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About Search.gov

Search.gov is a search engine built by the government, for the government. It is a product of the Technology Transformation Services, and there is no cost to federal agencies.

We support over 300 million searches a year across one-third of federal domains by providing a high-quality, self-service search engine that allows you to customize search experiences for the public.

Why choose Search.gov?

We understand the needs and challenges that government web teams face. We’ve designed our service to meet you where you are.

  • Highly configurable. No developers required. Use our easy interface to design your search experience, including what content to search, recommended content, and the look and feel of your search results page.
  • Built for government. Because we only serve government, we orient ourselves around your needs, whether it is security, compliance, search results coverage, or the unique circumstances of government web publishing.
  • Customer service. We are available to help you with your questions. Your success is our mission.
  • No paperwork required. Our service is ready to use. It does not require interagency agreements, payments, or other common procedural challenges.

System security

System security is a top priority for Search.gov. We have an ATO (Authorization to Operate) from the General Services Administration. Active customers can request a meeting to review security package documentation.

How to report a vulnerability

Services operated by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) are covered by the GSA Vulnerability Disclosure Program (VDP). See the GSA Vulnerability Disclosure Policy for details including:

  • How to submit a report if you believe you have discovered a vulnerability.
  • Bug bounty scope.
  • GSA’s coordinated disclosure policy.
  • Information on how you may conduct security research on GSA developed software and systems.
  • Important legal and policy guidance.

Policy requirements

Using Search.gov help you comply with the following laws and policies.

44 USC 3501: Sec. 204 Federal Internet Portal (PDF, 16 pages, 308 KB)

Section 204(a)(2)(B) – Online government information and services should be accessible from a single point.

P.L. 115-336: 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act

Section 3(a)(4) – New websites and digital services must have a search function that allows the public to easily discover public information. This section is often interpreted broadly as also requiring good technical SEO (search engine optimization) practices, to support the search process.

OMB M-23-22: Delivering a Digital-First Public Experience

Section 3.A.4. – Use on-site search functionality: Agencies’ public-facing websites must contain a search function that allows users to easily search content intended for public use. This search function should be a site-wide global search and, when appropriate, could be a feature-specific search for a subset of the website content that is of significant public interest (e.g., find-a-form tool). Agencies should participate in the Search.gov program by utilizing Search.gov for on-site search solutions or by integrating search solutions with Search.gov.

OMB M-22-09: Federal Zero Trust Strategy (PDF, 29 pages, 913 KB)

Section D.5. – Register any internet-accessible domains outside of the .gov and .mil top-level domains with the catalog maintained by GSA and CISA. CISA and GSA will use the catalog to support activities outlined in M-22-09.

Please submit non-governmental domains individually or in bulk through the Govt URLs Github repository.

Our history

Search.gov got its start when internet entrepreneur Eric Brewer, whose early research was funded by the Department of Defense, offered to donate a powerful search engine to the government. That gift helped accelerate the government’s earlier work to create a governmentwide portal.

In June 2000, President Clinton announced the gift from the Federal Search Foundation, a nonprofit organization established by Brewer, and instructed that an official U.S. web portal be launched within 90 days. USA.gov went online on September 22, 2000 under the name FirstGov.gov with a prominent search box to allow the public to search across government websites. Visit USA.gov to learn more about USAGov’s mission and history.

In 2010, Search.gov moved to open-source software and expanded its use to agencies across government in the United States.