Ever since the option was available, I've preferred to have a dedicated search bar on my browser. Yeah, I know the Chrome Omnibox allows search, and that's fine … except sometimes (almost always) I want to search result to give me a new tab (so that means clicking a new tab and then searching), and usually I want a search to a particular engine or site (Amazon, IMDb, Wikipedia).
For the latter, yeah, I know you can create keywords for an Omnibox search, but once I got used to some sort of selectable search bar that has been the way my brain has been wired.
I can't remember what I used in my old Firefox days, but for many years on Chrome I've used the "Universal Search & IE8 Accelerators" extension, which did everything I wanted. Alas, I just discovered that it's been discontinued / pulled from the Chrome store by the owner. It will remain in a Chrome installation until you do something to reset things, at which point it vanishes without a trace (as happened on my home machine).
Bummer.
So, after a fair amount of digging around, I've switched over to a new extension called SearchBar (https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/searchbar/fjefgkhmchopegjeicnblodnidbammed?hl=en), which seems to do everything I want (and more), and it's easily configurable to any site that has a search bar on it.
Not earthshattering, but of such little things is life made a bit less irksome.
SearchBar
The most efficient way to use your favourite search engines. Search selected text, use customizable hotkeys and much more.
An alternative:
Right click the omni-bar. Choose configure search engines.
Delete all the crap out of there, and edit the 'keyword' for the ones that remain or you add yourself.
A short keyword like 'g' lets you type 'g mysearch' in the omnibar and have it go to Google. 'imdb ice pirates', 'wiki ercp', etc.
+Al Hunt Which is fine if I want to devise and memorize keywords. Which I'd rather not. Also, I'd have to open a new tab.
It's doable (and clearly many/most?) people do it that way. But it's not the way I'm habituated to.
No worries. Whatever works for you, of course. Also, if you hold down Alt as you press enter, you get a new tab.
YOU MONSTER! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'D DO THIS!
+Les Jenkins We all have our dark side, Les …