Chapter 7: Searching Google Catalogs

In This Chapter

• Learn to search through online Catalogs

• Advanced searching through the catalogs

• Navigating catalogs with Google’s special interface

• Get your catalog online with Google Catalogs

It may not be as fun, or as creatively useful as the old Sears catalog, but Google has created a streamlined and common way you can search the catalogs of many online vendors. This way you don’t have to figure out where and how to navigate through the many kinds of online catalogs. You can do all your searching in a single place.

Google has scanned catalogs from partner vendors. You can see the vendor’s full-color catalog online in an easy-to-browse format. You can navigate to the vendor’s home page and have the catalog right at your fingertips. You can also use some of the other Google shopping tools such as Froogle to comparison shop by switching back and forth between Froogle and Google Catalogs. You may find vendors that you never knew existed have exactly what you’re looking for.

Browsing through catalogs gives you an entirely different experience than many e-commerce sites that try to get you to the page where you click the Buy button. Catalogs make you familiar with a company’s entire line of products. You may find companion products or models that are superior to the product you had in mind. You might just enjoy browsing catalogs without the intention of buying anything. For example, many hobbyists browse catalogs to keep up with the latest gadgets and things of interest.