Migrate 60K Google CSE Queries Before the January 2027 Shutdown

The Problem

Google Custom Search Engine API shuts down January 1, 2027. Teams running 60K+ queries/month need to migrate to an alternative. Google recommends Vertex AI Search, but it requires full Google Cloud setup, enterprise pricing, and only supports site-restricted search (up to 50 domains). Open web search needs a different solution.

The Scavio Solution

Replace the CSE REST endpoint with Scavio's POST endpoint. Map response fields: CSE 'items' becomes 'organic_results', 'items[].title' stays 'title', 'items[].link' stays 'link', 'items[].snippet' stays 'snippet'. Run the migration in three phases: (1) parallel-run both APIs for one week to validate parity, (2) switch primary traffic to the new endpoint with CSE as fallback, (3) decommission CSE integration before the deadline.

Who It Is For

Engineering teams running high-volume Google CSE implementations that need to migrate before the January 2027 shutdown deadline.

Key Benefits

• Drop-in REST replacement with similar response schema
• 60K queries at $300/month with predictable billing
• No Google Cloud project or Vertex AI setup
• Open web search without site restrictions
• Parallel-run strategy ensures zero migration downtime

Python Example

import requests, os

H = {'x-api-key': os.environ['SCAVIO_API_KEY']}

def migrate_cse_query(query: str) -> list:
    """Drop-in replacement for Google CSE queries."""
    r = requests.post('https://api.scavio.dev/api/v1/search', headers=H,
        json={'platform': 'google', 'query': query}, timeout=10).json()
    # Map to CSE-compatible format:
    return [{'title': o.get('title'), 'link': o.get('link'),
             'snippet': o.get('snippet')} for o in r.get('organic_results', [])]

results = migrate_cse_query('best CRM for startups 2026')
for r in results[:3]:
    print(f"{r['title']}: {r['link']}")

JavaScript Example

const H = { 'x-api-key': process.env.SCAVIO_API_KEY, 'Content-Type': 'application/json' };

async function migrateCseQuery(query) {
  const r = await fetch('https://api.scavio.dev/api/v1/search', {
    method: 'POST', headers: H,
    body: JSON.stringify({ platform: 'google', query })
  }).then(r => r.json());
  return (r.organic_results || []).map(o => ({
    title: o.title, link: o.link, snippet: o.snippet
  }));
}

migrateCseQuery('best CRM for startups 2026').then(r => r.slice(0, 3).forEach(i => console.log(`${i.title}: ${i.link}`)));

Platforms Used