title: How does Google Custom search, search the web and why does it like so much domains with edu?
body: <p>I'm trying to use the Google Custom API to search for a certain keyword however it seems that the returned JSON that contains the links to the websites which "match" my keyword are totally irrelevant to what I have searched. I have noticed that anything searched will return 80% domains which end with <code>edu</code> even though my keyword is <code>gum guard</code> for example.</p>
  
  <p>I don't mind domains ending with <code>edu</code> however I thought this API returns the first websites that will get returned whenever I go to my Google Chrome and type <code>gum guard</code> (in my example). Searching for <code>gum guard</code> using Google in a browser returns several websites which are relevant (Amazon, etc ... The JSON returned by the API doesn't return Amazon nor does it return anything from the first page from the browser). This confirms the fact that the API doesn't actually return the websites that a simple Google search through the browser will.</p>
  
  <p>Do I have to specify to the API to return what the browser will? What other API could I use to achieve what I'm looking for?</p>
  
  <p>Here is the irrelevant json response from google</p>
  
  <pre><code>    {
   "kind": "customsearch#search",
   "url": {
    "type": "application/json",
    "template": "https://www.googleapis.com/customsearch/v1?q={searchTerms}&amp;num={count?}&amp;start={startIndex?}&amp;lr={language?}&amp;safe={safe?}&amp;cx={cx?}&amp;cref={cref?}&amp;sort={sort?}&amp;filter={filter?}&amp;gl={gl?}&amp;cr={cr?}&amp;googlehost={googleHost?}&amp;c2coff={disableCnTwTranslation?}&amp;hq={hq?}&amp;hl={hl?}&amp;siteSearch={siteSearch?}&amp;siteSearchFilter={siteSearchFilter?}&amp;exactTerms={exactTerms?}&amp;excludeTerms={excludeTerms?}&amp;linkSite={linkSite?}&amp;orTerms={orTerms?}&amp;relatedSite={relatedSite?}&amp;dateRestrict={dateRestrict?}&amp;lowRange={lowRange?}&amp;highRange={highRange?}&amp;searchType={searchType}&amp;fileType={fileType?}&amp;rights={rights?}&amp;imgSize={imgSize?}&amp;imgType={imgType?}&amp;imgColorType={imgColorType?}&amp;imgDominantColor={imgDominantColor?}&amp;alt=json"
   },
   "queries": {
    "nextPage": [
     {
      "title": "Google Custom Search - gum guards",
      "totalResults": "2710000",
      "searchTerms": "gum guards",
      "count": 10,
      "startIndex": 11,
      "inputEncoding": "utf8",
      "outputEncoding": "utf8",
      "safe": "off",
      "cx": "017576662512468239146:omuauf_lfve"
     }
    ],
    "request": [
     {
      "title": "Google Custom Search - gum guards",
      "totalResults": "2710000",
      "searchTerms": "gum guards",
      "count": 10,
      "startIndex": 1,
      "inputEncoding": "utf8",
      "outputEncoding": "utf8",
      "safe": "off",
      "cx": "017576662512468239146:omuauf_lfve"
     }
    ]
   },
   "context": {
    "title": "CS Curriculum",
    "facets": [
     [
      {
       "label": "lectures",
       "anchor": "Lectures",
       "label_with_op": "more:lectures"
      }
     ],
     [
      {
       "label": "assignments",
       "anchor": "Assignments",
       "label_with_op": "more:assignments"
      }
     ],
     [
      {
       "label": "reference",
       "anchor": "Reference",
       "label_with_op": "more:reference"
      }
     ]
    ]
   },
   "searchInformation": {
    "searchTime": 0.406893,
    "formattedSearchTime": "0.41",
    "totalResults": "2710000",
    "formattedTotalResults": "2,710,000"
   },
   "items": [
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     "kind": "customsearch#result",
     "title": "Decomposing an integer as sum of two squares",
     "htmlTitle": "Decomposing an integer as sum of two squares",
     "link": "https://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/EWD/ewd10xx/EWD1032.PDF",
     "displayLink": "www.cs.utexas.edu",
     "snippet": "DacompOSingL on 'ln}€q¢f' as gum OP 'I-wo squares. I \\J v. I (I had no\\' I'ﬂcmned \n+0 wr'H-e .... which Sujjes} “we guard xg and “HG Fiﬁ-her arm} so 'mhreshn _ ...",
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     "fileFormat": "PDF/Adobe Acrobat",
     "formattedUrl": "https://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/EWD/ewd10xx/EWD1032.PDF",
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        "author": "Administrator",
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    {
     "kind": "customsearch#result",
     "title": "Full Course Reader - Stanford University",
     "htmlTitle": "Full Course Reader - Stanford University",
     "link": "http://www.stanford.edu/class/cs106l/course-reader/full_course_reader.pdf",
     "displayLink": "www.stanford.edu",
     "snippet": "There are many ways to write include guards, but one ...... map, an atom, a gum, \na kit, a baleen, a gala, a ten, a don, a mural, a pan, a faun, a ducat, a pagoda ...",
     "htmlSnippet": "There are many ways to write include \u003cb\u003eguards\u003c/b\u003e, but one ...... map, an atom, a \u003cb\u003egum\u003c/b\u003e, \u003cbr\u003e\na kit, a baleen, a gala, a ten, a don, a mural, a pan, a faun, a ducat, a pagoda&amp;nbsp;...",
     "mime": "application/pdf",
     "fileFormat": "PDF/Adobe Acrobat",
     "formattedUrl": "www.stanford.edu/class/cs106l/course-reader/full_course_reader.pdf",
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     "kind": "customsearch#result",
     "title": "The First World War Diary of Lupton Kaylor",
     "htmlTitle": "The First World War Diary of Lupton Kaylor",
