Google Search

How to add custom search to your virtual chat agent

It would be much more valuable to have an assistant on your website that actually has knowledge of what information is on your website. With the Google Search skill, the bot will be able to search the website and present the results.

How your bot can search the website

Install the skill

1. Click on Skills

2. Click on Browse

3. Click on Google Search

4. Click Install

Find the Google Search skill

Install the Google Search skill

To enable this skill in our bot we need to publish the bot. Click on "Publish".

Now the skill is installed so it can be configured.

Google Custom Search Engine

In order to use this skill you need to have a Google API key for the Google Custom Search Engine and a CX code. Google Custom Search Engine is free to use. The skill uses the REST API to integrate with the search engine. Read more about it here.

1. Get a google search engine API key here.
2. Create a Search Engine ID in the search engine Control Panel using the following explanation:

Create custom search engine

Configure your custom search engine

1. Enter your domain name (without http or https)

2. Choose your language

3. Give your search engine a meaningful name

4. Click the create button

Now your search engine is created and you see te following:

Click on Control Panel

Click on the Control Panel button to go to the details of your search engine.

Click copy to clipboard

Click on the Copy to clipboard button to copy the Search Engine ID (CX code) to your clipboard.

Configure the Google Search skill

Go back to the studio and find your installed Google Search engine skill in the Installed Skills section and click on the little wheel icon in the upper right corner of the skill panel.

Go to skill configuration

1. Paste your Search Engine ID (CX code) in the first box.

2. Paste your API key in the second box

3. Click on the Save button

Configure the Google Search skill

Configure Google Search in Flows

In order to use the Google Search skill we need to add it to the Unknown flow. We want to configure it in such a way that it will execute the google search before escalating.

1. Click on Content

2. Click on Flows

3. Open the Unknown flow by clicking on Unknown

4. Click Add action and unfold this step (click on the header bar of the new action)

Add action in Unknown flow

1. Select perform "Invoke"

2. Select target "Dialog"

3. Select dialog "site_search"

Configure action to invoke site_search dialog

Now we want this action to be performed before escalating, that is why you need to drag this action to the top of this flow.

Fold your action first before dragging it. Unfolded actions cannot be dragged. Fold your action by clicking on the header row. The little 'v' icon in front of the header caption will turn into a '>' icon when your action is properly folded.

Click on the little drag icon (the 8 dots) in front of the action header and hold it. Now move your mouse above and see the row is dragging along. Release the mouse button when you are hovering above the first action of the Unknown flow. Now the action is sorted first. It should look like this:

First action is invoke dialog site_seach

No click the Save button and try it by running your chatbot in the studio or publish it and try it on your website.

How to test google search

You can easily test the google search feature by running the chatbot in preview mode. Press the play button in the preview panel on the right hand side.

Now type in a query for which you are absolutely sure it can be found on your website and there is no pre-trained answer for it on your website.

Notice that the bot will not provide one or more search results to choose from as if it is a pre-trained answer.

You cannot test the Google Search skill by clicking the blue Preview button because it needs a message typed by the user in order to work. The Preview button will skip this step.