This gadget builder tool makes it easy to build a gadget for your cause. When you're done making your gadget, follow our simple guidelines to promote and optimize it. All you need to get started is access to a publicly available server where you can host your gadget files.

1. Create your gadget

Use this tool to create a professional gadget featuring useful and dynamic content. (Take care not to click the Back button while you're using the wizard to avoid losing your work.) If you have web design resources, you can also build a custom gadget from scratch using our gadgets API.

Create your overall gadget design

The following design elements will appear on every tab of your gadget.

g) Customize your gadget's tabs

Now that you've given your gadget an overall look and feel, you can customize it by adding one or all of the following tabs:

• Watch: Share video content from your YouTube playlist
• Read blog: Make your latest blog posts easily accessible
• News: Provide news relevant to your organization's mission
• Get Involved: Encourage users to join your mailing list or donate to your cause

h) Select a default tab

Choose the tab that will appear on the user's iGoogle page the very first time they use your gadget. Your default tab should be the most interesting tab of your gadget so that users will continue using your gadget over time.

Default tab: Select a tab Watch Tab Read Blog Tab News Tab Get Involved Tab

2. Download the necessary gadget support files by clicking here and save them in a subdirectory entitled "gadget-img" in the public web directory you specified in step one. (Look at the gadget preview to the right -- if your gadget support files were saved correctly then your gadget preview should look normal. If they weren't saved correctly or they weren't saved to the URL you specified, the tab titles will appear as broken images in the gadget preview.)

3. Copy the text below into a new file named gadget.xml. Save this file in the public web directory you specified in step one.

2. Promote your gadget

Once you're gadget is "live," it's time to share it with the rest of the world. Remember, your gadget will only bring people to your web site if they know about it, so be sure to follow all four steps.

First and most importantly, encourage your supporters to add your gadget to their iGoogle homepage through prominent, relevant promotions on your website. How to promote your gadget and start seeing results

Second, many of your website visitors probably have websites or blogs of their own. Invite those supporters to add your gadget to their own websites by providing them with the following URL to add to their website or blog code:

Third, submit your gadget for inclusion in the iGoogle gadget directory by visiting http://www.google.com/ig/submit.

Fourth, if you're willing to invest in your gadget's success, consider using an advertising platform like Google AdWords to purchase ads that promote your gadget. In addition to promoting your gadget using text ads, you can even use the Google AdWords Gadget Ads program to run Google AdWords ads in the format of a gadget to promote your gadget's usage, or any other message.

3. Track and optimize your gadget

Successful gadget developers track the performance of their gadgets regularly, respond to users' feedback and optimize their gadgets over time.

Track

Once you've submitted your gadget and allowed a few days for your gadget to appear in the iGoogle gadgets directory, you'll be able to view weekly user and pageview numbers on your gadget's page in the directory. You can also gather more detailed statistics about your gadget's performance by using logs analysis software such as Google Analytics.

If your gadget's usage numbers are lower than you'd like, go back to step 2 and think of more ways to promote your gadget.

Optimize

On your gadget's iGoogle gadget directory listing, you'll also find user feedback your gadget. Read through these comments regularly and make improvements to your gadget according to users' suggestions.

The more useful and interesting people find your gadget to be, the more popular it will become, and the more success you'll have in bringing visitors back to your website.

You're done!

Best wishes with your gadget! Come back to this site any time to build more gadgets, or use the gadgets Editor to customize your gadget even more. We wish you much success in making your gadget popular and driving its traffic back to your own website.

Gadget preview