind paywall, that is, for pages that are not indexed by a conventional search engine.

If you do not want to switch to CSE, then Google recommends disabling the search module on your website .

The final termination of support for CSE will be held in the IV quarter. 2017

Fortune reporters are reminded that just over a year ago, Google announced the same plans to close the Google Search Appliance , with which companies could integrate Google search on their own equipment.

Apparently, these steps are part of a strategy to refine Google’s business model. The company focuses on making a profit from the display of advertising and cuts off non-core businesses. This Google strategy has even become a comic book theme .

One expert, on condition of anonymity, commented that Google is trying to share technology with advertising from the G Suite application package, which includes a text editor, spreadsheets and email. Previously, the predecessor of G Suite - Google Apps - was a free package, and now G Suite is offered for money.

Google periodically launches new services and closes old ones. This is not surprising, although this behavior may undermine the faith of some Google customers and partners in the long-term support of other products of this company. This is not the first time Google has closed a service that is very popular. Suffice it to remember Google Reader.

It should be noted that Bing recently released an updated version of the paid API for search and increased prices three times. It seems that Microsoft is not going to fold this product. Yandex also has a similar service, Yandex.Search for a site .