After virtually a decade delivering online search results, the sparse looking Google page is well known to all. But with a few Firefox extensions, we can dress up the page a little to deliver more information on what we are looking for.

This is the page we normally see :

Pretty plain and normal right?  But after a liberal sprinkling of Firefox extensions, we can get it to this :

More informative and colorful!  So here’s the ingredients you need for Google Steroid Version!

• The Stumbleupon toolbar – this kind of overlaps with another post I did for Google Tutor in which you can have Stumbleupon reviews and gradings mixed into your search results.    It’s kind of reassuring, when looking for quality content, to see that green thumb of approval sticking up there.
• Google Preview Windows – using this extension, you can have a thumbnail of the webpage appear to the left of the search result.   This is useful if you’re at work and you’re wondering if a page is boss-friendly or not.
• Customize Google – a Firefox extension that really pumps up your Google pages.    Using this, you can now have direct access to Google’s cached pages (in case of 404 error pages) and the ability to save links in Google Bookmarks or Google Notebook.   Plus MUCH more.
• SEO for Firefox – I was introduced to SEO Book by the owner of Google Tutor, and they have developed an amazing Firefox extension for Google.   Using this tool, you can see lots of search engine optimization information such as the PageRank of each site and how many links there are registered in places like Del.icio.us, Yahoo, MSN and many more.   You can also see the age of the site.  This extension is VERY customizable and is extremely informative.   You even have an on / off switch if you don’t need to use it all the time.

How have you dressed up your Google?