I’m sure some of you have noticed that I use a Lijit search on this blog. A few years ago I learned about Lijit and loved their idea for a customized blog search. The idea is very simple. When someone searches your blog, the best matches from your blog show up first. If there isn’t a match Lijit searches the blogs in your blog roll next. Finally it uses google if it can’t find any matches from your trusted sites.
I love this idea because it keeps things more relevant to my readers, as well as provides traffic to blogs I like. I also like the idea of a trusted search. When readers search on my blog, the chances of something appearing in the search that is inappropriate is less likely, because it is pulling from my webring.
Lijit search can also be monetized, just like Google search, so you are not missing out on anything by switching. Oh, and have you ever tried to get Google to help you with anything and talked to a real person? I didn’t think so. Lijit customer service is amazing. They are friendly, helpful, smart, funny, and they always return emails and phone calls.
If you are looking to make an income on your blog, Lijit also has an ad network. Unlike most ad networks, Lijit is nonexclusive which means you can run their ads in conjunction with other ads on your site. They also don’t have traffic requirements, so even a new blogger can host Lijit ads and make money.
I got to know the folks at Lijit even better during the Savvy Blogging Summit over the summer. The employees are truly excited about their company and it shows in everything they do. They also like to have fun, which makes working with them even better.
Oh, and finally, Lijit has an amazing stat program, for free. Every Monday you are sent a stat report for you blog. I have learned more from these reports than I ever have from site meter or Google analytics.
Lijit is free and costs you nothing to use. It is easy to install and if you have trouble, someone will be available to help you asap. Give it a try for a few weeks and see if you like it, if not give them your feedback. They are always looking to improve their company and want to hear your opinions!