     "link": "https://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/cline/LLK_Diary/LLK_Diary_The_War_with_Germanyold.pdf",
     "displayLink": "www.cs.utexas.edu",
     "snippet": "of work by not doing any fatigue1 or guard duty. The eats were much ...... \nReceived three gift[s] of goodies &amp; tobacco, cigarettes &amp; chewing gum from the “Y\n”,.",
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     "formattedUrl": "https://www.cs.utexas.edu/.../LLK_Diary_The_War_with_Germanyold.pdf",
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        "creator": "diary.PUB - Microsoft Publisher",
        "creationdate": "D:20041208121209",
        "title": "C:\\Documents and Settings\\Alan Kaylor Cline\\My Documents\\Diary_LLK_The_War_with_Germany.pdf",
        "author": "Alan Kaylor Cline",
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    },
    {
     "kind": "customsearch#result",
     "title": "Testing and Grading - EECS Instruction - University of California ...",
     "htmlTitle": "Testing and Grading - EECS Instruction - University of California \u003cb\u003e...\u003c/b\u003e",
     "link": "https://www-inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs375/sp14/book/Tools_for_Teaching_2nd_Edition_PART_VIII_Testing_And_Grading.pdf",
     "displayLink": "www-inst.eecs.berkeley.edu",
     "snippet": "coded M &amp; Ms for signaling answers and the use of a gum wrapper as a crib \nsheet. YouTube ...... dents ' names to increase objectivity and guard against bias.",
     "htmlSnippet": "coded M &amp;amp; Ms for signaling answers and the use of a \u003cb\u003egum\u003c/b\u003e wrapper as a crib \u003cbr\u003e\nsheet. YouTube ...... dents &amp;#39; names to increase objectivity and \u003cb\u003eguard\u003c/b\u003e against bias.",
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     }
    },
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     "kind": "customsearch#result",
     "title": "When such claims and litigation extend beyond the period , the ...",
     "htmlTitle": "When such claims and litigation extend beyond the period , the \u003cb\u003e...\u003c/b\u003e",
     "link": "http://cs.jhu.edu/~jason/465/hw-ofst/tagger/datahelp/entrain.withSA.txt",
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     "snippet": "A spot honoring Bill White , the inventor of chewing gum , shows a woman trying \n..... its pharmaceuticals subsidiary agreed to supply collagen corneal shields for ...",
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     "kind": "customsearch#result",
     "title": "greimlin 671 grianghrafad6ir greimlin, m. (gs. ~, pL ~i). Med ...",
     "htmlTitle": "greimlin 671 grianghrafad6ir greimlin, m. (gs. ~, pL ~i). Med \u003cb\u003e...\u003c/b\u003e",
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     "snippet": "... m = GUAJRE? guardal(l), ~ach GUAIRDEAI~L. -ACH guard~n = GUA!RNEAN \n.... Arb: Gum. Crann ~,gum-tree. ~arabach, gum arabic. '--'peirce, gutta-percha.",
     "htmlSnippet": "... m = GUAJRE? guardal(l), ~ach GUAIRDEAI~L. -ACH \u003cb\u003eguard\u003c/b\u003e~n = GUA!RNEAN \u003cbr\u003e\n.... Arb: \u003cb\u003eGum\u003c/b\u003e. Crann ~,\u003cb\u003egum\u003c/b\u003e-tree. ~arabach, \u003cb\u003egum\u003c/b\u003e arabic. &amp;#39;--&amp;#39;peirce, gutta-percha.",
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     "kind": "customsearch#result",
     "title": "a cappella,abbandono,accrescendo,affettuoso,agilmente,agitato ...",
     "htmlTitle": "a cappella,abbandono,accrescendo,affettuoso,agilmente,agitato \u003cb\u003e...\u003c/b\u003e",
     "link": "http://www.cse.ohio-state.edu/~wallacch/thesaurus",
     "displayLink": "www.cse.ohio-state.edu",
     "snippet": "... gestae,rose,sable,saltire,scutcheon,shield,spread eagle,step,stroke,stunt ...... ,\ngluten,glutenous,glutinose,glutinous,gooey,grumous,gum,gumbo,gumbolike ...",
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     "kind": "customsearch#result",
     "title": "A Visual Modality for the Augmentation of Paper",
     "htmlTitle": "A Visual Modality for the Augmentation of Paper",
     "link": "http://www.acm.org/icmi/2001/PUI-2001/a2.pdf",
     "displayLink": "www.acm.org",
     "snippet": "name AG for “advanced guard.” The other feature structure ... odds of touching \nthe board (either by rubbing along the gum line or dabbing a point thereon) does\n ...",
     "htmlSnippet": "name AG for “advanced \u003cb\u003eguard\u003c/b\u003e.” The other feature structure ... odds of touching \u003cbr\u003e\nthe board (either by rubbing along the \u003cb\u003egum\u003c/b\u003e line or dabbing a point thereon) does\u003cbr\u003e\n&amp;nbsp;...",
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     "title": "Contents Preface #i 1 Introduction 1 I PreliHinRries 7 2 Overview 9 ...",
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     "snippet": "W e omit the guard below , which allows the use of e q l below. ( defu R ...... th is \nnaiv e a r gum e n t assum e s th a t the n e w i te m is a n o d e in .W h a t if i t.",
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     "title": "end",
     "htmlTitle": "end",
     "link": "http://www.cs.columbia.edu/~sedwards/presentations/ccu2004.pdf",
     "displayLink": "www.cs.columbia.edu",
     "snippet": "Design a vending machine controller that dispenses gum once. ... dime have \nbeen inserted, and a single output, GUM, ...... to add guard variable or copy. ⇒.",
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  </code></pre>
  
  <p>As you can see gum guards according to this api has a correlation with squared numbers.</p>