Google is basically removing free Programmable Search Engines JSON API

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As I received today:

We’re writing to let you know about upcoming updates to our Web Search products and Programmable Search Engine capabilities.

Programmable Search Engine helps partners serve their users’ search needs on their sites. Moving forward, we’ll be evolving our offerings to provide more focused and capable solutions for every use case. This evolution is designed to ensure a high-quality experience for users and partners.

We’ve provided more details below on the timeline and recommended actions for this transition.

What you need to know
We're simplifying and modernizing our offerings so you can choose the tool that fits your goals.

For site-specific search: The Programmable Search Element (the “Search Element”) is being simplified to create focused search experiences on your own websites.
For enterprise-grade needs: For advanced features like AI-powered conversational search and enterprise-grade grounding, we continue to offer Google Vertex AI Search as a solution.
For global web search needs: We understand some partners have use cases that require querying beyond a designated subset of domains. Our full web search solution is available for those requiring our entire index; please complete this form to register your interest.
What you need to do
Plan your transition path to be completed any time between now and January 1, 2027:

“Sites to search” feature for users of the Search Element querying 50 or fewer domains: The Search Element remains the optimal solution for delivering highly optimized and focused results.
“Search the entire web” option for users of the Search Element querying more than 50 domains: If your use case necessitates querying more than 50 domains or is set to “Search the entire web”, contact us to express your interest in the full web search solution and get more information about its capabilities and pricing. Your transition to an alternative solution needs to be completed by January 1, 2027.
For users of the Custom Search JSON API: Vertex AI Search is a favourable alternative for up to 50 domains. Alternatively, if your use case necessitates full web search, contact us to express your interest in and get more information about our full web search solution. Your transition to an alternative solution needs to be completed by January 1, 2027.
To prepare for this transition, as of today, all new engines must be configured to use the “Sites to search” feature. This change impacts only new engines; existing engines are not affected and can continue to use the “Search the entire web” option until January 1, 2027.

These changes will facilitate the development of focused products, improving the search functionality available to developer partners. We look forward to collaborating on these advancements.

Thank you,