Create a Branded Search Plugin For Firefox

We as bloggers are often focused on ways to extend our reach, and we occasionally get caught up in articles with headlines like “15 Ways to Increase Readership!” or “50 Ways to Improve SEO!” One could argue those headlines always get the clicks, but do the articles really deliver the information you hope to get?

What about the quiet ways in which we can serve our readers, day by day? What about offering tools that benefit the user, rather than just driving traffic? Creating a community sense, being sincere, and establishing credibility all help generate loyalty from those who interact with your site… fans of your content become fans for a reason.

Next time that good and gentle reader is looking for something specific you wrote or released, save them a step in finding it by creating and distributing your own search plugin for Firefox. Because it supports Open Search specifications, Firefox allows users to directly search Google, Amazon or Wikipedia (and more) from any site, with a single click. Why not offer the same functionality for your own growing resource?

OpenSearch is FF and IE compatible, so I decided to create one for DA. Why not, right? Content gets buried quickly - it’s a simple fact of blogging life. Try creating a branded search plugin to extend the functionality and reach of your site… and look really smart while you’re doing it! :)

Examples

• See Design Adaptations’
• See Technorati’s
• See a list of many more and the source code behind them

You can grab the DA search plugin by clicking the drop-down search box in Firefox, and clicking “Add Design Adaptations” at the bottom.

On a final note, you can also use your search plugin as a productivity tool for finding archived content on your site, or to retrieve an old link you need to refer to… without using your CMS dashboard or taking the time to open your site’s built in search!

Tags: firefox | plugins | resources