Guidelines for implementing Google™ Free

Welcome to Google Free, a no-cost way to help your users find what they’re looking for when they visit your website. This document will give you guidelines on how to integrate Google web search and optional Google site search into your site quickly and easily. We have provided guidelines on how layout, Google attribution and branding should be handled.

Requirements:

• Adherence to these guidelines is required prior to the launch of Google Free on your website.
• You may not display Google Brand Features (Google's trademarks, logos, web pages, screen shots, or other distinctive features) in any manner that implies sponsorship or endorsement by Google, except for your involvement in the Google Free program.
• You may not use Google brand features to disparage Google, its products or services.
• You may not display Google brand features on your site if it contains or displays adult content or promotes illegal activities, gambling, or the sale of tobacco or alcohol to persons under twenty-one (21) years of age.

There are different guidelines for use of Google Free and Customizable Google Free search. Click on the product you are implementing on your site to see the guidelines that apply to you.

• Google Free (web search, SafeSearch, or web search with site search)
• Customizable Google Free search
  

Google Free back to top

Attribution

The web search box on your site must conspicuously display a graphic (see Branding section below) that indicates that the search services are provided by Google. The graphic should link to www.google.com or other addresses as Google may designate from time to time.

In order to maintain consistency and preserve the Google brand identity, the only acceptable version of the Google logo is the one that appears after implementation of Google Free. Please note: if you are using Google Free SafeSearch, your graphic will be a special Google SafeSearch logo that is embedded in the code and will have the word SafeSearch underneath the Google logo.

About Our Logos

One of the conditions for use is that you can't mess around with our logo. Only we get to do that. You must ensure that the presentation of the Google Brand Features will be consistent with Google's own use of the Google Brand Features in comparable media. This means, for example, that if Google uses certain trademark or service mark notices with its Brand Features (e.g., "SM", "TM" or "®"), you will be required to use such notices when you use our Brand Features. In addition, you must include the following statement in any of your material that includes such Brand Features: "____________ is a trademark of Google Inc." An example would be: “Google SafeSearch™ is a trademark of Google Inc.”

Google Brand Features must appear by themselves, with reasonable spacing (at least the height of the Google Brand Feature and a minimum of 25 pixels) between each of its sides and other graphic or textual elements on your website. The Google logo must also appear by itself in a manner that does not in any way indicate to viewers of your website that Google endorses the products, services, or information provided on the site.

Google Brand Features such as the "I'm Feeling Lucky" button and customized versions of the Google logo appearing on Google.com (typically for holidays) are not allowed for use on your site.

Things You Can't Do with the Google Brand

You can't (and agree not to) do any of the following:

• Have the Google logo as the largest logo on your website (except for search results page);
• Display a Google Brand Feature as the most prominent element on any page of your website;
• Display a Google Brand Feature in any manner that implies a relationship or affiliation with, sponsorship, or endorsement by Google, other than your involvement in the Google Free program, or that can be reasonably interpreted to suggest editorial content has been authored by, or represents the views or opinions of Google or Google personnel;
• Display a Google Brand Feature on any website that contains or displays adult content, promotes gambling, involves the sale of tobacco or alcohol to persons under twenty-one years of age, or otherwise violates applicable law;
• Display a Google Brand Feature in a manner that is in Google's sole opinion misleading, defamatory, infringing, libelous, disparaging, obscene or otherwise objectionable to Google;
• Display a Google Brand Feature on a site that violates any law or regulation;
• Frame or mirror any Google page (including the page that appears in response to a click on the Google logo or Google search box); or
• Remove, distort or alter any element of a Google Brand Feature (this includes squeezing, stretching, inverting, discoloring, etc.).

Please note: Google logos may never be used in conjunction with competitor logos. Competitors include all search and sponsored listings providers. Google logos can never be used in conjunction with any third-party logos, including your logos, unless you have implemented customizable Google Free search or have obtained Google's prior written consent.

Customizable Google Free Search back to top

     Layout | Attribution | Branding | Example

Layout

The layout of the results page will look similar to the results page displayed when you do a search at Google.com. However, with customizable Google Free search, you can add your own logo to the top of the search results page. After you’ve registered for customizable Google Free search, you’ll be able to customize the size and alignment of your logo, in addition to these elements of the results page:

• Background color behind the Google logo
• Background (BGCOLOR) color of page
• Text (TEXT) color
• Link (LINK) color
• Visited link (VLINK) color
• Active link (ALINK) color
• Background URL (BACKGROUND)
• Alternate text color (default green)
• Important text color (default red)
• Faint text color (default dark gray)

You can set the target of the search results so that they load in a new window, into the parent of the current website frame, or into the full window.

The web search box on your site must conspicuously display a graphic (see Branding section below) that indicates that the search services are provided by Google. The graphic should link to www.google.com or other addresses as Google may designate from time to time.

In order to maintain consistency and preserve the Google brand identity, the only acceptable version of the Google logo is the one that appears after implementation of Customizable Google Free search.

About Our Logos

Although you can customize the background color behind the Google logo as it appears on the search results page, you can not make any changes to the Google logo as it appears alongside the web search box on your site (this includes squeezing, stretching, inverting, discoloring, etc.). You must ensure that the presentation of the Google Brand Features will be consistent with Google's own use of the Google Brand Features in comparable media. This means, for example, that if Google uses certain trademark or service mark notices with its Brand Features (e.g., "SM", "TM" or "®"), you will be required to use such notices when you use our Brand Features. In addition, you must include the following statement in any of your material that includes such Brand Features: "____________ is a trademark of Google Inc." An example would be: “Google SafeSearch™ is a trademark of Google Inc.”

Google Brand Features must appear by themselves, with reasonable spacing (at least the height of the Google Brand Feature and a minimum of 25 pixels) between each of its sides and other graphic or textual elements on your website. The Google logo must also appear by itself in a manner that does not in any way indicate to viewers of your website that Google endorses the products, services, or information provided on the site.

Google Brand Features such as the "I'm Feeling Lucky" button and customized versions of the Google logo appearing on Google.com (typically for holidays) are not allowed for use on your site.

Things You Can't Do with the Google Brand

You can't (and agree not to) do any of the following:

• Have the Google logo as the largest logo on your website (except for search results page);
• Display a Google Brand Feature as the most prominent element on any page of your website;
• Display a Google Brand Feature in any manner that implies a relationship or affiliation with, sponsorship, or endorsement by Google, other than your involvement in the customizable Google Free Search program, or that can be reasonably interpreted to suggest editorial content has been authored by, or represents the views or opinions of Google or Google personnel;
• Display a Google Brand Feature on any website that contains or displays adult content, promotes gambling, involves the sale of tobacco or alcohol to persons under twenty-one years of age, or otherwise violates applicable law;
• Display a Google Brand Feature in a manner that is in Google's sole opinion misleading, defamatory, infringing, libelous, disparaging, obscene or otherwise objectionable to Google;
• Display a Google Brand Feature on a site that violates any law or regulation;
• Remove, distort or alter any element of a Google Brand Feature (this includes squeezing, stretching, inverting, discoloring, etc.).

Please note: Google logos may never be used in conjunction with competitor logos. Competitors include all search and sponsored listings providers. You can only use the Google logo in conjunction with your own logo after registering for customizable Google Free search or after having obtained Google's prior written consent.