Search queries can be conducted in a variety of different ways. The two common methods are searching within a SharePoint site and searching in a search center site. Searching within a SharePoint site typically uses the default search results page located in the /_layouts/ folder. These search queries are limited to only return results from the current SharePoint site.

Searching in a search center site uses web parts on customizable web part pages to submit and display the results of search queries. The results can include all of the content indexed by the search service application, regardless of where the content is located. In this recipe, we will create a new SharePoint site with a search center template. A search center site may be created as the root site of a new site collection from Central Administration or as a subsite of an existing site collection. In this recipe, we are adding the search center as a subsite to an existing site collection.