When adding search to your website, you might be tempted to reach for the biggest name in the search space. Google offers its Programmable Search Engine (formerly Site Search), which brings the power of Google Search to your site—and yes, there’s even a free, ad-supported version. Government and higher ed orgs can often get full access at no cost. It’s hard to beat free.
But is “free” really worth a haphazard user experience?
The catch with Google’s programmable search engine
While Google’s Programmable Search Engine is free, familiar, and easy to plug into your site, that simplicity comes with significant limitations that can compromise your site's search experience.
Accessibility issues
Google’s JavaScript-rendered search results aren’t accessible out of the box. Users may encounter keyboard traps and conflicts with your site's CSS. Additional work is needed to address these accessibility problems, if they can be addressed at all.
You don't control the results
Your site search is powered by Google's public index, not your content management system. That means you don’t have complete control over your results. Even if your team has spent time crafting metadata and summaries, Google may ignore them. Studies show it uses your provided descriptions only about half the time.
Delayed indexing
Just published a new page or completed a content migration? Don’t expect it to appear in search results right away. Google’s index can lag by days or even a week. And while you can request indexing, it’s just one signal among many that Google considers. There's no guarantee of speed.
Limited design flexibility
Yes, you can tweak the CSS, but you can’t change the layout or structure of search results unless you invest in API access and a custom integration. And at that point, it’s not a plug-and-play solution anymore.
Compare that to native tools like Drupal’s built-in search, which allows you to create custom search result view modes that can have whatever fields you want. With Google’s Programmable Search, you’re stuck with their choices. Irrelevant images, unwanted formatting, and inconsistent results are all too common.
Alternatives to Google's Programmable Search
If you're ready to level up your site’s search experience, it might be time to look beyond Google’s free solution. Yes, better search often comes with a price tag, but not always. If you’re using Drupal, you may already have a powerful option at your fingertips.
Search API modules for Drupal
Drupal ships with basic search out of the box, but it has limitations, especially on larger sites. Once your content grows past 100,000 items, you’ll start to feel the lag. There’s no autocomplete, no synonym support, and no way to track failed searches.
However, Search API, an open-source module, has given Drupal an upgrade, making it possible to deliver fast, faceted search even without external services. For small to mid-size sites, it's often all you need—and it's free.
If you need to scale further, Search API can integrate with external tools when your content volume or complexity demands more horsepower.
SearchStax: Solr power without the hassle
Built on Apache Solr, SearchStax makes enterprise-grade search manageable. It integrates directly with Drupal (thanks to sponsored modules) and offers analytics, relevance tuning, and a centralized way to manage content across multiple sites, even on different platforms.
Acquia now partners with SearchStax, offering it to customers in place of its own search product. If you’re using Acquia and want Solr-level performance without building everything from scratch, this is a solid path forward.
Algolia and other SaaS options
Algolia is another solid alternative—fast, polished, and developer-friendly. It’s pricier than some, but you get what you pay for. Missouri’s state website, for example, uses Algolia to deliver lightning-fast results. Their setup prioritizes speed and clarity by indexing only page titles, showing that great search doesn’t always mean deep search.
Google Search via the API
Yes, you can still use Google—but skip the embedded Programmable Search and go straight to the Custom Search API. That’s what the Commonwealth of Massachusetts does, using a React frontend to tap into Google's engine while designing a custom user experience.
The tradeoff? Unlike the embedded version, the API isn’t free for public sector organizations. Still, it’s a way to keep Google’s muscle while regaining some control.
Enterprise search solutions
If you're managing multiple data sources, unique search logic, or strict security requirements, it might be time to look at ElasticSearch or similar enterprise solutions. These tools offer maximum flexibility and power, but they also demand more from your team.
Many cloud providers, including AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure, also offer search services. These options are designed for scalability and customization, but often require a dedicated engineering team to fully leverage them.
Choosing the right search solution: what to ask before you decide
Search isn’t just a box on your website—it’s often the shortcut to the answers your users actually need. But not every site needs a heavyweight, high-cost solution. The right choice depends on your audience, your goals, and how much you’re willing to invest.
Here are a few key questions to help guide your decision:
- How important is internal search to your users? Review your analytics. What percentage of your visitors are using internal search? If the number is low, you might assume it’s not important, but that could also mean your current search experience isn’t helping anyone. Is it slow, inaccurate, or hard to use? Dig into the data and get curious.
- What's your budget? Can you allocate approximately $10,000 per year for a search provider? This ballpark figure helps gauge whether paid solutions are viable or if you need to work within existing infrastructure.
- Do you have resources for ongoing search optimization? The best technology won't help if your content isn't optimized for search. Can you dedicate staff time (even just 1-5 hours weekly) to analyze search results, identify content gaps, and make improvements? Sometimes, improving your content should precede investing in technology.
Common content issues that undermine search:
- Long, catch-all pages that bury key info
- Outdated or inaccurate content
- Missing or unhelpful metadata
- Page titles that don’t match what users are searching for
Addressing these fundamentals often yields better results than implementing a new search technology.
AI and the future
These days, almost every vendor claims to offer “AI-powered” search, but much of that is rebranded semantic analysis that has been around for years.
Truly conversational AI search interfaces remain problematic for organizational websites due to the risk of hallucinations, where the AI generates incorrect information. While users might accept occasional errors from third-party services like ChatGPT, content appearing on your website carries an implicit guarantee of accuracy.
Explore AI, but proceed with caution, and never outsource your credibility to a chatbot.
Investing in search as a strategic asset
While Google’s Programmable Search Engine offers the appealing price point of "free" for government and higher education institutions, its limitations in accessibility, design flexibility, indexing speed, and result quality make it a problematic choice for organizations that value user experience.
Your content is important. However, if people can’t find it or the search experience is frustrating, your content isn’t making the impact it should. Your search experience is a critical asset in your content strategy. Don’t be satisfied with “free” or “good enough.”