Conducting Google searches from your desktop isn’t anything new. I remember doing this with Google Desktop…do you remember Google Desktop? (I miss desktop widgets sometimes).
Now you can do it in Windows, OS X, Ubuntu, etc… It’s all baked into your OS.
But what if you could level up your search? Maybe reduce a few clicks? Especially if you find yourself making the same kind of Google Searches over and over!
Then you might be ready to become a search ninja with Searchy.
Searchy
I am happy to say that Searchy is a multi-platform app. You can run it on Windows, OS X, and it should eventually arrive on Linux.
By running Searchy in the background, you can quickly pull it up using any number of preset shortcuts (I use the default Ctrl+Shft+Space).
As you can see in the screenshot above, you can setup and group many different search presents. Click the box, enter your terms, press enter, and you’re on your way to your favorite web browser filled with results. But there’s more to it than that.
Scopes
Each “scope” can be customized.
Setup the scope type, pick your search engine and search type (for example: news, images, etc…):
And add any template or site filter data:
As you can see in the screenshot above, you can setup “How to {SEARCHY} in Photoshop?” Then when you search “use the magic wand tool” it will pull up “How to use the magic wand tool in Photoshop?” in your browser.
Here’s a scope that I am currently using:
“WordPress Genesis {SEARCHY}”
If you’ve ever done a search for a Genesis Framework question, snippet, or resource, you know that including “WordPress” is very important!
Or maybe you want to keep your search limited to one website? I’ve created a scope that uses the Site Filter “http://wordpress.org/plugins/” to quickly search the WordPress repository.
Searchy also offers some Google Search hack help and predefined Search Scopes for Web Developers which are really helpful.
Conclusion
Searchy isn’t revolutionary by any means. It’s one of those tools that if you take the time to configure, setup, and start using, you’ll be wonder how you lived without it.
For a quick $9, you can hardly go wrong.
Learn more, download Searchy, and start searching like a ninja!
[Ninja image via freepik]
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