Custom data rendering in results

Since the launch of Custom Search, we've been constantly pushing the customization envelope -- allowing users to tweak ranking, provide refinements, add promotions above results, change the look and feel, select from themes and modify layouts.

We did not stop there. We added support for custom synonyms, and the ability for website owners to mark up their content with structured metadata. With structured Custom Search, you can create results with rich snippets, e.g., thumbnails and actions.

Now, through Custom Search data rendering in the element, we’re providing you the ability to completely customize the layout of each result. With simple inline markup on the search page, you can override result attributes, decide how each result is formatted, control the size and location of thumbnails and highlight result metadata.

The screenshot below shows an example of formatted result blocks for a sample search based on data from Scribd -- thumbnails have been reduced in size, and a new line containing metadata, including an icon for document type, has been inserted into the result.

We hope you’ll use the power of data rendering in your own search. For a step by step guide on how you can control the data rendering in results with the Custom Search Element, please read our post on the Search API blog.

Posted by: David Gibson and Nicholas Weininger, Software Engineers