{"id":26036,"date":"2012-05-02T21:03:36","date_gmt":"2012-05-02T15:33:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/?p=26036"},"modified":"2026-10-13T13:40:42","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T08:10:42","slug":"site-search-google-chrome-search-engine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2012\/05\/site-search-google-chrome-search-engine\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Add Site Search to Chrome (and Make It Your Default Search Engine)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Did you know you can search any website straight from Chrome&#8217;s address bar? We once set our own site search as Chrome&#8217;s default search engine, so every search typed in the address bar searched QuickOnlineTips. In 2026 Chrome makes this even easier with <strong>site search<\/strong> shortcuts: type a short keyword, press Tab, and search YouTube, Wikipedia, Amazon or your own blog directly. Here is how to set it up.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-64107\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/site-search-chrome-1024x538.webp\" alt=\"Add site search to Google Chrome\" width=\"1024\" height=\"538\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/site-search-chrome-1024x538.webp 1024w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/site-search-chrome-300x158.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/site-search-chrome-150x79.webp 150w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/site-search-chrome-768x403.webp 768w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/site-search-chrome.webp 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Quick answer:<\/strong> In Chrome, open <strong>Settings &gt; Search engine &gt; Manage search engines and site search<\/strong>. Under <strong>Site search<\/strong>, click <strong>Add<\/strong>, enter a name, a shortcut (like <code>qot<\/code>) and the site&#8217;s search URL with <code>%s<\/code> where the query goes, such as <code>https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/?s=%s<\/code>. Then type the shortcut in the address bar, press Tab or Space, and type your search.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_89 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6ae32ff413017\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"ez-toc-cssicon\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6ae32ff413017\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2012\/05\/site-search-google-chrome-search-engine\/#How_to_add_a_site_search_in_Chrome\" >How to add a site search in Chrome<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2012\/05\/site-search-google-chrome-search-engine\/#How_to_use_it\" >How to use it<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2012\/05\/site-search-google-chrome-search-engine\/#How_to_find_a_sites_search_URL\" >How to find a site&#8217;s search URL<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2012\/05\/site-search-google-chrome-search-engine\/#Can_you_make_site_search_your_default_search_engine\" >Can you make site search your default search engine?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2012\/05\/site-search-google-chrome-search-engine\/#Useful_site_search_shortcuts_to_add\" >Useful site search shortcuts to add<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2012\/05\/site-search-google-chrome-search-engine\/#FAQ\" >FAQ<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2012\/05\/site-search-google-chrome-search-engine\/#Does_site_search_work_in_Chrome_on_Android_or_iPhone\" >Does site search work in Chrome on Android or iPhone?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2012\/05\/site-search-google-chrome-search-engine\/#Why_does_my_shortcut_not_work\" >Why does my shortcut not work?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2012\/05\/site-search-google-chrome-search-engine\/#Can_website_owners_add_their_site_automatically\" >Can website owners add their site automatically?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_add_a_site_search_in_Chrome\"><\/span>How to add a site search in Chrome<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Click the three-dot menu &gt; <strong>Settings<\/strong> &gt; <strong>Search engine<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Click <strong>Manage search engines and site search<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Scroll to <strong>Site search<\/strong> and click <strong>Add<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Fill in:\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Name:<\/strong> QuickOnlineTips<\/li>\n<li><strong>Shortcut:<\/strong> qot<\/li>\n<li><strong>URL with %s in place of query:<\/strong> <code>https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/?s=%s<\/code><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Click <strong>Add<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Chrome also adds many sites automatically after you search them once. Look under &#8220;Inactive shortcuts&#8221; and click Activate.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_use_it\"><\/span>How to use it<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Click the address bar, type <code>qot<\/code>, then press <strong>Tab<\/strong> (or Space). The bar shows &#8220;Search QuickOnlineTips&#8221;. Type your query and press Enter. Chrome also has built-in shortcuts: <code>@bookmarks<\/code>, <code>@history<\/code> and <code>@tabs<\/code> search your own browser data.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_find_a_sites_search_URL\"><\/span>How to find a site&#8217;s search URL<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Go to the website and search for a test word, such as <code>chrome<\/code>.<\/li>\n<li>Copy the address of the results page, for example <code>https:\/\/example.com\/search?q=chrome<\/code>.<\/li>\n<li>Replace the test word with <code>%s<\/code>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Most WordPress sites use <code>\/?s=%s<\/code>. Sites with Google Programmable Search often use a different results page; see how to make <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2012\/09\/google-custom-search-results-links-same-window\/\">Google Custom Search open links in the same window<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_you_make_site_search_your_default_search_engine\"><\/span>Can you make site search your default search engine?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Yes. In Manage search engines, click the three dots next to a search engine you added and choose <strong>Make default<\/strong> where Chrome allows it. Every address bar search then goes to that site. For most people, a shortcut is more practical, because you keep Google for general searches. Using Edge? See how to set the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2015\/12\/google-default-search-engine-in-microsoft-edge-browser\/\">default search engine in Microsoft Edge<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Useful_site_search_shortcuts_to_add\"><\/span>Useful site search shortcuts to add<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><code>yt<\/code>: <code>https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/results?search_query=%s<\/code><\/li>\n<li><code>w<\/code>: <code>https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?search=%s<\/code><\/li>\n<li><code>maps<\/code>: <code>https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/search\/%s<\/code><\/li>\n<li><code>gh<\/code>: <code>https:\/\/github.com\/search?q=%s<\/code><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Combine shortcuts with good <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2013\/01\/bookmark-web-pages\/\">bookmarks<\/a> and you will rarely need to visit a homepage again.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FAQ\"><\/span>FAQ<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Does_site_search_work_in_Chrome_on_Android_or_iPhone\"><\/span>Does site search work in Chrome on Android or iPhone?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Custom site search shortcuts are a desktop feature, but you can still search sites with Google using <code>site:example.com your query<\/code>.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_does_my_shortcut_not_work\"><\/span>Why does my shortcut not work?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Make sure the URL contains %s and the shortcut is listed under Site search as active.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_website_owners_add_their_site_automatically\"><\/span>Can website owners add their site automatically?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Chrome detects many sites with a search box or OpenSearch description, and adds them as inactive shortcuts.<\/p>\n<p>Which site searches have you added to Chrome? Share them in the comments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Did you know you can search any website straight from Chrome&#8217;s address bar? We once set our own site search&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":64107,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[23,3],"tags":[49],"class_list":["post-26036","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-computers","category-google","tag-tutorials"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26036","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26036"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26036\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":65437,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26036\/revisions\/65437"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/64107"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26036"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26036"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26036"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}