May 31, 2009

Add a Search Box to Your Blog (Header)


This Post is requested by Kpopster-kith from KPopSites.

One of the important widgets in a blog is of course a search box, you may leave the archive widget, but do not miss a search box. With increasing number of posts, it is of course not possible for your readers to find a post from the never ending list in your blog archive, in that case only a search box can help them to find what they want.
According to my own blog statistics, out of every 500 page impressions at least 50 impressions belong to internal blog search.

Adding a search box to your blog is very easy. Simply go to Layout and click on Add a Gadget, and select it as Search Box.
But just in case you want to edit/modify the search box, then you should better add it as an HTML element.

So go to Blogger -> Layout -> click on Add a Gadget and select it as HTML/JavaScript

and paste this code in to it:
<div>
<form action='http://bloggerstop.net/search' id='searchthis' method='get' style='display:inline;'>
<span>Search This Blog</span>
<input id='b-query' maxlength='255' name='q' size='20' type='text'/>
<input id='b-searchbtn' type='submit' value='Search'/>
</form>
</div>
NOTE: Replace the code in RED with your blog's address. You may customize the widget by modifying the text in BLUE.
That's it save the widget.



In case you want to display the search box in the Header region, just like BloggerStop, follow these instructions:

Log in to Blogger -> Layout -> Edit HTML and mark the 'Expand Widget Templates' box.
Now find (CTRL+F) this:
#header {
.....
.....
.....
}
And immediately BELOW/AFTER it, paste this code:
#header .searchbox {
text-align:$endSide; //$endSide = Right & $startSide = Left
margin: 25px; // Distance from right or left side
}

Now search these lines:
<div class='descriptionwrapper'>
<p class='description'><span><data:description/></span></p>
</div>

Add the blue code BELOW it, like this:
<div class='descriptionwrapper'>
<p class='description'><span><data:description/></span></p>
</div>
<div class='searchbox'>
<form action='http://bloggerstop.net/search' id='searchthis' method='get' style='display:inline;'>
<input id='b-query' maxlength='255' name='q' size='20' type='text'/>
<input id='b-searchbtn' type='submit' value='Search'/>
</form></div>
That's it, save the widget and let your visitors freely roam around your blog !


14 comments:

Anonymous said...

that's a very great hack. i have already a search box integrated in the template, but i remove it and replace it by google search, and when i search for something in google i never found it, now i will remove the google search and do this tip !

one question? i have subsribed by email but i always recieve the updates 4 or 5 days later? is there any way to fix this?

Divya Sai said...

Do you mean you subscribed to BloggerStop or is it any other blog ?
Anyways, if the updates aren't coming instantly, then you may better follow the blog through 'Google Friend Connect', so the updates will instantly appear in your blogger dashboard.

Anonymous said...

yes i subscribed by email it's better than google friend, or rss readers or any thing elese

Divya Sai said...

Try FeedBlitz, and please do use some name, and a link back to your blog, to make the conversation more meaningful ;)

kpopster - K said...

sai,

sorry for bothering again but nothing happened when i tried it. :(

Divya Sai said...

okay...lets go step by step...

first add the search box anywhere else in your blog (not in the header), and tell me if you were successful in doing that !

Divya Sai said...

Try it now kith, there were some glitches in the code, which I have corrected now.
Thnks for letting me know your problem.

Rabih Zein said...

how to change the width?

Sai @ Blogger Widgets said...

increase size from 20 to something like 50.

hello said...

bro plz help me my search box function is not working actually when i search something then it shows no post matching your querry...

Sai - Blogger Widgets said...

That may be because your blog is quite new and so it will take time to index your blog completely.
PS: You may try a search widget from Lijit.com as well.

d said...

Hi,

You have a 1st type of search box code to add in HTML gadget. In that code I want to do a modification. In the code shall I cut the tag [div] at the starting positon and the tag [/div] at the ending position? I have a purpose to cut both of these tags...If I cut these 2 tags will it affect the search box in some way?

ARC™ said...

have no idea why this isnt working. theres no error whatsoever but the box just wont appear. Any idea?

Shipsocker said...

Worked wonderfully !!!!!!!!!!!! ;)

:)) ;)) ;;) :D ;) :p :(( :) :( :X =(( :-o :-/ :-* :| 8-} :)] ~x( :-t b-( :-L x( =))

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