Google Inc. has announced the release of Google Custom Search Engine, a free, ad-supported product that enables web publishers and bloggers to create custom searches on their sites.

The service enables users to choose which pages they wish to include in a tailored web search index, how the search results will appear and the option of users contributing their own favorite links to the index.

The service will allow government organization and non-profit groups the choice of whether to run ads with the search results or not. Commercial users must carry Google ads to pay for the free service.

"This is really a way to make your own version of Google search," says Marissa Mayer, Google's vice president in charge of search.

Companies such as Rollyo.com and Eurekster.com have previously launched customizable search engines. Rival portal MSN with its MSN Windows Live service, posted how to create your own search engine. Yahoo! Inc. has supplied search shortcuts for its product.

Nielsen//NetRatings also released its data for top U.S. search providers and found an estimated 2.8 billion search queries were conducted at Google Search, representing 50 percent of all search queries conducted during September 2006.