Jake

Add Google Secure Search to Chrome

Google secure search is an HTTPS alternative to the standard Google.com search box. Instead of performing a search on an unencrypted page, Google gives you an encrypted HTTPS version of the Google search. Using Google secure search makes the connection to Google secure so that no one between your computer and Google search results servers will see your search query. This prevents your ISP or anyone using the WiFi hotspot where you surf from identifying the search terms you use. Google secure search also turns off the browser referrer, so if you search for something like “Add Google Secure Search to Chrome” and you end up at JakeLudington.com, my Web server statistics software won’t be able to record your visit to the site as being a result of that search. The search stops being secure as soon as you click on a result and go to the web page behind the link, but it keeps your search secure up to that point. There are currently three ways to use the encrypted Google search in Chrome


You would think Google secure search would be included in Chrome as an option, since Chrome is made by Google. Currently, secure search is not a Chrome option, you have to configure your browser or just visit the secure search page on Google.com.
Option one for searching Google securely is to go to the Google Secure Search page and type your search query. You can bookmark this page in Chrome, set it as your homepage, or just remember where it lives.
Option two is to do what I did in setting up Chrome. I created my own Default search in Chrome. This is an easy process set from the Manage feature of the default search, accessed by going to Options > Basics and clicking the Manage button in the Default Search section.
From there you click Add. Name your search Google Secure. Set the keyword box to google. Last you need to add the link for the Google Secure Search. The URL you want to include should look like this:
https://encrypted.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%s
Google Secure Search default Chrome search
A third option for automating Google Secure Search is to add the KB SSL Enforcer extension to Chrome. This basically intercepts the link you type in the browser and if possible redirects to a secure version of the page. Using KB SSL Enforcer has the added benefit of also making sure you connect securely to other sites on the Web, but I personally find my manual way of configuring Chrome for secure browsing to be easier.