Google Site Search: How to Sort Search Results by Date

Sorting search results helps users find the information they need more quickly. Depending on your website’s content, you may want to display results by relevance, date, rating, or another attribute.

If you want to know how to sort Google Site Search results by date, this guide explains how to configure sorting in Google Custom Search Engine (CSE) and explore an alternative using Expertrec.

Read our Google Site Search guide for more information.

What Happened to Google Site Search?

Google Site Search (GSS) was discontinued on April 1, 2018. Existing GSS customers were automatically converted to Google Custom Search Engine (CSE).

Learn more about the Google Site Search shutdown.

Google Custom Search provides similar website search capabilities, including:

• Creating custom search engines for websites or specific pages.
• Searching content from your website.
• Image search functionality.
• Customizing the appearance of search results.

Google Custom Search is an ad-supported product. You can learn more about it here:

Custom Search Engine

Why Sort Google Site Search Results?

Sorting helps users organize search results based on what matters most to them.

For example:

• Sort by relevance: Display results that best match the search query.
• Sort by date: Display newer or older content based on the selected order.
• Sort by rating: Organize reviews or other content based on ratings when the required structured data is available.

The sorting method you choose depends on the type of content available on your website.

How to Sort Google Custom Search Results by Date

Follow these steps to configure search result sorting in Google Custom Search Engine.

1. Open Google Custom Search Control Panel

   Visit the Google Custom Search Control Panel and select the search engine you want to configure.

2. Open Search Features

   Click Search features in the left-hand menu.

3. Go to the Advanced tab

   Open the Advanced tab to access additional search settings.

4. Find Results Sorting

   Click the Results sorting option.

5. Enable Results Sorting

   Sorting by relevance and date may already be available by default. If you want to use these options, make sure Results Sorting is enabled.

6. Add a Custom Sorting Option

   If you want to sort results using another attribute, click Add key.

7. Enter the Sorting Key

   In the Key field, enter the key associated with the data you want to sort.

   If your website uses structured data in PageMaps, the key should be the DataObject name. If your content uses rich snippets, enter the property you want to use for sorting.

8. Add a Label

   Enter a label that describes the sorting option.

9. Save Your Changes

   Click Save to apply your sorting configuration.

Note: The available sorting options depend on your search engine configuration and the structured data available on your website.

Alternative to Google Site Search Sort by Date

If you want another way to add website search and sorting functionality, you can explore Expertrec Custom Search Engine.

Expertrec provides a website search solution with customization options. You can configure your search, customize its appearance, and add it to your website using the available code.

How to Add Expertrec Search to Your Website

Step 1: Sign Up for Expertrec

Visit the Expertrec signup page:

https://cse.expertrec.com/newuser?platform=cse

Sign up using your Google account.

Step 2: Enter Your Website URL

Enter the URL of your website when prompted.

You can also select a server location and add your sitemap URL if required. The platform may automatically detect some of these settings.

Step 3: Customize Your Search

While your website is being crawled, you can explore the available search settings and customize the search interface.

Use the following page to customize the search input box:

Customize the Expertrec Search Input Box

After the crawl is complete, check the search demo to see how the results appear before adding the search engine to your website.

Step 4: Add Search to Your Website

Once your search setup is complete, open the Expertrec dashboard code section:

Expertrec Search Code

Copy the code snippet provided in the dashboard and add it to your website using the appropriate installation method.

For a more detailed installation guide, read:

How to Add Search to Your Website

Conclusion

Google Site Search was discontinued in 2018 and replaced by Google Custom Search Engine for existing customers.

Google Custom Search provides sorting options that can help users organize results by relevance, date, and supported structured data attributes.

To configure sorting, open the Google Custom Search Control Panel, go to Search Features, select Advanced, and enable or configure Results Sorting.

If you want an alternative website search solution, Expertrec offers search customization and website integration options.

Choose the search solution that best fits your website’s content, user experience, and requirements.

Get SuperFast Search for Your Website