The query interface is what most people are familiar with, and it’s probably what comes to mind when you hear the term “search engine.” The query interface is the page that users see when they navigate to a search engine to enter a search term.

There was a time when the search engine interface looked very much like the www.Ask.com. The interface was a simple page with a search box and a button to activate the search. Today, many search engines on the Web have added much more personalized content in an attempt to capitalize on the real estate available to them. For example, Yahoo! Search, allows users to personalize their pages with a free e-mail account, weather information, news, sports, and many other elements designed to make users want to return to that site to conduct their web searches.

One other option users have for customizing the interfaces of their search engines is a capability like the one Google offers. The Google search engine has a customizable interface to which users can add different gadgets. These gadgets allow users to add features to their customized Google search home that meet their own personal needs or tastes.

When it comes to search engine optimization, Google’s user interface offers the most ability for you to reach your target audience, because it does more than just optimize your site for search; if there is a useful tool or feature available on your site, you can allow users to have access to this tool or feature through the Application Programming Interface (API) made available by Google. This allows you to have your name in front of users on a daily basis.

You can find more information about Google APIs in Appendix A in the section “Optimization for Google.”

For example, a company called PDF24.org has a Google gadget that allows users to turn their documents into PDF files, right from their Google home page once the gadget has been added. If the point of search engine optimization is ultimately to get your name in front of as many people as possible, as often as possible, then making a gadget available for addition to Google’s personalized home page can only further that goal.