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Google Search

Authentication Type: API Key
Description: Google Custom Search API for performing web searches using a configured search engine.

Perform web searches using Google Custom Search API with customizable parameters.

Search Web

Search the web using Google Custom Search. Requires a Custom Search Engine ID (cx) and supports various filtering options like language, country, date restrictions, and content types. Returns up to 10 results per request with title, snippet, URL, and metadata.

Operation Type: Query (Read)

Parameters:

  • q string (required): Search query - the terms to search for
  • cx string (required): Custom Search Engine ID - identifies which search engine to use. Defaults to "230935ee073314dc5"
  • num number (nullable): Number of search results to return (1-10, default 10)
  • start number (nullable): Index of the first result to return (1-based, max 91 for 10 results per page)
  • lr string (nullable): Language restrict - restricts search to documents in a particular language
  • safe string (nullable): Safe search setting - filters explicit content when active. Options: "active", "off"
  • cr string (nullable): Country restrict - restricts search to documents from a particular country
  • dateRestrict string (nullable): Date restrict - restricts results to a particular time period (e.g., "d1" for past day)
  • exactTerms string (nullable): Exact terms that must appear in the search results
  • excludeTerms string (nullable): Terms to exclude from search results
  • fileType string (nullable): File type to restrict results to (e.g., "pdf", "doc")
  • filter string (nullable): Filter duplicate content - "1" to filter, "0" to include duplicates
  • gl string (nullable): Geolocation of end user - helps return region-appropriate results
  • hl string (nullable): Interface language - language for the search interface
  • orTerms string (nullable): Additional search terms with OR logic
  • relatedSite string (nullable): Site to find related pages for
  • rights string (nullable): Licensing filter - filters results by usage rights
  • searchType string (nullable): Search type - set to null for web search, set to "image" for image search
  • siteSearch string (nullable): Site to search within - restricts results to a specific site
  • siteSearchFilter string (nullable): Include ("i") or exclude ("e") the siteSearch parameter
  • sort string (nullable): Sort expression for ordering results

Returns:

  • kind string: The type of search performed
  • url object (nullable): URL template information
    • type string: URL type
    • template string: URL template
  • queries object (nullable): Information about the current and related queries
    • request array of objects (nullable): Current query information
    • nextPage array of objects (nullable): Next page query information
    • previousPage array of objects (nullable): Previous page query information
  • context object (nullable): Context information about the search engine
    • title string: Search engine title
    • facets array (nullable): Search facets
  • searchInformation object (nullable): Information about the search
    • searchTime number: Time taken to perform the search in seconds
    • formattedSearchTime string: Formatted search time for display
    • totalResults string: Total number of search results
    • formattedTotalResults string: Formatted total results for display
  • items array of objects (nullable): Array of search results
    • kind string: Result type
    • title string: The title of the search result
    • htmlTitle string: The title with HTML formatting
    • link string: The URL of the search result
    • displayLink string: The display URL
    • snippet string: A snippet of text from the page
    • htmlSnippet string: The snippet with HTML formatting
    • formattedUrl string: The formatted URL for display
    • htmlFormattedUrl string: The formatted URL with HTML
    • pagemap object (nullable): Structured data from the page
    • image object (nullable): Image information if this is an image search result
  • spelling object (nullable): Spelling correction suggestions
    • correctedQuery string: Corrected query
    • htmlCorrectedQuery string: Corrected query with HTML formatting
  • promotions array (nullable): Promoted search results

Example Usage:

{
  "q": "artificial intelligence machine learning trends 2024",
  "cx": "230935ee073314dc5",
  "num": 10,
  "start": 1,
  "lr": "lang_en",
  "safe": "active",
  "cr": "countryUS",
  "dateRestrict": "m1",
  "exactTerms": null,
  "excludeTerms": "cryptocurrency bitcoin",
  "fileType": null,
  "filter": "1",
  "gl": "us",
  "hl": "en",
  "orTerms": "deep learning neural networks",
  "relatedSite": null,
  "rights": null,
  "searchType": null,
  "siteSearch": null,
  "siteSearchFilter": null,
  "sort": null
}

Common Use Cases

Research and Information Gathering:

  • Search for academic papers and technical documentation using file type filters
  • Find recent news and articles with date restrictions for timely research
  • Exclude irrelevant terms to refine search results for specific topics

Content Discovery:

  • Search within specific websites using siteSearch parameter for targeted content
  • Use language and country restrictions to find region-specific information
  • Find related pages and similar content using relatedSite parameter

Competitive Analysis:

  • Monitor competitor mentions and industry trends with targeted queries
  • Search for specific licensing and usage rights for content research
  • Use exact terms to find specific mentions of brands or products

Development and Integration:

  • Integrate search functionality into applications using Custom Search Engine
  • Implement pagination with start parameter for large result sets
  • Use safe search and content filtering for family-friendly applications